Some scenes would pass as documentary footage. That's how good CGI has become.
It made me think of simulation theory, how if we live in a simulation, what we see can be picture perfect realism because the technology is getting there. This was perfection in some scenes.
Not really.
Computer generated landscapes are stunning and extremely photorealistic. That's nothing new. Disney is not discovering the wheel here.
https://tutorials.cgrecord.net/2018/02/creating-landscape-in-houdini.html
So... if they look so great, why they're not used more often in CGI?
If you use photorealistic CGI landscapes, then you must use photorealistic CGI characters. And here comes the problem: those characters doesn't fit well. They look stiff, fake. Check the Hobbit, check Polar Express. When you rewatch the movie, this feeling becomes even stronger. Think about the Hobbit. Right now, one the first things that comes to the mind is how fake the orcs looked when you compare them with the ones in Lord of Rings.
This is from Spirit Within. This movie is almost 20 years old. The CGI landscapes looked amazing back then. Again, the characters looked stiff.
http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090730223253/finalfantasy/images/3/3e/TSW_Wasteland_with_Flying_Vehicle.jpg
That's why almost every CGI animated movie doesn't go photorealistic. For living characters, it's not there yet. And if you go lowpoly with the characters, then you must do the same with the landscapes. The best CGI ever must be a whole pack. It doesn't work when having stunning photorealistic landscapes forces you to have non-expressive characters.
Um, Kuku? I think it's highly likely that the landscapes in The Hobbit movies are REAL. ALL of them.
Huh? Some are real, some are photoshop compositions, some are CGI.
shareIn LOTR, I'm sure it was ALL real. New Zealand and all that. Otherwise, what's the fucking point?
Check this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fZGcAmXWyM
Already seen it.
I'm talking about the landscapes, anyway. Yes, the landscape is mostly real, except when they plonk down Minas Tirith, Helm's Deep or even Bree in a random shot. They still looked good, though.
That's true. But think that not many people complained about CGI landscapes in the Hobbit. The main complain was how fake CGI characters looked.
shareAgreed, Kuku. But don't get me started on the Orcs in the Hobbit trilogy! :)
The irony is that Peter Jackson dearly wanted CGI Orcs in the LOTR trilogy as well!!!
Yeap. I think Peter Jackson became the new George Lucas there. They're both genius, but they really need people around that can draw a line in the floor and say 'no' to them. LotR vs The Hobbit is very much the same story than Star Wars vs prequel trilogy.
shareI agree!
shareThe CGI in Gravity is the best so far.
shareI thought I was watching documentary footage. You are correct about that. The movie itself had no feeling.
share