CGI has taken away much that was once beloved by the film industry. It does indeed have its perks in creating impossible concepts and loweringfilmbudgets. On the other hand, it has taken jobs from set designers and people involved with prosthetics and animatronics. Not in totality of course, yet the absence of these wonderful film mediums is noticed.
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Without them, many current films seem to lack in the key most important features of the medium apart from the story. That is believability, innovation, and connection. Films are meant to take audiences away from reality and suspend them in a place that is new and unknown…instead of just another boring CGI fight scene.
5The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)
Now, this made the list for a specific reason. To show a contrast between the original series vs.The Hobbit(2012-2014). It’s just an example among many. The casting for both series was great. However,The Hobbitdidn’t just fall short due to unnecessary love triangles, or unnecessarily drawn-out film sequels. The biggest letdown was the heavy reliance on CGI. Especially with orcs. Yes, this is about Azog, the most ineffective orc, who ever breathed air…actually he didn’t because he wasn’t present anyway.
Seeing the difference between him and Lawrence Makoare’s Lurtz did seem like a slap in the face. Not just for fans of the series but even casual viewers. The contrast in efficacy is major. Even if Lawrence Makoare had to spend 11 hours in the makeup chair, it was worth it. Having a flesh and blood human always brings one thing CGI has yet to master. Presence.
4The History
It is worth mentioning older films' reliance on practical effects. When it came to makeup effects Lon Chaney known as “the man of a thousand faces” set the bar for not just makeup effects but what many actors were willing to tolerate, and the extents they would go to in order to get into character. His most popular films that are worth looking into for makeup and prosthetic aficionados areThe Phantom of the Opera(1925) andThe Hunchback of Notre Dame(1923). His son, Lon Chaney Jr., even went into showbiz and did his share of memorable prosthetic performances such as the title character ofThe Wolf Man(1941).
The Wizard of Oz (1939) is a popular mention of what not to do with prosthetic makeup when the original actor who played the Tin Man, had an allergic reaction to the aluminum compound that was in the body paint…which almost killed him. The Universal monsters come to mind as well. Especially Boris Karloff’sThe Mummy(1932). At the time, his makeup was notorious for having an 8-hour application. Nowadays, it is pretty normal, but back then it was rarely done.
3Body Morphing
Prosthetics that cause big or slight body altercations were a norm by the time this often overlooked feature came out. Yet this film took to new leaps as opposed to steps. The Godfather (1972), Roxanne (1987), Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), and Coming to America (1988), andAmadeus(1984) do indeed catalog both simple and complex body alterations. Death Becomes Her, however, didn’t just put Goldie Hawn in a fat suit, nor did it just age her andMeryl Streep.
Robert Zemeckis and his effects team had to do so much more. The two title characters take a youth potion not realizing that it also grants them (and not their bodies) immortality. The effects team had to pull off decomposition, holes in the torso, broken necks, and so much more. This film managed to show the limits of what body prosthetics could accomplish.
2Prosthetics And Blended Mediums
Yes,Terminator 2(1991) does come to mind when blending practical effects with CGI. However, when thinking of blended film mediums in terms of CGI, prosthetics, and animatronics cinema fans will always begrudgingly admitJurassic Parkis the standard. In fact, the most memorable scenes in the film are not the CGI infused scenes, but rather the scenes with animatronics, puppets, and prosthetics. Industrial Light and Magic and Stan Winston brought more to the table after working onThe ThingandTerminator 1&2to name only a few. The fact that he and his team managed to blend the mediums so effortlessly is why the film’s effects still hold up today. CGI was used where it was needed and not used as a shortcut.
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Another filmmaker that comes to mind is Jim Henson.Jim Henson’s Creature Shopfilms later became cult classics for these very reasons. They were able to seamlessly blend multiple mediums not just with their own studio pictures but by being recruited by other filmmakers to provide these effects. The Jim Henson Creature Shop started being taken seriously when they created puppets for Yoda, the suits and prosthetics forThe Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc. Thus showing what puppets and prosthetics could do together even with the presence of CGI.
A great example of what the Jim Henson Creature Shop accomplished was Nicolas Roeg’s 1990 adaption of Roeld Dahl’sThe Witches.The Don’t Look Now(1973) director made a children’s film. An absolutely horrifying children’s film that children of the 90’s still had plenty of nightmare fuel left in their system from it. Why? The prosthetics. Many fans of the original have noted that the 2020 reboot doesn’t hold a torch due to the CGI. It is nowhere near as horrific as seeing Dutch angels of scary witches in creepy prosthetic makeup.
180’s Horror Films
An American Werewolf in London(1981) is icing on the cake when showcasing the importance of prosthetics in film. The film was goofy in many parts, yet the prosthetics and makeup just truly made David Kesseler’s clueless and goofy tourist persona go completely out of the window. The prosthetics really did make these moments uncomfortable to watch. Especially since his character was fairly likable. It made what he was going through all the more horrifying. Not just with this film.Hellraiser(1987),The Thing(1981),The Lost Boys(1987),A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984), or anyCronenberg monster flick, for that matter, were films where prosthetics made a world of difference.
It is probably why many horror fans can pick out many favorites from the 80’s because the practical effects were only getting better. Even the kills are unique due to the creativity that is needed in thinking about how to execute these practical and special effects without a computer. Everyone remembers the scene where youngJohnny Deppwas eaten by his bed in the originalElm Streetfilm for this reason. Even John Carpenter’sThe Thingrequired thinking outside the sphere on what these effects could be made from. Chewing gum is among his effects' arsenal. These films all proved to be more disturbing due to prosthetic makeup. CGI doesn’t just lack a physical presence. It lacks a physical emotion that is attached to physical human tissue. The humane or inhumane that is expressed by the person or body language of the person behind the mask. That is why these films remain memorable.
