I spent this Saturday watching the ’51 classic, ‘The Day The Earth Stood Still’, before seeing the new version on Sunday. The most I’ve ever seen of the film was the passing clance you got during ‘Independence Day’, so I figured it was about time.
I am so glad I watched Robert Wise’s version first too, because if I hadn’t I have a feeling that both films would have been irreversably tainted by the newest version.
It was boring, predictable, and lacking any of the spirit that the original had. Which had a cautionary message, but also left you with a feeling of hope. Not like this film, which ended by effectively pushing humanity back into the dark ages all because the stereotypical political powers couldn’t see Aliens as anything but hostile. Now in reality that might be exactly what creatures from another world would be viewed as, but it’s unquestionably over used. And I for one am tired of it.
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Now I say all of this like it took me by surprise, but sadly I expected it. What I didn’t expect was how bad the Visual Effects where! I think this quote sums it up the best…
LINK: Mojo Movie Review – Day The Earth Stood Still
…the visual effects are the worst I have seen in a major Hollywood blockbuster in quite some time (what the hell, WETA, if it’s not a Peter Jackson movie do you just phone it in?)…
Now I bet you’re all excited to read about the VFX work on the flick, huh?
LINK: How Weta Got a Great Gort, and Other VFX Challenges
To create the CG character’s performance, animators at Weta refined motion-capture data. “He’s a basic biped, but we didn’t want him to be too human,” Rafferty says. “So our animation team added little hitches to infuse a bit of mechanical movement.”
“Gort has what we call inert and active phases,” Rafferty adds. “When he’s inert, he looks solid, like something between metal and polished stone.”
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“We based the rules on basic flocking dynamics,” White says. For example, as with flocks of birds, the leader of the flock can change, which causes the flock to change directions. Similarly, the particles can flock into ribbon shapes. The flock can move away from something, break up and flow together again. “Each particle is aware of its neighbors and what the group is doing,” he says.
To add density, the crew often layered separate simulations. “Sometimes, we’d run multiple simulations, put those into one final simulation, and render them,” White says. “Many times, we’d render different layers and let compositors create the balance.”
The movie did have some strong points though, for example Keanu was actually pretty good. He seemed to hit his stride with a character that isn’t required to emote. But nevertheless this remake is undoubtedly a pass.
How this movie was nominated for an VFX Oscar, while Speed Racer was snubbed, I have no idea. But it is what it is. And sadly, it is disappointing.
