Top 10 Best De-Aging Scenes in Movies
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Script written by Mark Sammut
Turning back time, literally. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 De-Aging Scenes in Movies.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the movies with the best examples of de-aging. The focus will be on the special effects, be it a complete recreation or simply smoothing out the actors.
Lola VFX and the MCU have built a long relationship when it comes to de-aging actors, but “Captain Marvel” took things to a whole new level by requiring one of its main characters to be de-aged for the entire feature film. Although Clark Gregg was also de-aged for a couple of scenes, the show-stealer was Nick Fury and the special effects applied to reimagine Samuel L. Jackson circa 1995. Lola took inspiration from films like “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” and “One Eight Seven,” and managed to seamlessly de-age Jackson to create a genuinely convincing young Nick Fury. A body double wasn't even needed, presumably because Jackson is timeless.
The big question heading into "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" was how the sequel planned to bring back Colin Firth's Harry, who exited the first movie with a bullet to the head. Along with an amnesia plot point, reviving the Kingsman involved a touch of de-aging, as Eggsy triggers a flashback to the time a young Harry was asked to shoot his dog during training. While Firth did not believe the de-aged character resembled a younger version of himself, the CGI works well within the context of the movie, mostly because the flashback is short and spliced with a distraught older Harry who imbues the moment with the necessary emotion.
The ultimate embodiment of childlike wonder and innocence, Pee-wee Herman defies the concept of age. Putting aside a few cameos and a short-lived stage revival, Pee-Wee Herman essentially bowed out in the early '90s; however, by 2016, de-aging technology advanced enough to allow a 63-year-old Paul Reubens to turn back the clock and once again become the iconic character. The process involved a great deal of make-up and special effects wizardry by Vitality Visual FX, and the effort was more than worth it. In "Big Holiday," Pee-wee retains a youthful glow that always defined the character, while Reubens delivers a physical performance that magnifies the de-aging tech's believability.
The first "Ant-Man" had a young Michael Douglas in all of his CGI glory; so, of course, the sequel needed to up the ante. That is where Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne comes into play, with "Ant-Man and the Wasp" wasting no time in showing off its de-aging technology. While a relatively short sequence in the grand scheme of things, the younger Janet looks eerily similar to a late ‘80s, early '90s-era Pfeiffer, and the effect holds up even after a few close-ups. Hayley Lovitt served as Pfeiffer's body double and – with a great deal of help from CGI – became a young Wasp.
Since "Logan" sought to deliver a more grounded superhero flick, if handled poorly, Wolverine's more youthful clone could have broken the film's sense of realism. Imagine Engine created a digi-double for Logan that was used throughout the movie, including the X-24 scenes. The special effect's standout moment is probably X-24's full introduction, as Logan and the clone have a face-off that directly compares the real deal with the de-aged version. “Logan” went a long way in showing how far de-aging has come since the days of “X-Men: The Last Stand.”
Released 35 years after the original, "Blade Runner 2049" features various familiar faces, although none as surprising as Sean Young's forever young Racheal. While the scene is rather short, Deckard's forced reunion with a clone of Racheal required months upon months of work to put together. The effort paid off, creating one of "Blade Runner 2049's" most emotionally effective and visually impressive scenes. Rachael looks almost exactly as she did in the original "Blade Runner," particularly when the character is first revealed to a stunned Deckard. Any inconsistencies also compliment Rachael's arc in the sequel, as the clone is just a shadow of the original version.
Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" took on the monumental task of de-aging its three main performers – Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci – while telling a story that spans decades. Considering the film lasts more than three hours, unsurprisingly, certain scenes work better than others; nevertheless, the de-aging is mostly unobtrusive, which is the goal of most special effects. While "The Irishman" couldn't make De Niro move like a gangster in his 30s, the majority of the film consists of conversational and low-key scenes that were more accommodating for the de-aging process. "The Irishman's" effects took around two years to complete and required the construction of a special camera.
Marvel has not shied away from de-aging actors, but few attempts worked as well as Kurt Russell's flashback in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." During a sequence showing Ego's time on Earth with Star-Lord's mother, a 66-year-old Russell successfully shaves off around 3 decades, a process that required a ton of make-up, a body double, and months of visual effects work. From the way the scene is filmed to Russell's wig, nearly everything in this flashback comes together to ensure the de-aging effect is flawless. Russell's natural charisma also goes a long way in making this scene convincing.
"Captain America: Civil War" de-ages Robert Downey Jr. for a one-shot scene that re-imagines Tony Stark's last moments with his parents. With no cuts and an extended close up on the young Stark's face, the de-aging effect is presented front and center throughout the scene. While Downey Jr. does resemble his early '90s self, the scene's context within the film – that Tony himself created this therapeutic flashback as a demonstration of Stark Industries' capabilities – greatly enhances the credibility of the moment. Removed from context, "Civil War's" scene serves as one of the best showcases of the potential of de-aging.
Top 10 De-Aging Scenes in Movies
Turning back time, literally. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 De-Aging Scenes in Movies.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the movies with the best examples of de-aging. The focus will be on the special effects, be it a complete recreation or simply smoothing out the actors.
#10: Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)
“Captain Marvel” (2019)
Lola VFX and the MCU have built a long relationship when it comes to de-aging actors, but “Captain Marvel” took things to a whole new level by requiring one of its main characters to be de-aged for the entire feature film. Although Clark Gregg was also de-aged for a couple of scenes, the show-stealer was Nick Fury and the special effects applied to reimagine Samuel L. Jackson circa 1995. Lola took inspiration from films like “Die Hard: With a Vengeance” and “One Eight Seven,” and managed to seamlessly de-age Jackson to create a genuinely convincing young Nick Fury. A body double wasn't even needed, presumably because Jackson is timeless.
#9: Junior (Will Smith)
“Gemini Man” (2019)
While not exactly loved by critics, "Gemini Man" was nevertheless an impressive technical achievement. Stuck in development hell until de-aging had advanced enough to enable an older Will Smith to face off against his Fresh Prince self without diving headfirst into uncanny valley territory, "Gemini Man's" crew used a body double, mo-cap technology, and a ton of CGI to get the job done. While the effect holds up better in darker scenes, Junior is displayed front and center throughout "Gemini Man" and rarely becomes unsettling or too distracting. "Gemini Man" has its flaws, but the de-aging effect is not one of them.#8: Harry Hart (Colin Firth)
“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (2017)
The big question heading into "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" was how the sequel planned to bring back Colin Firth's Harry, who exited the first movie with a bullet to the head. Along with an amnesia plot point, reviving the Kingsman involved a touch of de-aging, as Eggsy triggers a flashback to the time a young Harry was asked to shoot his dog during training. While Firth did not believe the de-aged character resembled a younger version of himself, the CGI works well within the context of the movie, mostly because the flashback is short and spliced with a distraught older Harry who imbues the moment with the necessary emotion.
7. Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens)
“Pee-wee's Big Holiday” (2016)
The ultimate embodiment of childlike wonder and innocence, Pee-wee Herman defies the concept of age. Putting aside a few cameos and a short-lived stage revival, Pee-Wee Herman essentially bowed out in the early '90s; however, by 2016, de-aging technology advanced enough to allow a 63-year-old Paul Reubens to turn back the clock and once again become the iconic character. The process involved a great deal of make-up and special effects wizardry by Vitality Visual FX, and the effort was more than worth it. In "Big Holiday," Pee-wee retains a youthful glow that always defined the character, while Reubens delivers a physical performance that magnifies the de-aging tech's believability.
#6: Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer)
“Ant-Man And The Wasp” (2018)
The first "Ant-Man" had a young Michael Douglas in all of his CGI glory; so, of course, the sequel needed to up the ante. That is where Michelle Pfeiffer's Janet van Dyne comes into play, with "Ant-Man and the Wasp" wasting no time in showing off its de-aging technology. While a relatively short sequence in the grand scheme of things, the younger Janet looks eerily similar to a late ‘80s, early '90s-era Pfeiffer, and the effect holds up even after a few close-ups. Hayley Lovitt served as Pfeiffer's body double and – with a great deal of help from CGI – became a young Wasp.
#5: X-24 (Hugh Jackman)
“Logan” (2017)
Since "Logan" sought to deliver a more grounded superhero flick, if handled poorly, Wolverine's more youthful clone could have broken the film's sense of realism. Imagine Engine created a digi-double for Logan that was used throughout the movie, including the X-24 scenes. The special effect's standout moment is probably X-24's full introduction, as Logan and the clone have a face-off that directly compares the real deal with the de-aged version. “Logan” went a long way in showing how far de-aging has come since the days of “X-Men: The Last Stand.”
#4: Rachael (Sean Young)
“Blade Runner 2049” (2017)
Released 35 years after the original, "Blade Runner 2049" features various familiar faces, although none as surprising as Sean Young's forever young Racheal. While the scene is rather short, Deckard's forced reunion with a clone of Racheal required months upon months of work to put together. The effort paid off, creating one of "Blade Runner 2049's" most emotionally effective and visually impressive scenes. Rachael looks almost exactly as she did in the original "Blade Runner," particularly when the character is first revealed to a stunned Deckard. Any inconsistencies also compliment Rachael's arc in the sequel, as the clone is just a shadow of the original version.
#3: Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro)/Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino)/Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci)
“The Irishman” (2019)
Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" took on the monumental task of de-aging its three main performers – Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci – while telling a story that spans decades. Considering the film lasts more than three hours, unsurprisingly, certain scenes work better than others; nevertheless, the de-aging is mostly unobtrusive, which is the goal of most special effects. While "The Irishman" couldn't make De Niro move like a gangster in his 30s, the majority of the film consists of conversational and low-key scenes that were more accommodating for the de-aging process. "The Irishman's" effects took around two years to complete and required the construction of a special camera.
#2: Ego (Kurt Russell)
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)
Marvel has not shied away from de-aging actors, but few attempts worked as well as Kurt Russell's flashback in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2." During a sequence showing Ego's time on Earth with Star-Lord's mother, a 66-year-old Russell successfully shaves off around 3 decades, a process that required a ton of make-up, a body double, and months of visual effects work. From the way the scene is filmed to Russell's wig, nearly everything in this flashback comes together to ensure the de-aging effect is flawless. Russell's natural charisma also goes a long way in making this scene convincing.
#1: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.)
“Captain America: Civil War” (2016)
"Captain America: Civil War" de-ages Robert Downey Jr. for a one-shot scene that re-imagines Tony Stark's last moments with his parents. With no cuts and an extended close up on the young Stark's face, the de-aging effect is presented front and center throughout the scene. While Downey Jr. does resemble his early '90s self, the scene's context within the film – that Tony himself created this therapeutic flashback as a demonstration of Stark Industries' capabilities – greatly enhances the credibility of the moment. Removed from context, "Civil War's" scene serves as one of the best showcases of the potential of de-aging.
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