OVP: Best Visual Effects (2011)
The Nominees Were...
Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler, and John Richardson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman, and Alex Henning, Hugo
Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor, and Swen Gillberg, Real Steel
Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White, and Daniel Barrett, Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler, and John Frazier, Transformers: Dark of the Moon
My Thoughts: We now head into another relatively new category (at least in Oscar terms), that of Visual Effects. I'm still a bit undecided about whether this category really needs five nominees, as opposed to the more traditional three, but considering where movies have taken us (last year every single one of the Top 10 Box Office films relied heavily on special effects), that probably seems appropriate.
I want to first discuss the films I think deserve to be here the least, and that has to start with the giant boxing robots of Real Steel. The first question that should go through anyone's mind is who the hell greenlit a movie about giant, boxing robots? I mean, it did make $300 million, so that person is probably doing just fine with their cushy bonus, but still-this movie made six-times as much as The Tree of Life? This is why we can't have nice things, people.
While I will try with all of my might to separate the movie from the technical aspect on display, it's hard to deny that this movie is just. plain. stupid. Boxing robots and a hackneyed portrait of an estranged father/son-come on! That being said, even the effects are one-dimensional-everything that is happening in this movie was already done, and done far, far better in the Transformers movies. It's like they took the rejected robots from that franchise, gave them a dash of dirt and mud, and suddenly we are supposed to be amazed, but I'm left unimpressed. Unless Hugh Jackman's spectacular biceps are what we're judging (in which case, hand over the Oscar right now, because hot damn), this film doesn't deserve to be included on this list.
I also have to kibitz a bit with the Academy's choice of Hugo. Yes, this film is far superior than Real Steel, but it's not really a step forward in the world of visual effects. Considering that this category has honored Titanic, The Two Towers, and Avatar, it's difficult to consider Hugo a huge advance in Visual Effects. And since it isn't a huge advancement, then it should excel in incorporating its effects seamlessly into its story and in making those effects aid its story, and even here, it isn't a huge victory. I have to admire the 3-D work, but I feel that is more Thelma Schoonmaker's splendid editing than brilliant visual effects work-the movie feels gaudy in places, and while there are splendid sights, I felt a little cold from them toward the end of the movie.
If you're looking for advancements in Visual Effects, it's hard to look further than Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the brilliance of Andy Serkis. At some point, an Honorary Academy Award seems appropriate for Serkis, who has become a magician when it comes to stop-motion performances. It's hard to know whether it's Serkis or the above-mentioned team that brings Caesar to life, but that doesn't stop the entire creation from being a triumph. In a film that had no business being this excellent, we are treated to a dizzying array of apes storming the Bay Area, and we have a superbly tight and compelling storyline to go with the film. I think part of the reason the film lost was that it may have frightened some Academy members who are worried about visual effects replacing actors onscreen, but I think that Hollywood would be very foolish to go down that path (I think people would reject it as readily as they did the onslaught of 3-D), but an occasional foray into that field, particularly with an actor as excellent as Serkis, would be most welcome.
The effects of our last two entries have the distinct disadvantage of being worlds we are most certainly familiar with-we have made multiple trips with the Autobots and aboard the Hogwarts express. So it is left to the films' visual artists to try and wow us once-again. Transformers arguably had the most lavish effect of any film in 2011-the Driller is a stunningly complex work of technological savvy-it's the sort of effect that ensures that people will always want to go to a movie theater to experience movie magic-the biggest screen possible is needed to fully appreciate this marvel onscreen. The rest of the film also has excellent effects, though few are of the same par as the Driller, and seem to rely largely on previous films, which means that they are exciting, but not exactly ground-breaking, which is a mild disappointment, especially since no one goes to the Transformers movies for the sparkling dialogue and sensical plot structure (I'd feel bad for Frances McDormand for signing on here, except she probably got a house in the Hamptons out of the whole thing). That said-this film is damn impressive in regards to visual effects, and this isn't a nomination we should be questioning.
The final nomination went to our wizardly trio. We've already seen Harry's makeup work in a previous entry, and I will admit that this nomination is even more deserved. Unlike Transformers, which seems to simply be a giant special effect without an actual story to aid it, this is a film that happens to have excellent special effects, but that is clearly not driving the strong plot and characters. That said, you are left awestruck by the effects on multiple occasions-in particular the aging dragon springing forward from Gringott's and the giant forcefield shielding Hogwarts from impending doom. Unlike the Michael Bay series, which has been consistently excellent in this department, Harry has seen a stronger crescendo from its earliest films (remember that Troll?) and therefore has more room to grow and amaze as it fleshes out J.K. Rowling's expansive universe.
I also have to kibitz a bit with the Academy's choice of Hugo. Yes, this film is far superior than Real Steel, but it's not really a step forward in the world of visual effects. Considering that this category has honored Titanic, The Two Towers, and Avatar, it's difficult to consider Hugo a huge advance in Visual Effects. And since it isn't a huge advancement, then it should excel in incorporating its effects seamlessly into its story and in making those effects aid its story, and even here, it isn't a huge victory. I have to admire the 3-D work, but I feel that is more Thelma Schoonmaker's splendid editing than brilliant visual effects work-the movie feels gaudy in places, and while there are splendid sights, I felt a little cold from them toward the end of the movie.
If you're looking for advancements in Visual Effects, it's hard to look further than Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the brilliance of Andy Serkis. At some point, an Honorary Academy Award seems appropriate for Serkis, who has become a magician when it comes to stop-motion performances. It's hard to know whether it's Serkis or the above-mentioned team that brings Caesar to life, but that doesn't stop the entire creation from being a triumph. In a film that had no business being this excellent, we are treated to a dizzying array of apes storming the Bay Area, and we have a superbly tight and compelling storyline to go with the film. I think part of the reason the film lost was that it may have frightened some Academy members who are worried about visual effects replacing actors onscreen, but I think that Hollywood would be very foolish to go down that path (I think people would reject it as readily as they did the onslaught of 3-D), but an occasional foray into that field, particularly with an actor as excellent as Serkis, would be most welcome.
The effects of our last two entries have the distinct disadvantage of being worlds we are most certainly familiar with-we have made multiple trips with the Autobots and aboard the Hogwarts express. So it is left to the films' visual artists to try and wow us once-again. Transformers arguably had the most lavish effect of any film in 2011-the Driller is a stunningly complex work of technological savvy-it's the sort of effect that ensures that people will always want to go to a movie theater to experience movie magic-the biggest screen possible is needed to fully appreciate this marvel onscreen. The rest of the film also has excellent effects, though few are of the same par as the Driller, and seem to rely largely on previous films, which means that they are exciting, but not exactly ground-breaking, which is a mild disappointment, especially since no one goes to the Transformers movies for the sparkling dialogue and sensical plot structure (I'd feel bad for Frances McDormand for signing on here, except she probably got a house in the Hamptons out of the whole thing). That said-this film is damn impressive in regards to visual effects, and this isn't a nomination we should be questioning.
The final nomination went to our wizardly trio. We've already seen Harry's makeup work in a previous entry, and I will admit that this nomination is even more deserved. Unlike Transformers, which seems to simply be a giant special effect without an actual story to aid it, this is a film that happens to have excellent special effects, but that is clearly not driving the strong plot and characters. That said, you are left awestruck by the effects on multiple occasions-in particular the aging dragon springing forward from Gringott's and the giant forcefield shielding Hogwarts from impending doom. Unlike the Michael Bay series, which has been consistently excellent in this department, Harry has seen a stronger crescendo from its earliest films (remember that Troll?) and therefore has more room to grow and amaze as it fleshes out J.K. Rowling's expansive universe.
Other Precursor Contenders: Again, it's hard to find a lot of precursors for tech awards-critics groups seemed to embrace Rise of the Planet of the Apes rather readily, while the Visual Effects Society Awards saw fit to include Captain America: The First Avenger and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides for their top awards, completely skipping Real Steel (Rise and Hugo ultimately won the top prizes). We actually got to see the shortlist for the Oscars, which obviously included the above five, as well as Captain America, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Pirates, The Tree of Life, and X-Men: First Class, and BAFTA kicked out both the transforming and boxing robots in favor of the more traditional spectacle of War Horse, as well as The Adventures of Tintin (with Potter winning the prize).
Films I Would Have Nominated: Like I said above, this is a category that should find a balance between honoring groundbreaking works and films that use visual effects to push the narrative and structure of their story-in a perfect world (like in, say, Rise of the Planet of the Apes) it would do both. Like Rise, The Tree of Life succeeds on both levels. Bringing in Visual Effects genius Douglas Trumbull, Malick's creation of the universe is a stunning blend of traditional effects and high-speed photography, not just relying on the "been there, done that" nature of computer graphics. As a result, we are left with one of the most impressive sequences to be put on film since...well, 2001, Trumbull's previous magnum opus. Also, though the Academy doesn't quite know how to categorize The Adventures of Tintin, but however you classify it, the effects on display are fun and sublime.
Oscar's Choice: Oscar went with the magical robots and twinkling city of lights of Hugo, probably as much for the nostalgia of Melies as for overall recognition of a film the Academy clearly adored.
My Choice: With Trumbull's brilliant work out of contention, this is an easy choice for me-Rise of the Planet of the Apes manages to do that wonderful hat trick of having revolutionary effects, a brilliant story to support them, and a visual effects team that knows when to say "less is more." In descending order, my next choices would be Harry Potter, Transformers, Hugo, and Real Steel.
And now, of course, I welcome you to discuss in the comments-of the five films, what movie deserved the trophy? What films should have been nominated? And of all films in 2011, which had truly the best Visual Effects?
Also in 2011: Makeup, 2011 Recap
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