Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

It’s hard to imagine now, but the first entry wasn’t a guaranteed smash hit. Theme park rides don’t have a great reputation for successful films. At one point considered as a direct-to-video release, with everyone from Cary Elwes to Christopher Walken considered for the now iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow. Originally written for Hugh Jackman, the role went to Johnny Depp, who has become synonymous with the role and a household name. Although critics expected it to be a flop, it went on to become the fourth highest-grossing film of the year, launching countless impressions and parodies and four sequels. Also, it gave us this iconic theme.

X2: X-Men United

Put into production a few months after the success of the first film, the second film is more ambitious in every way. Introducing new characters, like Nightcrawler, who features in the action-packed opening, and featuring a much more ambitious story, it had the top spot at the box office for two weeks. Coming before the superhero domination of the box office, X2 went a long way to ensuring the genre’s success, as well as renewing interest in the comics.

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Concluding the trilogy that first hit theatres in 2001, the final entry in the series had immense hype surrounding it, leading it to become the second film ever to reach $1 billion at the box office (behind Titanic). It won a whopping eleven Oscars (the highest total, an honour it shares with Titanic and Ben-Hur), for every category it was nominated for, including Best Picture. To this day, it is held up as one of the best films ever, and the trilogy itself is often spoken about with the same reverence as Star Wars. It spawned a prequel trilogy a decade later, adapting The Hobbit, putting the Wētā Workshop on the industry map, and has had a massive effect on the New Zealand tourism industry.

Memories of Murder

The second film from now Oscar-winning Korean director Bong-Joon Ho is based on several real murders that occurred during the late 1980s. Its limited release meant it was a cult film outside of Korea for a long time, but in its home country was so successful it saved its production company from bankruptcy. Amongst its many fans are Quentin Tarantino who declared it, along with Bong’s next film The Host, one of his favourites since 1992. At the time of release, the murders the film was based on remained unsolved, meaning it is entirely possible that the real-life murderer has seen it…

Elf

Despite the script being written in 1993, it took another ten years before the film would hit cinemas. Eventually landing Will Ferrell, fresh off Saturday Night Live, to star and Jon Favreau, probably best known for Swingers and a few episodes of Friends, to direct. Against a measly $33 million budget, it earned $220 million at the box office. Ferrell’s film career was off to a great start and the film regularly tops or places highly in “Best Christmas Movies” lists. Favreau is doing pretty well for himself too, having directed Iron Man (giving himself a recurring role in the MCU in the process), adaptations of The Jungle Book and The Lion King as well as show running The Mandalorian.

2 Fast 2 Furious

The early entries in the franchise are a strange time capsule, compared to the monstrous hits they’d become. The sequel’s move to Miami and buddy cop story was a departure from the original, but in retrospect, is the beginning of what it would become. Introducing Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris to the franchise, as well as showing how malleable the series could be. It laid the groundwork for a long-running franchise, even if reviews were disappointing.

Also Read: 10 Iconic Horror Movie Masks

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Today we will briefly look at the key live-action films that pushed CGI integration forward. Then we will look at how these effects are incorporated into films. Before finally discussing what the rise of CGI has meant for the industry and audiences.

A Brief History

While films using CG images date back quite far (Vertigo’s opening (1958), A Computer Animated Hand (1972), etc.), 1973’s Westworld was the first live-action feature to use CGI within the narrative.

Live-action films made further strides in CGI incorporation throughout the 20th century. Star Wars (1977) featured wireframe computer animation. Tron (1982) put real actors into a CG world for the first time. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) is widely considered to be the first live-action film to feature a computer-generated character. The Abyss (1989) and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991) helped to perfect CG liquid textures. And Jurassic Park (1993) blended CGI with practical effects to create realistically textured, moving dinosaurs.

The 2000s, thanks to widening software availability and increasing computer speeds, saw films using much more CGI. Several CGI-intensive franchises like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (which revolutionised motion capture) debuted. Smaller projects, like District 9 (2009), also used it to realise its alien people and technology. But Avatar (2009) redefined what CGI was capable of. Featuring a vast computer-generated world that blended real actors and effects seamlessly it became the highest-grossing film of all time. Paving the way for other huge effects blockbusters like the MCU.

How CGI Becomes Part Of A Film?

With CGI’s capabilities making huge strides, how do film productions go about integrating the effects? CG elements are mostly created separately alongside filming and are combined with the filmed elements during post-production. Green screens, chroma key suits, motion capture suits, placeholders etc. provide guidelines during production for effects artists and actors as to where the CG elements will go. However, CGI is not just separate work utilised in post-production.

CG pre-visualisation has started to gain prominence. This is where CGI is used to visualise part of a movie prior to production. It gives camera operators, directors etc. an idea of what the film will look like. Allowing them to plan and experiment with how something will be shot.

Advancements now also allow CGI to be visible and filmable during film production. For example, LED Volume and the Unreal Engine have been used to create and visualise realistic CG background elements which can be filmed and edited during planning and production. This technology, which displays CG environments through vast background screens, was recently used during the filming of the short Fireworks and The Mandalorian season 3. Although the technology has some workload and implementation issues this advancement allows workers to create intricate, detailed CG backgrounds. While actors are given more definitive visual aids to perform against. Helping make the drama more believable to audiences.

How CGI Has Changed The Industry?

CGI has completely transformed the movie experience. It has allowed audiences to see incredible creations and has been the basis for many beloved movies. However, with some recent films having a majority of their shots containing visual effects like CGI and many recent articles addressing how bad CGI can negatively affect audience experience, CGI advancement clearly does not automatically produce good art.

CGI is a tool and many factors influence its effectiveness. If VFX artists are not given enough time to complete their work the quality suffers. The oversaturation of effects-heavy blockbusters has also accustomed audiences to a certain level of quality, making subpar CG more noticeable. And if films fail to ground their effects or engage viewers narratively or emotionally the effects can lose their impact. 

These represent the main issues for CGI moving forward. If the industry wants to maintain audience interest in an age of CG oversaturation it must consider these points and not just focus on advancement for its own sake. As George Lucas said, a special effect without a story is a pretty boring thing.

Also Read: A.I Generated Art & Movies: A Collision Course

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Uncle Buck – Best Party Planner

Perhaps the best birthday party in any film ever is in the 1980s classic Uncle Buck, memories of this party are seared into my brain from watching this film as a child. Buck is looking after his nieces and nephew while their parents are away looking after an ill family member, the nephew’s birthday falls during this parental absence. Presumably to make up for what could be an upsetting absence Buck goes all out. First, the breakfast…Buck makes pancakes so big ne needs a snow shovel to flip them, the house is covered top to bottom in decorations, it is ridiculously over the top. The party itself is not going well and when it’s announced a birthday clown will soon be arriving and Miles’ friends think this is uncool, Buck proceeds to dismiss the clown, who he realises is drunk and ends up getting in a fight with the clown.

The Game – Best Present

The answer to the question, what do you get a man who has everything? A huge days long interactive experience involving dozens of actors, kidnapping, danger and more. Nicholas’ brother buys him an unforgettable birthday experience which at first falls flat but soon strange things happen in his life and it all quickly escalates. People break into his house, his accounts are frozen, he goes on the run, and ends up in Mexico…is this part of the game? Is the game a front to simply steal from him? Or an elaborate game designed to give him thrills and appreciate life?

Full Metal Jacket – Most Memorable Rendition of Happy Birthday

In a film that has a number of disturbing scenes one of the oddest is when we find Sergeant Hartman, the deranged drill sergeant tasked with turning recruits into marines, leading a chorus of happy birthday. Whose birthday is it? It’s Jesus’. This is Christmas Day and Hartman doesn’t take a day off traumatising young men and brainwashing them with rhetoric about God being pleased about how many people marines kill. Seemingly nothing Hartman does is ever straightforward or normal so instead of a hymn or fun Christmas song he has them sing happy birthday and you can’t help but think is this another opportunity to have the recruits follow orders, even orders that don’t make sense.

The Fellowship of the Ring – Biggest Birthday Party

The Fellowship of the Ring starts with Bilbo Baggins’ 111 birthday and this is quite a special occasion for a hobbit. The average hobbit lifespan is around 100 so 111 is a long life but nothing too extraordinary. Of course, Bilbo is in excellent shape for a hobbit of 111, due to the magic ring he possesses.

Bilbo Baggins is quite a personage in the Shire, a famed adventurer (something very rare for a hobbit who prefer the comforts of home) and rumoured to be exceptionally rich from his adventures and so this is a big party. And it’s hard not to include a birthday party that includes Gandalf on this list; a wizard who spends his time-fighting dragons, and saving the world and is one of the premier magical practitioners of the age, but has a side-hustle in providing fireworks for birthday parties (which sounds incredibly shady). It is also Gandalf who has convinced Bilbo to leave his home and give everything to his nephew Frodo, rightly worried about the effect this ring has had on his friend, so in reality, it is a combined birthday and leaving party, but none of the guests know the second part.

The Godfather Part II – Most Tense Party

Not many birthday parties feature the dividing up of a country by the Mafia but there is such a party in this film. Whilst the various mobsters have gathered in Havana to celebrate the birthday of Hyman Roth (longtime criminal partner of the Corleone family) they are really there to discuss Cuba – even the birthday cake features a map of the island and we see it being sliced and handed out. The Mafia has huge business interests in the country and has a “friendly” government that will support and protect them. Michael Corleone sits amidst the guests never looking entirely happy and casting doubt about this friendly government in dealing with the communist rebels (the audience well-aware that this government will fall to the communists soon and that moment is seen in the film). Not only is this birthday party about dividing Cuba it is also part of the ongoing war between Michael and Hyman, although both pretend they are the best of friends.

Also Read: Let’s Celebrate Film: Five Movies With a Special Birthday in 2020

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“Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass”

The as-yet-untitled show will be a prequel to the films, set in the second age of Middle-Earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit. The second age is notable for being the time that the dark lord Sauron (the big bad who spent most of the films as a big eye) was forging the one ring (to rule them all). While nothing is known about the plot currently, one of the big events in the second age is the fall of Numenor. A display of Sauron’s power and coercion, his rise to power would certainly be an epic tale. The rights deal came with a guarantee of five seasons, so there’s plenty of time to tell the story

And there is a lot of story to tell, while the third age is well documented, and the first age is covered in the Silmarillion, the second is a relatively blank slate. While this setting may be because Amazon aren’t allowed to reference the books, it still leaves a lot of room for them to expand. While some events are set in stone, the characters involved and what leads to them are ripe to be explored. The show has the chance to answer questions that Tolkein scholars have wondered about for decades. It will be for all intents and purposes, official Middle-Earth canon.

“The world is changed”

While the books have been adapted into various mediums, the Peter Jackson films are arguably more iconic than the books. Part of that appeal is the location filming in New Zealand, which doubles for Middle-Earth. Like Jackson’s films, the new series will also be shot in New Zealand, but the production won’t be using any existing sets. So it’s likely familiar locations like the Shire or Rivendell won’t appear or may look slightly different. It might look different, but it won’t look cheap. While the three films had a total budget of $281 million, season one alone has a $465 million one. For a more modern context, the final season of Game of Thrones cost around $90 million for just six episodes. Amazon seems pretty confident about what is already the most expensive TV show ever made, with 20 episodes in the first season.

The show is in production, but it is shrouded in secrecy. We know some cast members, but no confirmation of who they’re playing. The only cast member with a character attached is Morfydd Clark (of Saint Maud) who is playing Galadriel. Cate Blanchett played the character in the films, and it’s safe to assume Clark is playing a younger version. Other confirmed cast members have been announced, but no idea who they could be playing and few big names. Even behind the scenes, the show is being headed by two relative unknowns, Patrick McKay and John D.Payne. Although they have no IMDb credits, they are well known within the industry and come recommended by J.J Abrams.

It’s too early to say if the show will do as well as Amazon hopes, but they’re clearly going all out to try. No other streaming service has a show or license like this, with Disney+ and The Mandalorian probably being the closest comparison. Streaming services are moving towards original content, and this could be a game-changer if it pays off. Netflix and Disney+ are notoriously cagey about actual viewership numbers, and streaming has made pirating shows even easier. While shows like The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones are big, they are also the most pirated shows. The show certainly has the ambition and potential to become the next big thing, but only time will tell.

Also Read: Returning to the Lord of the Rings

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

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The Fellowship of the Ring

Like the book, the film has a long time before much happens. We get an extended period of time just looking at the idyllic world of The Shire. One of the problems I have with LotR is the hobbits, they aren’t the most interesting of races. I know that Tolkein very specifically chose the hobbits to be the ultimate heroes of the books, these creatures that no one expected much of who actually go on to save the whole world but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re boring. The idea of learning more about the lives of the elves or the dwarves, or following Aragorn or finding out what Boromir was up to, could be extremely interesting. But can you imagine a film set in the peaceful Shire? Anyway, I have to say, once Aragorn shows up things do get more interesting. I don’t have time to go into everything but they have a meeting, people argue quickly showing the audience the fault lines in the anti-Sauron camp, they form the fellowship, Gandalf “dies”, Boromir goes a bit weird, there’s a battle with some new tougher orcs, two hobbits are captured and two other hobbits go off alone.

The character I most identified with was Boromir, he wanted to use the Ring to defend his people who, he rightly points out, are the ones who are constantly fighting orcs. Obviously, the Ring would have corrupted him but it’s still a better plan than the insane one they come up of nine people – four of whom had never left the Shire – to walk into Mordor and destroy the Ring. If anything seemingly making Sauron’s job easier for him.

Highlights – the wraiths attacking Frodo and his race to Rivendell, Gandalf’s last stand and Sam’s refusal to leave Frodo.

Lowlights – too long in the Shire, Elrond’s constant complaining about the inconsistency of Men while planning to run away, “comedic” hobbit moments.

The Two Towers

In the first film, there is one central narrative: there is one group you follow. In this one, it splits in three:

Narrative 1 – Frodo and Sam (and then Gollum) heading to Mordor.

Narrative 2: Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli rushing first to save Merry and Pippin, then helping Rohan, one of the kingdoms of Men.

Narrative 3: Merry and Pippin’s capture, escape and teaming up with the Ents.

There is a lot of cutting back and forth between these narratives but this is done quite well. The introduction of Gollum is very odd. I think Frodo is both meant to feel pity for him as well as worrying that is what he will become and so looking for Gollum to be redeemable. The problem being Gollum is the least convincing redeemed person ever, even for the short period of time he might have actually be redeemed. Nobody would ever trust him for a second.

Aragorn et al not only fail to find the captured hobbits but seem to get distracted and wander off. In fairness, they get distracted by Gandalf returning from the dead and deciding to and help a king (I think Gandalf is meant to have assured them Merry and Pippin are safe). This leads us to the main thrust of the film – the fall of Rohan. The kingdom is on the brink of collapse and after Gandalf does some quick exorcising their king decides to head for Helm’s Deep, his kingdom’s stronghold. The Battle of Helm’s Deep is surely one of the greatest battles in cinema history, there is a real sense of scale, of thousands of people on either side crashing against each other. It does fall to one of the classic film mistakes in that they allow the heroes to engage in utterly ludicrous fights the only thing saving them is the handy Script Immunity you get from being one of the central characters. Aside from this minor quibble, it is genuinely amazing.

I was very surprised in how involved I became in the struggles of Merry and Pippin in this film. They start the film facing a literal fate worse than death and end it storming the bad guy’s castle. I quite liked the Ents too, even though they’re slower at getting round to doing stuff than hobbits.

Highlights – the battle of Helm’s Deep set the bar for battle scenes, The Extraordinary Adventures of Merry & Pippin and the fact that it was thought necessary to call elephants by a different name and chose oliphaunts.

Lowlights – the idea of anyone trusting Gollum.

The Return of the King

Fortunately back then it hadn’t occurred to anyone to split the last film into two films as they really would have done it. I’ll say now this was the one I enjoyed the least but that’s not to be unexpected, endings are hard to get right (that said, they have about five attempts). Very brief plot synopsis – Sauron is now focused on another kingdom, Gondor, if this falls Sauron has pretty much won. Talking of the Ring Gollum – returned to his outright evil ways – plans to betray the hobbits and take the Ring, as who didn’t see that coming? Frodo, that’s who. Merry and Pippin join the army of Rohan and Gondor respectively. There is another huge battle which could only feel like an anticlimax after the huge battle in the last film. While people are fighting and dying for Gondor, Aragorn has recruited an army of ghosts who arrive at the last minute and wipe out the entire enemy in about thirty seconds in what has to be one of the laziest and worst deus ex machinas I’ve ever seen.

What about Sam and Frodo? Well, Gollum orchestrates a split between the two by the medium of breadcrumbs and then sends the unsuspecting Frodo into the lair of a giant spider. Sam comes back, saves the day, and they make their way to Mount Doom with only a ten thousand or so orcs in the way. Aragorn takes the soldiers he has left to attack Mordor, a suicidal attack the only aim of which is to distract Sauron and his orcs. A battered and beaten Frodo and Sam make it to Mount Doom only for Gollum to reappear, stealing the Ring and falling into the fire. Sauron dies, his army of orcs panic and flee and the good guys win.

Despite this film winning Best Picture at the Oscars, it does feel like the weakest, and most of what happens you feel like was done better in the previous films. There are some bizarre moments, such as Frodo turning against Sam, or when Frodo and Sam dress in orc armour to blend in despite obviously not being orcs. One of the problems I’ve always had with these films are the stark choices of good and evil that exist – Sauron is the very incarnation of evil. Is he? Why? Is he just fundamentally evil? The ending of the film suggests everything is going to okay now but I can’t help but think in five years time Aragorn will have annexed Rohan and the elves and dwarves will be fighting interminable wars.

Highlights :

• Frodo not being able to destroy the Ring was a great idea as it showed just how strong a hold it had.
• The endings – yes it has a lot of endings but I do really like at least one. Aragorn is crowned king and everyone bows before him, when the four hobbits do Aragorn asks them to stand saying, “You bow to no one,” is fantastic and does come full circle on the hobbits being the most unlikely heroes.
• Eowyn killing the witch-king.

Lowlights:

• The endings – yes, it’s both a lowlight and a highlight but it does go on, seemingly giving all the traditional cues of “this is the end of the film” and then refusing to end. I dread to think how long the post-credit scene would be if it was made now.
• Being back in the Shire – I don’t know how any of the hobbits are meant to go back to their old lives – is Sam still a gardener? That said, I’m divided on Frodo leaving as well as I can’t imagine anywhere else giving him the peace he wants that the Shire (even as a reliably told he is effectively going to the afterlife).

To sum up…

The Lord of the Rings films are a staggering cinematic achievement and Peter Jackson deserves unending praise for bringing these films into the world. I still don’t love Lord of the Rings – I like it, it’s entertaining and certainly cinematic but it’s never going to be as important to me as it is to some people.

Also Read: Was It Really That bad?: Star Wars Episode 1

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R2-D2 – Star Wars: A New Hope/ The Empire Strikes Back/ Return of the Jedi (1977-1983)

Star Wars is full of iconic props, such as the miniatures for X-Wings, TIE Fighters, and of course, lightsabers. There are some very memorable costumes and creature designs, such as Chewbacca the Wookie, Stormtroopers and the fearsome Darth Vader. One of the most expensive mementoes from the series to have been sold at auction is an R2 unit. One of the Radio Controlled/Prop units was sold at an auction for over $2.7 million

The Maltese Falcon – The Maltese Falcon (1941)

Perhaps the most famous Macguffin in all of cinema. The Maltese Falcon is a priceless statuette that Humphrey Bogart and several others spend the whole film trying to obtain. Several models were made for the film, with the hero prop being a heavy lead model. Ironically even though the (Spoiler alert, but come it’s been nearly 80 years) Falcon is a fake, the lead prop used in the film (complete with dents from Bogart dropping it several times) was sold at an auction for over $4 million dollars.

Indy’s Hat – Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

Arguably the most iconic elements of the character of Indiana Jones, aside from Harrison Ford’s performance and that theme tune, are his hat and whip. Indy’s hat is so iconic that one could almost say “it belongs in a museum”. There were actually several hats, some of which were actually sat on and had dust blown on it before filming to give it a more well-worn look, making Jones seem more of an experienced archaeologist. In 2018 one of the hats sold for a more than half a million dollars.

Delorean – Back to the Future Trilogy (1985-1990)

Up there with the TARDIS for iconic time travel vehicles, the Delorean is as much a character throughout the trilogy as Doc Brown or Marty McFly. The only car ever manufactured by the company, a total of seven were used for the trilogy. Only three of which remain, one is on display at the Peterson Automotive Museum in LA, another is owned by Universal Studios and is also occasionally on display. The third was sold to a private collector, with some of the proceeds going to the Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research

Sting – Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

When the Fellowship sets out on its quest to destroy the One Ring, Frodo is given Bilbo’s old blade, Sting. An elven blade that glows blue whenever orcs or goblins are near, this prop was used throughout the entire trilogy and has actually gained some scratches and nicks in the blade from some of the combat during filming. The sword is incredibly detailed, like all Weta’s work for the films, including Elvish engraving, although no word on it glowing blue. Several weapons, including Anduril, were given away as promotional sweepstakes for the release of Return of the King.

Ruby Slippers – The Wizard of Oz (1939)

The Wizard of Oz is a classic that has survived generations, and will likely continue to be a firm favourite to many people. Despite its enduring popularity, the famous ruby slippers worn by Dorothy upon her arrival in Oz, have had a rough time of it. Only four pairs are known to have survived from the original production, with one pair safely on display in the Smithsonian museum after Leonardo DiCaprio, Steven Speilberg and others teamed up to save it, and another was recovered by the FBI over a decade after they were stolen. The other two pairs are thought to be with private collectors, although some believe that there are more slippers out there…

Also Read: 5 More Movies That Don’t Need a Sequel, Reboot or Remake

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