Favorite Films Using CGI

[InformationGeek]

Lots of you guys moan and groan about the use of CGI in films.  I never had a problem with the use of CGI, since I just see it as another effect film makers use to bring their movie to life.  I have no problem with them, except when it used badly.  I feel the same thing as well towards other effects: models, costumes, and such.  Used right, I like it.  Used wrong, I detest it.

So, it's truth time people.  What movies do you like that use CGI that you think looks good?  Me?  I thought Evolution used some of the best CGI I have ever seen to bring to life some of the most creative looking aliens I have ever seen.  I also like Small Soliders, Eight Legged Freaks, and Jurassic Park.

[indianasmith]

LORD OF THE RINGS . . . taken in its entirety, the trilogy is my nominee for best film of all time. 

[Rev. Powell]

LORD OF THE RINGS . . . taken in its entirety, the trilogy is my nominee for best film of all time. 

LOTR is the first thing that came to mind for me as well.  I agree with you, InfoGeek; CGI is just another tool, and it can be used either well, or badly.  I like the CGI in AVATAR a lot, but it did point out one of the inherent problems with the form; filmmakers think they can just get by with amazing CGI and forget that the script is the most important part of the movie.

[Flick James]

Agree on LOTR, but other than that I only like the ones that use it sparingly. Pan's Labyrinth made good use of it, whether you like the film or not (I do). I'm looking forward to Giullermo Del Toro's take on The Hobbit.

In general, though, I'll take a Rick Baker effect over a CGI effect any day of the week. I'll keep moaning and growning, thank you very much.

[Psycho Circus]

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[JaseSF]

To me, most CGI lacks the sense of weight and depth, of 3 dimensions, one gets with other FX techniques. And to me, also some of the character identity is lost as in the remakes of King Kong and Mighty Joe Young which are actually two examples of better than average CGI. Still I never felt for the creatures in these remakes the way I felt for them in the original films. If I had to pick the film I feel used it best, to me that's Jurassic Park (1993).

[nilbog]

King Kong (2005) and Avatar.

Both great examples I reckon. Jurassic Park of course is good - but the very limited use of cgi worked in it's favour, I like that they used animatronics for most dinosaur shots (except when they needed the T-Rex  full body running shots of course)  - It means that even now it doesn't really look fake because of 90 something percent of the time it's an anuimatronic puppet.

[Hammock Rider]

 I'm also one of those guys who likes CGI used sparingly, especialy when it's used for backgrounds. The recent Sherlock Holmes did a pretty good job of that. I also like when directors like Jon Favreau combine it with practical effects in movies like Iron Man, Zathura and even Elf. There are still some CGI heavy movies where I really like the CGI, like the Hellboy movies, especially Golden Army, but generally I think CGI is used best to enhance a movie and not as an excuse for a movie.

  Practical effects do have more weight and character for me too. There is also the Wow! factor. When Benicio del Toro changes into the Wolfman in his latest movie it sure looks good and I'm sure there was alot of artistry involved in drawing those effects with the computer, but, of course, you still know it's done with a computer. Compare that to An American Werewolf in London,  It's like watching a magic act. You know it's not real but a big part of the fun is wondering How the FX were pulled off.

[Mr. DS]

LOTR and Harry Potter franchises.  And though I hated the film's script, Percy Jackson And The Olympians; The Lightning Thief. 

[zombie no.one]

shaun of the dead and hot fuzz. effective but not OTT

like in SOTD where the garden zombie girl falls back on the pole then stands up as you're viewing from behind and see the guys through the hole in her body.

hot fuzz - the turret on the church destroying the reporter guy, also the house blowing up

[feiyen]

Well since most people named the big budget films
The Host 2006 Korean monster film.  The scene of monster running across the park looks amazing. Well basicly all the monster scenes really, I love this movie and script is pretty good.

[oxode]

"Azumi" by Ryûhei Kitamura what beats me most, most of the CGI is so clever integrated in the movie  You don't get it's CGI. Especially the start with the ravens, I checked it only in the second round.
And it's a great movie anyway.

[Leah]

Godzilla Final Wars and Cirque du Freak, both have the value of worth seeing through.

[AndyC]

Add me to the list of people who said Jurassic Park. Made 17 years ago, when the technology was relatively new, and still managed to implement the CGI more seamlessly than anything since.

Although, I will say that for all its shortcomings, Terminator: Salvation did one thing well. The recreation of Arnold, circa 1984, was very good, even if it was only used for a couple of shots.

[Darkman]

District 9 had great Alien CGI.