South East CGI - less is more

Why do the new Star Wars movies have to have so much computer generated images? No matter how impressive the new cgi characters seem, I can't get past the fact that its not real. I would prefer a human being in a costume to a lifeless cgi Jar Jar. Even the new cgi Jabba the Hutt looks bad compared to the old puppet Jabba. Atleast the old Jabba the Hutt from ROTJ looked real and tangible compared to the new Jabba from TPM. The Phantom Menace might as well have been a cartoon.

I just wish that Lucas would stop trying so hard to impress the audience with new computer image technology. I think that a good story with deep, interesting characters beats cgi anytime. But since Lucas will be directing the next two movies I will ultimately have to set myself up for another BIG disappointment. Its a shame that Irvin Kirshner will not be back to direct.

 

NI, I agree with you. Unfortunately that seems to be a trend with action/adventure/scifi/fantasy films lately. Good CGI bad story. What can we do?
As far as Lucas directing, unless he decides to give up the helm we're just going to have to sweat it out and hope he does better next time.

 

I couldn't agree more. The true purpose of CGI is to assist the film maker in telling his/her story. It allows the film maker to show things that are either impossible or not feasible in the real world. The overuse of CGI in films today seem not to assist in telling a story, but to show off the capabilities of the film's animators.

As for George Lucas using so much CGI in Ep. I, II, and III, he has to. In order for him to tell his story the way he has envisioned it, he has to use CGI. That is why he has waited so long to release the prequel trilogy, because prior to 1996/1997, the technology just wasn't up to par with what he wanted to convey in his story. Even then, it wasn't completely up to par. You mentioned that Jabba looked fake. I agree, he looked more realistic in ROTJ. This is a prime example of the limitations ILM faced with the "infant" technology they had to work with.

However, I think you will see much improvement in Episode II in the CGI department because CGI has evolved so much since 1997 when CGI work for TPM began. The technology has had three to four years to ripen since TPM. Just look at Final Fantasy; The Spirits Within. It has been in development since 1996/1997! In some scenes, the line between what is animation and what we know as live-action footage (such as humans actualy acting) is almost indistiguishable (there was no live action in Final Fantasy).

Great Observations!

Kenny