Too CGI heavy?

[pr0xyt0xin]

Common complaint I'm seeing is that Man of Steel utilized computer animation too generously. Or that it was used incorrectly in certain places.

What do you think?

 

[jonathancrane]

Considering all of the online reviews, I feel that every component of the film has been subjected to criticism. In all honesty, if one adds up all of the reviews, the film seems to be a hair above Plan 9...

 

[pr0xyt0xin]

LOL I feel like the two biggies seem to be CGI and homicidal Superman.

Personally I think both complaints are borderline BS. This one specifically is funny to me because what on Earth can Superman do that wouldn't require some sort of CGI?

He punches 250 pound Zod and Zod goes flying. CGI required.
He shoots laser beams out his eyes. CGI required.
He sees through skin and muscle tissue. Boring without CGI.
He moves at half the speed of light. Stop motion required. CGI recommended.
He flies. Wire work required. CGI highly recommended.

 

[Autonet]

CGI was good. Not one of my complaints.

 

[StarvingArtist]

It's not that the CGI was bad. It was that it was BLOW MY FACE OFF, MY EARS ARE BLEEDING FROM HOW ****ING LOUD EVERYTHING IS, WAY WAY over the top.

Zach Snyder probably opens his ketchup bottles with tomahawk cruise missiles.

 

[Astrodust]

Superman flies at lightning speed, has laser eyes and knocks over buildings. If they don't use CGI in one shot, they will have to in the next as he is knocking over buildings or destroying ships in space. Use CGI all the way and keep it consistent. It was fine by me. How else do you do Krypton?

 

[Pickle-El]

It's not that the CGI was bad. It was that it was BLOW MY FACE OFF, MY EARS ARE BLEEDING FROM HOW ****ING LOUD EVERYTHING IS, WAY WAY over the top.

Zach Snyder probably opens his ketchup bottles with tomahawk cruise missiles.

I immediately thought, "damn, this is pretty loud!" as soon as the Krypton action started. It felt like a Foo Fighters concert in there.

 

[Liam_H]

Obviously with his type of powers CGI is needed heavily. But it doesn't mean its completely unnoticeable, sometimes it is and it takes you out a little.

 

[jacobed]

I didn't find any of the cg was bad where I'm thinking wow that's cg. the hand held way of filming definitely helps out with that aspect. I don't understand the reviews that say this is nothing more than a cg fest. I'm sorry did we watch the same movie, the only time there is cg is the first 10 minutes and the last 30 or so. Over half the movie is character progression. Just dumb to hear people say that

 

[MadVillainy]

the cg was good. The only thing I didnt like was when zod was climbing up the building in the final battle. Obviously they had to do it in CG but it looked silly to me like Sabertooth running in X-Men origins

 

[BH/HHH]

I only have a problem with CG when it isn't done well but in this film I'd argue that it's probably the best CGI I've ever seen.

 

[Nicko-Ray]

Supes definitely needs CGI. And there are times when you can tell it is and it didn't bother me. I feel like sometimes things are supposed to look, "computer-y" or whatever.

 

[BH/HHH]

Supes definitely needs CGI. And there are times when you can tell it is and it didn't bother me. I feel like sometimes things are supposed to look, "computer-y" or whatever.

Yeah there's really no other way to do it

 

[DarKush]

I thought it was too much and the more they piled on the less believable it looked.

 

[davejames]

As much as I loved the movie, I do think they probably relied a little too much on CG digital doubles for the action. And not everything had to be done at superspeed.

It would have been nice to see more action at normal speed mixed in (or even in slow motion) involving the real actors, just to vary things up a little.

 

[Maia87]

The CG stunt doubles doesn't works very well in the fight scenes and I HATED the cartoonish-looking CG capes.

 

[Pickleweasel]

LOL too much CGI? CGI was real nice in this movie

 

[EliteF50]

I'd take grand ideas with noticeable CGI over small ideas with good practical effects. This is part of the reason I hated TDKR. When those 6 months passed, Gotham should have looked like Metropolis did at the end of MOS. Instead, we got practical effects, which made it look like Gotham was still in perfect condition.

As much as people like to crap on CGI for whatever reason, it still requires plenty of work and is in now way "the easy way out." How the hell can you do Superman without CG?

 

[TheFlamingCoco]

It's not that the CGI was bad. It was that it was BLOW MY FACE OFF, MY EARS ARE BLEEDING FROM HOW ****ING LOUD EVERYTHING IS, WAY WAY over the top.

Zach Snyder probably opens his ketchup bottles with tomahawk cruise missiles.

Yeah, the noise was offputting. I had trouble enjoying the final fight for that very reason. As for the CG, it's fine, but the FINAL fight had TOO much destruction going on and went on for way too long.

But the Smallville fight was PERFECT. It looked realistic, while adhering to comic-book style and intensity.

I want Zack for the sequel, but want him on a SLIGHTLY tighter leash (the time ramping was replaced with the excessive whip-zooms)

That being said, the man brings beauty, grit, INTENSITY, and symbolism to his imagery and finds great unknowns. He doesn't deserve the hate.

 

[John-An]

the cg stunt doubles doesn't works very well in the fight scenes and i hated the cartoonish-looking cg capes.

man what are you saying? The cape is awesome built... Which cgi doubles... Those are cavill and faora

 

[DACrowe]

It was only too CGI heavy because for some reason, Snyder thought the ending battle should last half an hour and decimate Metropolis. He could have done it without DOZENS of skyscrapers falling.

I am all for a super fight, but the carnage was on Transformers levels, except with the tone of Nolan's movies, creating a very bleak ending. So, I would say a movie that needed copious amounts of CGI had too much in the end because of a tonally deaf directed climax. Just my opinion.

 

[BH/HHH]

The CG stunt doubles doesn't works very well in the fight scenes and I HATED the cartoonish-looking CG capes.

Sorry to disagree but that CG is stunning

 

[DACrowe]

I'd take grand ideas with noticeable CGI over small ideas with good practical effects. This is part of the reason I hated TDKR. When those 6 months passed, Gotham should have looked like Metropolis did at the end of MOS. Instead, we got practical effects, which made it look like Gotham was still in perfect condition.

As much as people like to crap on CGI for whatever reason, it still requires plenty of work and is in now way "the easy way out." How the hell can you do Superman without CG?

I think it is done because, Nolan wanted Batman to save Gotham. The Metropolis in MOS ceases to exist. It literally looks like war torn France from WWII at the end. I still think it is a mistake because, it just sucks the fun out of the movie.

Shots like this:

Spoiler

Sold the madness to me. But the people is another issue. Superman should have more destruction than that in his fight, but seeing Metropolis literally smoldering, smoking ruins was a bit much.

 

[Max Newlander]

It's not that the CGI was bad. It was that it was BLOW MY FACE OFF, MY EARS ARE BLEEDING FROM HOW ****ING LOUD EVERYTHING IS, WAY WAY over the top.

Zach Snyder probably opens his ketchup bottles with tomahawk cruise missiles.

Brilliant post, Couldn't have come up with anything quite as funny to make the point myself.

I glanced over to my weary partner just as the final fight started, the sadness in her eyes reflected mine. Tinnitus was starting to make an appearance in this experience.

Getting slightly back on topic, this was Transfomers on steroids, I DO NOT want to watch 60mins of continuous CGI in any non animated movie EVER!!!! Absolutley no need for the amount of CGI (I appreciate they need CGI to show off Supermans powers etc) My point is that they didn't need to do so much of it. A lot of that time when we were watching the same people YET AGAIN crashing through another building could have been used for character and story development.

 

[ares834]

The CG stunt doubles doesn't works very well in the fight scenes and I HATED the cartoonish-looking CG capes.

Not sure what you are seeing. Both those scenes look phenomenal to me.