Worst Special Effects

[Secret_Riddle]

10. King Kong (1976)
Fair game..they could have been a lot better..even for 1976

9. The Mummy Returns
meh...i have seen a lot worse in recent movies like ultraviolet

5. Predator
And the list loses credebility

4. The Abyss
uhh...wow.

3. A Nightmare on Elm Street
For a low budget cult horror..they were great

2. Alien Resurrection
saying as how the effects were better then the first 3...its just the film that sucked.

 

[xwolverine2]

PREDATOR

PREDATOR

PREDATOR

PREDATOR

PREDATOR

PREDATOR

AND ABYSS



WTF!!!!!!!

A STORM CLOUD!?

 

[enterthemadness]

The effects for A Sound of Thunder were extremely lacking, but the CGI monsters were just awful (particularly the water eel and the baboon-lizards). The backgrounds and minor stuff were good, though.

I blame the lack of funds the WB parlayed into it. It seems like the WB only paid the company enough money to pay the cheapest special effects houses to complete it and not spend enough money on making it look better. Had the CGI been done by ILM, WETA or even Sony Pictures Imageworks, the CGI would've looked much better and less noticeable.

Actually, the production company (Franchise Pictures) went under during post production. Not to mention floods on the set during filming. I guess WB didn't care for the movie and didn't want to finish the CGI when the production company went under. Wouldn't blame them. Almost every movie they released in theaters from the production company were complete disasters in terms of box office. Battlefield Earth, Driven, Get Carter remake, etc.

Also the budget was either 53 million or 80 million. How much of that was used is unknown. I'm guessing under 40 million was used before the company folded.

A a little known fact. If you go to the site for UFO films (or whatever it's called) you can view their demo reel. Two brief shots of the movie is in it. The point? UFO mainly works on Sci-Fi Channel tv flicks. Ouch.

EDIT -- http://www.ufofilm.com/ufovfx.html

 

[Storm22]

I definitely agree that Catwoman should be included on that list - the movie is practically a computer game! Also Superman 4's unfinished FX stand out like a sore thumb.

 

[xwolverine2]

I definitely agree that Catwoman should be included on that list - the movie is practically a computer game! Also Superman 4's unfinished FX stand out like a sore thumb.

i actually liked catwomans fx.... on par with spideys if you ask me(not that spideys was all that good but you know)...

ULTRAVIOLET on the other hand.....lolt:

 

[Storm22]

i actually liked catwomans fx.... on par with spideys if you ask me(not that spideys was all that good but you know)...

ULTRAVIOLET on the other hand.....lolt:

On par with Spiderman 1's fx maybe, that scene where tracksuit spidey runs down the alley and starts climbing the wall and jumping round the place has very bad fx.

I haven't seen Ultraviolet, was it really bad?

 

[xwolverine2]

On par with Spiderman 1's fx maybe, that scene where tracksuit spidey runs down the alley and starts climbing the wall and jumping round the place has very bad fx.

I haven't seen Ultraviolet, was it really bad?

everyone hates ultraviolet.
the fx ARE horrible...

but it was fun... if you like anime and turn the volume down.

 

[Apollo]

predator??? the mummy returns??? what are they on crack?? they didnt even include spykids and shark boy and lava girl!

WORST VISUAL EFFECTS EVER!!!!!

 

[JackBauer]

predator??? the mummy returns??? what are they on crack?? they didnt even include spykids and shark boy and lava girl!

dude, the FX on that sucked big time. I wouldn't say it's one of the ten worst ever, but it's not that absurd. that big wave thing was a lot faker than the sand wall in the first Mummy (now THAT was awesome) and the Scorpion King at the end was just ridiculous.

 

[Apollo]

anyone remember the devil in the movie SPAWN? the scene where he goes in hell and meets the devil? that was horrible! it looked really bad. It looks like video game graphics out of Nintendo 64

 

[hammerhedd11]

anyone remember the devil in the movie SPAWN? the scene where he goes in hell and meets the devil? that was horrible! it looked really bad. It looks like video game graphics out of Nintendo 64

Oh, my that was terrible. I scoff at the article in Wizard where they say Spawn had good special effects.

 

[Speedball]

This list is BS!
The Mummy Returns, Predator, The Abyss, and Alien Resurrection have awesome effects.
Where's Power Rangers? I love the film, but I could have done the effects for that film with my eyes closed.
Where's Clash of the Titans too?

 

[mclay18]

Where's Power Rangers? I love the film, but I could have done the effects for that film with my eyes closed.
Where's Clash of the Titans too?

Oh, yes Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie's CGI has aged quite badly, even in 1997 it was dated. Particularly the MegaZord vs. giant Ivan Ooze in the finale. But it was fun, in an arcade-game sort of way. And yes, I liked the movie too for all its cheesy goodness.

I think the reason why people overlook Clash of the Titans is because it was noted for its stop-motion effects and they don't want to diss the guy who did all that (I can't spell his name properly, it's Ray H-something).

 

[redmarvel]

I was about to post exactly the same thing.
I think, compared to other Empire Lists, this one is quite a poor idea, because effects that were great in the 40's will look awful now, even if they were really innovative at the time, which the Abyss definatly was.

Agreed. What they need to do is "level the playing field". Compare movies within a given year, instead of across time. Which movies had the WORST special affects last year?

Comparing the effects of a movie made in 1976 to one made in 2006 makes no sense whatsoever.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

the list has been taken out of context, though i dont agree with a lot of the perticular entrys they are talking about certain scenes rather than the film

eg nightmar on elm makes it for the crappy ending with the dummy and window

 

[amazingfantasy15]

Spawn is a good example of horrible effects, not just the Devil, but Violater look pretty awful as well, his transformation was embarassing.

Another example of poor effects is the Terminator, the movie is great plot wise, but some of those effects were awful, the scene where the Terminator cuts his eye out couldn't have looked faker if they tried. Don't get me wrong the movie is incredible, but the effects were laughable at times.

Where was the 1st Harry Potter on that list? Off the top of my head horrible CGI effects include the Troll, Neville on the broomstick and Fluffy the three headed dog. That movie should have had better effects.

 

[hammerhedd11]

the list has been taken out of context, though i dont agree with a lot of the perticular entrys they are talking about certain scenes rather than the film

eg nightmar on elm makes it for the crappy ending with the dummy and window

How did I take that out of context?

 

[Golgo-13]

As much as i love this movie, the special effects were aweful.

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

How did I take that out of context?

cause the way you posted it, the list comes across as saying the effect of the enitre film listed sucks where as the list was just show casing certain scenes

 

[A.J.Rimmer(BSC)]

Where was the 1st Harry Potter on that list? Off the top of my head horrible CGI effects include the Troll, Neville on the broomstick and Fluffy the three headed dog. That movie should have had better effects.

The CGI stuntmen, fair game, but Fluffy was great IMO.

 

[KingOfDreams]

Are they even taking into account the time period some of these movies were made?

 

[Mr. Credible]

Spawn is a good example of horrible effects, not just the Devil, but Violater look pretty awful as well, his transformation was embarassing.

Another example of poor effects is the Terminator, the movie is great plot wise, but some of those effects were awful, the scene where the Terminator cuts his eye out couldn't have looked faker if they tried. Don't get me wrong the movie is incredible, but the effects were laughable at times.

Where was the 1st Harry Potter on that list? Off the top of my head horrible CGI effects include the Troll, Neville on the broomstick and Fluffy the three headed dog. That movie should have had better effects.

dude, for the time, the cgi doubles in that movie were actually pretty good, and the troll and fluffy (especially fluffy) both looked great.

there are a lot worse special effects out there than harry potter.

 

[amazingfantasy15]

dude, for the time, the cgi doubles in that movie were actually pretty good, and the troll and fluffy (especially fluffy) both looked great.

there are a lot worse special effects out there than harry potter.

I like the movie, I bought it on DVD, but even the first time seeing it, those three special effects sequences didn't work for me. Might just be me.

 

[Agent Thermal]

I suppose "Jurassic Park" and "Gremlins" are numbers 11 and 12, had the editors let them go that far.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

The Abyss and Predator shouldn't be on that list...The Mummy Returns is up for debate, because I'll tell you I watched it a bit ago and it's SFX didn't hold up too well.

How come Spawn isn't on the list? What about LXG? That movie had some of the worse FX well...ever.