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CGI has come a long way over the years. In the hands of a team of skilled artists, the power of computers can bring anything to life. This has allowed filmmakers to go beyond the constraints of old filmmaking to create a new world of stories and characters for audiences to get lost in.
However, not all of these films are really worth the watch. CGI can create amazing locations and bring creatures to life, but if the writing is weak and the characters unlikable, then all it does is provide a shiny coat of paint on a flawed design.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Sixteen years after the release of Return of The Jedi, George Lucas was back to direct a new Star Wars film. This one offered a look at the galaxy before the rise of the Empire, when a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and his master Qui-Gon Jinn are sent to resolve a crisis on the Planet Nabu. Thans to the rise of computer graphics, the Star Wars galaxy was brought to life in new and dynamic ways.
Unfortunately, while The Phantom Menace is visually compelling, its story and characters are far from captivating. The film relies on complex trade negotiations and beurocratic red-tape to fuel its conflict, which many audiences found boring and hard to follow. Many fantastic actors were also brought low by wooden performances, though a few like Ewan McGregor and Ian McDiarmid still manage to leave an impact.
The Golden Compass (2007)
While playing with her friends at Jordan College, Lyra Belaqua saves her uncle from being poisoned, then listens as he raises funding to investigate a strange substance called Dust. Though Lyra is forbidden to join him, she gets her wish when a woman named Mrs. Coulter takes interest in her. Before leaving, the Master of the college gives Lyra a device that can decipher the truth.
No amount of CGI armoured polar bears could save The Golden Compass from behind the scenes meddling. The film was doomed from the start due to religious backlash to Phillip Pulman’sHis Dark Materials series, and the crew’s attempt to avoid the topic results in a bare-bones fantasy adventure. Worse, they changed the original ending for general audiences and re-structured events, causing the film to suddenly stop.
Land of the Lost (2009)
Will Ferrell stars as Rick Marshall, an arrogant and washed-up paleontologist inspired by one of his fans to finish a tachyon amplifier to prove the existence of time warps. Alongside a gift-shop owner, they end up falling into a time warp and lose the amplifier. As they avoid prehistoric animals to find it and get home, they also meet a race of lizard-people called the Sleestak.
Based on the 1974 show from Sid and Marty Krofft, the movie is written more as a parody rather than a loving adaptation. This is done through low-brow adult jokes, excessive CGI, and changing the main characters from a family to unrelated strangers. The Krofft brothers have even called it one of the worst movies ever made.
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
Michael Bay struck gold with his 2007 adaptation of Transformers and quickly followed up with a sequel. As Sam Witwicky is preparing to go to college, a piece of the All Spark imprints cybertronian runes into his brain. This makes him a target of the newly resurrected Megatron, who wants the information to locate a weapon that will destroy the Earth.
This was the last Transformers film produced by DreamWorks, but they went out on a high note by putting even more detail into the designs than the first films. This is the only area that is improved over the original: Revenge of the Fallen boasts some of the most annoying characters put to film. It also entered production during the 2007-08 Writers Strike, which further hurt its plot and characters.
Avatar (2009)
In the far future, humanity is attempting to mine unubtanium on a planet called Pandora, which leads to conflict with the native Na’vi. To try and improve diplomatic relationships, the scientists create human-Na’vi bodies called Avatars, which they can transfer their minds into. When one scientist dies, his twin brother takes over his avatar and finds himself soon caught between two worlds.
Avatar is the textbook example of a pretty movie with little substance. Pandora is a breathtaking landscape with creative creatures inspired by sea life, but its characters are flat, and the story rips off plenty of better environmentally conscious and settler vs native stories. Still, the spectacle was enough for the film to become the highest grossing film of all time.
The Last Airbender (2010)
In 2005, Avatar: The Last Airbender first aired on Nickelodeon. It quickly won audiences over thanks to its blending of eastern and western philosophy and animation styles, and its funny and complex characters. Two years after the series ended, M. Night Shyamalan released his live-action adaptation of the first season.
The Last Airbender should have been a smash hit: it had a built-in fanbase and the switch to live-action offered a chance to blend martial arts with beautiful CGI. While the effects for the bending are pretty, the story falls apart thanks to terrible script and lifeless performances. Coupled with the fact that most of the character’s names are pronounced wrong, it’s hard to find any connection to the cartoon.
Pompeii (2014)
During the height of his Game of Thrones popularity, Kit Harington starred as a Celtic slave captured by Romans and trained as a gladiator. He is taken to the city of Pompeii, where he falls in love with the daughter of the city’s governor. Meanwhile, a sudden increase in earthquakes around Mount Vesuvius herald the city’s doom.
Pompeii is another swing and a miss from director Paul W. S. Anderson,who also directed Mortal Combat, Alien vs Predator, and the first four Resident Evil films. The effects during the city’s destruction are wonderful thanks to Anderson and his team’s dedication to depicting the brutal power of nature. Sadly, the story is a bare-bones sword and sandle story that takes a lot from Ridly Scott’sGladiator but leaves out the heart.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
Mark Webb was the second filmmaker to try his hand at Spider-Man with his Amazing Spider-Man film starring Andrew Garfield. It was successful enough to get a sequel, where Peter Parker graduates from college and begins to think about his responsibilities towards the city and his loved ones. Things get more complicated when an accident turns a meek scientist into an electrically charged super-villain.
The problem with The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is that it’s trying to do too many things at once. It introduces new characters with their own storylines, while still not resolving unresolved plotlines from the first film, and tried setting up a franchise with Sinister Six hints. Thankfully, Garfield and the other actors give some memorable performances.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Jupiter Jones is a young woman trying to make ends meat as a housekeeper. That is, until she comes under attack by aliens and is rescued by a man who has been enfused with canine DNA. Jones learns that she is the reincarnation of a recently deceased alien matriarch who owned Earth, which her three children all want for one reason or another.
Jupiter Ascending is a visually impressive film, especially when it goes into space and shows off interesting locations like a mine located on the planet Jupiter. Unfortunately, it’s weighed down by a nonsensical plot and terrible writing that gives the Star Wars prequels a run for their money. The actors try their best despite the script, and for better or worse, you will not forgetEddy Redmayne’sperformance.
The Lion King (2019)
Following his successful remake of The Jungle Book, Jon Favreau was tasked with adapting The Lion King, the highest grossing traditionally animated film. Except for the opening shot, the entire film was created inside a computer with impeccable detail. Although Disney marketed the film as a live-action remake, it is recognized as the highest grossing animated film of all time.
Despite this success, the film marks a turning point in audience reception to Disney’s remakes. This is due to the film mirroring the original Lion King shot for shot, with only slight deviations that hinder the story and characters. While the CGI animals look impressive, the decision to limit their facial expressions causes them to appear emotionless, especially when compared to real animals.
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