In Taika Waititi's 2022 film "Thor: Love and Thunder," an emotionally wounded man named Gorr (Christian Bale) has learned that the very real gods of the Marvel universe are selfish, uncaring, and are more interested in cavorting with nymphs and naiads than answering prayers. By happenstance, he comes into possession of a magical sword specifically designed for killing gods and takes on a quest to rid the universe of its living deities. "Love and Thunder" could have brought up some tantalizingly difficult questions about atheism, or the role of faith in the modern world. It could have mentioned the dubious function of gods in a universe that regularly produces superpowered uber-beings. It didn't. Instead, it was a whimsical slapstick comedy starring a hero who, like Homer Simpson, became dumber and dumber as the series progressed.
Partway through "Love and Thunder," Gorr kidnaps the children of Asgard and imprisons them in the Shadow Realm,...
Partway through "Love and Thunder," Gorr kidnaps the children of Asgard and imprisons them in the Shadow Realm,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Marvel VFX artists are bringing some big issues to the table while sharing what really went wrong on “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” in post-production.
The latest Marvel blockbuster film, which ushers in Phase 5 for the MCU, ranks “rotten” by Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregate of reviews for the film, and earned a B score from CinemaScore — a very mediocre grade considering CinemaScore voters usually grade on a curve. The poor reviews and underwhelming critical reaction has in part been rooted in the rocky special effects; now, VFX artists are explaining precisely why the superhero film looks so off.
“Unfortunately, it is noticeable that there were shortcuts,” visual-effects technician Jin, whose name has been changed for a Vulture exposé, said. “Certain things were used to cover up incomplete work. Certain editorial cuts were made to not show as much action or effects as there could have been — likely because there just wasn...
The latest Marvel blockbuster film, which ushers in Phase 5 for the MCU, ranks “rotten” by Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregate of reviews for the film, and earned a B score from CinemaScore — a very mediocre grade considering CinemaScore voters usually grade on a curve. The poor reviews and underwhelming critical reaction has in part been rooted in the rocky special effects; now, VFX artists are explaining precisely why the superhero film looks so off.
“Unfortunately, it is noticeable that there were shortcuts,” visual-effects technician Jin, whose name has been changed for a Vulture exposé, said. “Certain things were used to cover up incomplete work. Certain editorial cuts were made to not show as much action or effects as there could have been — likely because there just wasn...
- 2/22/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
James Cameron is calling out the comparisons between “Avatar: The Way of Water” special effects and Marvel’s own VFX work.
The Oscar winner said it’s “not even close” between how the Na’vi creatures of “Avatar” look side by side with “Avengers: Endgame” villain Thanos, played by Josh Brolin.
“I just want to say ahead of time that I’m not going to diss the Marvel or DC Universe,” Cameron told ComicBook.com (video below). Yet when it comes to motion capture technology, Cameron can’t help but trumpet his own team at Weta FX.
“Obviously the big comic book films have been driving the sheer volume of the industry,” Cameron continued. “The rising tide of technique raises everybody together. It gives you higher quality artists, more tools and plug-ins and code [to use]. You’ve got more talented people writing code out there.”
He added, “Our team at Weta Digital is constantly having new hires,...
The Oscar winner said it’s “not even close” between how the Na’vi creatures of “Avatar” look side by side with “Avengers: Endgame” villain Thanos, played by Josh Brolin.
“I just want to say ahead of time that I’m not going to diss the Marvel or DC Universe,” Cameron told ComicBook.com (video below). Yet when it comes to motion capture technology, Cameron can’t help but trumpet his own team at Weta FX.
“Obviously the big comic book films have been driving the sheer volume of the industry,” Cameron continued. “The rising tide of technique raises everybody together. It gives you higher quality artists, more tools and plug-ins and code [to use]. You’ve got more talented people writing code out there.”
He added, “Our team at Weta Digital is constantly having new hires,...
- 12/8/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” team is coming to the defense of allegedly overworked Marvel visual effects artists saddled with the rigors of the MCU and also criticisms of bad CGI. During the summer TCA press tour ahead of the Disney+ series premiere on August 18, Tatiana Maslany, writer/creator Jessica Gao, and director Kat Coiro say they stand with any VFX artists who are feeling “pressured.”
“I feel incredibly, like, deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work, obviously, like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of like churning these things out,” Maslany told journalists. (Via Variety.)
Most recently, “Thor: Love and Thunder” was the target of CGI criticisms, allegedly for its heavy reliance on the Volume, which is essentially a revamped green screen technology in which actors work against massive photorealistic backdrops. Even director Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson...
“I feel incredibly, like, deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work, obviously, like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of like churning these things out,” Maslany told journalists. (Via Variety.)
Most recently, “Thor: Love and Thunder” was the target of CGI criticisms, allegedly for its heavy reliance on the Volume, which is essentially a revamped green screen technology in which actors work against massive photorealistic backdrops. Even director Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson...
- 8/3/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” team is defending criticism about the visual effects work in the Tatiana Maslany-led show, amid a recent wave of VFX artists speaking up about alleged poor working conditions for projects produced by Marvel Studios.
“I feel incredibly, like, deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work, obviously, like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of like churning these things out,” Maslany told reporters during a virtual panel for the upcoming Disney+ series at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour Wednesday.
Jessica Gao, who is head writer on the series, added: “It’s terrible that a lot of artists feel rushed and feel that the the workload is too massive. I mean, I think everybody on this panel stands in solidarity with all workers and is very pro-good working conditions.”
“She-Hulk” director...
“I feel incredibly, like, deferential to how talented these artists are and how quickly they have to work, obviously, like much quicker than probably should be given to them, in terms of like churning these things out,” Maslany told reporters during a virtual panel for the upcoming Disney+ series at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour Wednesday.
Jessica Gao, who is head writer on the series, added: “It’s terrible that a lot of artists feel rushed and feel that the the workload is too massive. I mean, I think everybody on this panel stands in solidarity with all workers and is very pro-good working conditions.”
“She-Hulk” director...
- 8/3/2022
- by Adam B. Vary and Jennifer Maas
- Variety Film + TV
For all the dominance it enjoys in the cultural consciousness, there’s one frequent criticism that the Marvel Cinematic Universe cannot seem to overcome: these movies tend to be pretty ugly.
Sure, there are outliers, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 or Thor: Ragnarok, but too often, fans find themselves loving the movies despite their washed-out color palettes and unconvincing CGI. Even when directly copying an image from the comics that inspired it, such as Bruce Banner falling into the Sanctum Santorum in Avengers: Infinity War, the movies fail to capture the power conjured by the original artists.
Turns out, fans aren’t the only people irritated by Marvel’s visual effects. The MCU also aggravates visual effects artists, many of whom took to social media to share their frustrations.
A Reddit thread entitled “Marvel remorse!” begins with user u/Ok-Championship2201 expressing regret over turning down a position with VFX house Digital Domain,...
Sure, there are outliers, such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 or Thor: Ragnarok, but too often, fans find themselves loving the movies despite their washed-out color palettes and unconvincing CGI. Even when directly copying an image from the comics that inspired it, such as Bruce Banner falling into the Sanctum Santorum in Avengers: Infinity War, the movies fail to capture the power conjured by the original artists.
Turns out, fans aren’t the only people irritated by Marvel’s visual effects. The MCU also aggravates visual effects artists, many of whom took to social media to share their frustrations.
A Reddit thread entitled “Marvel remorse!” begins with user u/Ok-Championship2201 expressing regret over turning down a position with VFX house Digital Domain,...
- 7/11/2022
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
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