In recent years, cinema has massively invested in creating scenarios and even characters through CG. As much as everything seems a little more artificial than usual, production costs can decrease considerably, in addition to simplifying other practical mechanisms.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list to remind you of some of the best characters developed with CGI, mainly because they bring very realistic aspects to the screen, whether in cinema, television or streaming. Check it out below!
10. Thanos from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
(Marvel/Playback)Source: Marvel
The great villain of the MCU’s Infinity Saga is a titan inspired by Thanatos, which in Greek mythology represented death. The character has been present in every Avengers crossover movie, including the first one via a post-credits scene.
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Its official interpreter is actor Josh Brolin, who used the motion capture technique to perform his performance.
9. Luke Skywalker on The Mandalorian
(Disney Plus/Playback)Source: Disney Plus
One of the most entertaining things CGI can provide audiences with is its ability to rejuvenate characters. Mark Hamill, now 71, was just 26 when the first star wars movie was released.
In this way, your participation would even be unfeasible in The Mandalorianwhich takes place more or less at the time of the trilogy that ended in the mid-1980s. But with the recreation of Luke Skywalker through computer graphics, the jedi finally emerged as a surprise of the 2nd season of the series.
8. The Bear, from The Revenant
(20th Century Studios/Playback)Source: 20th Century Studios
As soon as filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu’s film was officially released, many were shocked by the realism of the bear attacking the Oscar winner’s character. Leonardo DiCaprio at a certain point in production.
There were even people who believed it was a real bear. However, the magic of cinema is what provided this moment so convincing. Merging practical effects with computer graphicsthe result was quite satisfactory.
7. Caesar from Planet of the Apes: The War
(20th Century Studios/Playback)Source: 20th Century Studios
Andy Serkis became well known in the film industry for playing challenging characters with appearances created and designed on computers. Later on, we’ll talk about the importance of one of his first characters in this style.
However, in 2017, with the premiere of a new feature film for Planet of the Apes franchisethe realistic tone of the protagonists gave Serkis a creative participation full of impressive visuals.
6. Rachael, from Blade Runner 2049
(Warner Bros. Pictures/Playback)Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
In 1982, Blade Runner was quite successful with the public. In this context, Sean Young was largely responsible for living the experimental replicant Rachael. In 2017, aged 58, the actress could no longer play a character who does not age.
For that reason, the CG was summoned for a new recreation. Rejecting the motion capture technique, professionals used a body double and, in post-production, switched her face to that of Young in 1982.
5. The Na’vi, from Avatar
(20th Century Studios/Playback)Source: 20th Century Studios
Technically, James Cameron’s Avatar is flawless. Somehow the filmmaker and his team managed to develop new work methodologies for the application of visual effects and reinforced the use of motion capture with the Na’vi, people who inhabit Pandora, a fictional planet that is being explored in the future.
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In Avatar: The Path of Water, recently released, visuality is highlighted once again.
4. Durotan in Warcraft: The First Meeting of Two Worlds
(Universal Pictures/Playback)Source: Universal Pictures
When making an adaptation of the Warcraft game in 2016, filmmaker Duncan Jones had a great mission in hand: to give realism to Durotanone of the most important characters in the narrative.
Thus, actor Toby Kebbell was cast, using the motion capture technique to interpret him. On screen, although he is quite a different creature than what audiences are used to, the result was impressive.
3. Davy Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean
(Walt Disney Pictures/Playback)Source: Walt Disney Pictures
Throughout the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, audiences have met very remarkable characters, such as Captain Jack Sparrow himself. And by portraying one of the most interesting legends about this maritime universe, Davy Jones could not be left out.
Bill Nighy was responsible for living it in the second and third films, also using motion capture to create her unusual appearance.: a face full of tentacles with suckers.
2. Ava from Ex Machina: Artificial Instinct
(Universal Pictures/Playback)Source: Universal Pictures
winner of Oscar for Best Visual Effects in 2016, Ex-Machina gained admirers and critics alike. The feature film presents interesting questions about artificial intelligence and brings with it the character Ava (played by Alicia Vikander).
The android in question had its scope executed through computer graphics, precisely to bring it closer to the idea of being non-human.
1. Gollum in The Lord of the Rings
(New Line Cinema/Playback)Source: New Line Cinema
Finally, it is necessary to mention the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, in which Andy Serkis was largely responsible for giving life to Gollum (or Sméagol, as he was called before being possessed by the power ring). The technique used was motion capture, which was still looking for improvements in the industry.
In the midst of his journey, the character participates in major twists, battles and interactions with people. In a broad way, everything becomes very realistic and, during the immersion in the films, it is evident how Gollum consists only of a hobbit disfigured by time.
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