CGI is great when it’s used in a manner that isn’t so obvious or at least works for the movie since there are those times when it comes off as cheesy and way too obvious, but there are times when people simply buy into a movie and don’t realize that certain elements they thought were real were added in. Quite a few people love to chime in when they see bad CGI in order to give their two cents and make it known that poorly-rendered CGI can damage a movie’s credibility, but it’s kind of satisfying when said people don’t happen to notice a few very obvious things that were created during a movie and somehow slipped past their notice. CGI is great to be realistic since it’s something that a lot of us didn’t grow up with and had to watch emerge over the years as the technology that sustains it has increased in its efficiency. There are those moments when the effects are a little less than what a person might hope for, but if you’re into the movie deeply enough then it shouldn’t matter. Plus, it might be interesting to think about how many people some of these scenes managed to fool.
Here are a few scenes you might not have known were CGI.
5. Marla and Tyler’s sex scene in Fight Club was all CGI.
Neither Helena Bonham Carter nor Brad Pitt was naked for this scene and to be certain, there wasn’t even a set. It was a scene that was wholly created for the movie and didn’t feature a single thing that was real. Some folks might have guessed at this and some might have thought that it was a curious and clever bit of filming, but rest assured, there was no actual nudity in this scene apart from whatever was shown thanks to the graphics that were selected. So no, you have not seen Helena Bonham Carter in the nude because of this movie.
4. The racial slur in Die Hard with a Vengeance was digitally added.
Even years ago, before the pandemic, there were things that a person just didn’t want to be caught saying or even advertising on a sandwich board around certain parts of town. In the movie the racial slur that John McClane is forced to wear and promote wasn’t present since like it or not that wouldn’t have been a good idea in the neighborhood the movie was being shot in. But a little CGI trickery and poof, what could have gotten the actor seriously injured or killed turned into a bit of text that didn’t exist until the movie was released.
3. The Proposal was not shot in Alaska.
Anyone that knows their geography or is from either area might be able to tell the difference, but the movie was actually shot in Manchester, Massachusetts, and the snow-capped mountains were added in later. The movie itself was pretty funny and one of the only real times that we get to see Sandra Bullock not being the nice girl that she usually portrays in a lot of her movies. But credit has to be given on this one since she played a royal witch with a capital B in this picture and Ryan Reynolds turned in a solid performance right alongside her, as did the rest of the cast.
2. The mansion in The Great Gatsby was all CGI.
It looked both immaculate and impressive, didn’t it? Well, none of it was real except the field that the house was sitting on. Some of the sets might have felt a little fake, but the mansion itself was pretty intense and impressive since it was the kind of place that a lot of people could possibly see themselves living in the lap of luxury just like Gatsby if they were experts at making themselves into something they weren’t of course. But that was a big part of the story, after all, getting people to believe in something that wasn’t entirely real. How ironic that the movie would use such heavy CGI.
1. There was no ball in Forrest Gump.
This kind of indicates that Tom Hanks is just that good of an actor, which is a ‘duh’ moment of course, but also that he might have had some sort of marker to help him out since it’s pretty easy to lose rhythm trying to hit an imaginary ball at the right time. There’s no doubt that once he had his pace and his tempo things were easier, but it was still a lot more impressive to think that he’d actually learned to play the game of ping pong and might have picked up a few skills along the way. Right?
When it’s used well CGI is absolutely impressive. When it’s not, well, you get Sharknado.
Follow Us
