Top 10 CGI Fails in Hollywood Movies
Top 10 Worst CGI Fails in Big Budget Movies
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How much money did they pay for this? Welcome to WatchMojo and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Worst CGI Fails in Big Budget Movies. For this list, we’re taking a look at movies with sizable budgets that totally dropped the ball in the CGI department. These aren’t necessarily their worst uses of CGI in movies, as we already have a list for that. Rather, the focus is more on huge errors in judgement and execution.
#10: Training Day
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“Black Panther” (2018) Although this MCU movie was universally praised on almost every front, most people would agree that the special effects could’ve used some polishing, especially during the climax. When Black Panther and Killmonger first faced off earlier in the film, the audience genuinely felt the heated rivalry that’d been building. This is because actors Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan were actually present throughout that fight. For their rematch, our hero and villain are primarily replaced by CGI puppets, taking us out of the action and the story. It doesn’t help that there’s an unmistakably CGI train at the center of their showdown. While the choreography is inventive and the setup showed promise, this sequence seems more like the previsualization footage than the finished product.
#9: De-Aged Losers
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“It Chapter Two” (2019) De-Aging Robert De Niro and Samuel L. Jackson is one thing, but child stars? The second chapter in the “It” duology came out only two years after its predecessor, giving the first film’s young actors little time to drastically grow up. Nevertheless, a few cast members, most notably Finn Wolfhard, went through noticeable growth spurts by the time “Chapter Two” started shooting. That’s where the de-aging technology came in and the results were eerier than Pennywise himself. Granted, it wouldn’t have made much sense if some of the Losers were suddenly taller and had more mature facial features during the 1989 flashbacks. Still, the lapse in continuity wouldn’t have been nearly as distracting as these eyesore effects.
#8: Battle of the CGI Armies
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“The Hobbit” franchise (2012-14) “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy may’ve had its fair share of digital effects, but they were always balanced out with practical effects. With “The Hobbit” trilogy, the filmmakers became increasingly reliant on CGI, sucking out much of the magic. Even actor Ian McKellen said he was “miserable” having to shoot so many of his scenes in front of a green screen instead of on location. From the dwarves’ barrel escape to Legolas’ physics-defying jumps, it felt more like we were playing “Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor” than watching a movie. That’s not to say these films aren’t without some attractive computer-generated imagery. When the whole screen is consumed by a faceless crowd of CGI armies, however, what should be epic just comes off as mundane.
#7: A Slimy Piece of Worm-Ridden Filth
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“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope: Special Edition” (1977; 97) Since CGI was still a relatively new innovation in 1997, it was admittedly kind of cool seeing the original “Star Wars” trilogy updated with modern tech. Of course, it didn’t take long for these additions to become dated. Even if you never saw the original theatrical cuts, you can always tell what was added after the fact in the “Special Editions.” Jabba the Hutt in particular sticks out like a sore thumb in “A New Hope.” Actually, the effects in “Thumb Wars” are more respectable than this scruffy-looking rendering. Jabba got another makeover for the 2004 release, but he just went from looking undercooked to overdone. In both cases, we never bought that Harrison Ford was really talking to Jabba… or stepping on this tail.
#6: The Circle of CGI
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“The Lion King” (2019) Just because something is more realistic doesn’t mean that it’s more believable. Case in point, “The Lion King” remake. By striving to make the CGI animals as realistic as possible, much of the original animated classic’s color, personality, and drama was lost. For example, here’s an iconic moment from the 1994 film. You see how much emotion the animators get across in each drawing of Simba? We feel every ounce of grief that has befallen him. Now let’s watch the remake’s interpretation of the exact same scene. Simba’s face isn’t nearly as expressive, leaving far less of an impact. Sure, in real life a lion cub wouldn’t be so emotive, but that’s the precise reason why this material wasn’t very well-suited for the photorealistic treatment.
#5: Bella’s Baby
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“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2” (2012) Initially, the filmmakers planned on using an animatronic to bring Edward and Bella’s offspring Renesmee to life. Since this doll looked creepier than Chucky, they decided to swap out “Chuckesmee” with a CGI baby at the eleventh hour. The filmmakers ultimately traded in one disturbing newborn for another, however. Maybe this could’ve worked to the film’s advantage if Renesmee was supposed to be the vampire equivalent of Rosemary’s baby. But no, this is supposed to be a charming moment between two parents and their daughter. It’s hard for us to believe the bond when we don’t even believe that Renesmee is there. Wouldn’t it have made more sense just to build a less grotesque animatronic… or, you know, use a real baby!
#4: Get a Clu
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“Tron: Legacy” (2010) As mentioned before, de-aging technology can be hit-and-miss. When done properly, it can be downright uncanny, as if the filmmakers hopped in a time machine and tracked down an actor during their prime. When mishandled, this tech can about as impressive as something you’d whip up on Photoshop. “Tron: Legacy” contains one of the more infamous examples in the character of Clu, who retains the appearance of a 35-year-old Jeff Bridges. Since this was one of the earlier films to experiment with de-aging in a large capacity, the effect may’ve been passable in 2010. Almost a decade later, though, Clu looks like a bobblehead whose face is about to fall off. Was there a glitch in the Grid?
#3: Don’t Make the Super Suit Green… or Animated
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“Green Lantern” (2011) We get why the filmmakers would turn to CGI if it’s going to be quicker, more cost-effective, and more visually interesting. There were no pros in making Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern suit entirely CGI, though. Not only was it a gigantic waste of time and money, but the final product is downright laughable. Simply allowing the costume department to make a rubber suit would’ve been infinitely more convincing, not to mention easier on everybody. Heck, people dress up as Green Lantern every year for Comic-Con and you know a movie’s in trouble when a fan’s costume is superior to the real deal. When everything on screen is CGI except for a portion of Reynolds’ face, you might as well just make a cartoon.
#2: Mustache-Gate
“Justice League” (2017) Speaking of cartoons, the CGI in “Justice League” was so excessive that it could’ve been mistaken for the animated series. While it was tempting to single out the horrible green screen effects or the abomination that is Steppenwolf, the most baffling and unnecessary use of CGI here is Henry Cavill’s mustache removal. Since he was starring in “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” Cavill contractually couldn’t shave his stache until shooting wrapped. Superman was thus given a digital shave during post-production for “Justice League,” making him look like one of t
#1: #NotMySonic
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“Sonic the Hedgehog” (2020) Okay, you could argue that we’re cheating here since the filmmakers were smart enough to tweak Sonic’s design after the internet flipped out over… whatever that was. Regardless, the fact that this atrocious design for the titular character even made it into the teaser trailer has got to be the ultimate CGI misfire. Whose bright idea was it to give Sonic human teeth, beady eyes, and an anorexic body? After the teaser hit, numerous fans posted their own redesigns online, many of which were well-received. How is it possible for fan art to actually look better than a multi-million-dollar studio production? Again, we give the filmmakers credit for correcting this blue blunder. As long as memes exist, though, the OG design can never be erased.
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