Initially, CGI was funny because it was so rudimentary.
Think pixelated monsters with unblinking eyes, supposedly living beings with stiff robotic arms, explosions more laughable than scary.
But even now it’s become incredibly sophisticated, CGI often remains a punchline.
Computers might be able to render the soft wisps of hair on a forearm or the subtle shifts in tone on the face of a rock, but this just means that special effects teams are more able than ever to deep dive into our nightmares and extract them whole onto the big screen.
Here’s a list of examples that prove we would all be better off if we went back to space ships on strings.
You can also view this list as a gallery below.
Die Another Day (2002)
You will be both shaken and stirred by the sight of James Bond para-surfing down an iceberg tsunami. Pierce Brosnan’s swansong as the character was so badly received it nearly killed off the entire Bond franchise, but cash cows considered, he lived to die another day.
Hulk(2003)
How did Ang Lee, the mind behind visual megalith The Life of Pi, make the clumsy wreckage that is Hulk? Eric Bana’s face is awkwardly floating in the middle of a rubbery mass of green. He looks like he should be on the back of a sweetcorn can. We don’t like him when he’s angry, but everyone would understand the Hulk’s feelings in this case.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
There are Runescape avatars who look more lifelike than the troll from this Harry Potter film. Even kids with milk teeth wouldn’t find this beast scary. You have to wonder whether director Chris Columbus was trolling his audience.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)
People say the worst thing about the Star Wars prequels were Jar Jar Binks but they have obviously forgotten the bit where Anakin surfs on the back of this herd beast on planet Naboo. The CGI is so shakily rendered you might mistake it for a 90s Playstation game.
Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
It’s difficult to make an alien space slug look realistic, but you’d think one of the biggest movie franchises in history might be able to produce something better than this embarrassment. They should have opted for a latex costume, instead of labouring over CGI effects that wouldn’t have even made the final cut of Sharknado. A new hope? More like a lost one.
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
The animatronic sharks in this water-thriller are somewhat advanced for the time. But limited by the late 1990s technology, so much of Deep Blue Sea is spent watching Samuel L Jackson reacting to something exploding rather than watching the explosion take place. Thankfully he’s a decent actor.
Justice League (2017)
