Is there a better looking CGI villain than Marvel’s Mad Titan?
Others have tried (and failed) to create a computer-generated character with the same subtle, nuanced animation and facial expressions – here’s looking at you, Justice League – only to come up short.
Such a groundbreaking achievement means that Avengers: Infinity War is now surely a frontrunner for the VFX Oscar, and today, the eagle-eyed users of Reddit (h/t ComicBook.com) have uncovered another two images from Infinity War that showcase the Mad Titan in all his formidable glory.
As a matter of fact, in the eyes of co-director Joe Russo, Thanos is a technical marvel, and represents years of intricate VFX work from Weta Digital and other Marvel partners.
I think Thanos is a marvel. It really reflects every level of nuance in Josh Brolin’s performance. You’re watching Josh as a giant, purple alien, and you’re seeing all of his movement, all of his facial expressions, on the most subtle level. I don’t know that we’ve seen that level of photo-real performance capture before. Maybe in the Apes films, but this is really groundbreaking.
Only 20th Century Fox’s Planet of the Apes franchise comes close to the cutting-edge special effects on display in Avengers: Infinity War, and during that same interview with IndieWire, Anthony Russo spoke more about the ways in which Josh Brolin was able to strike a balance between violence and sensitivity.
Even though he’s despicable on so many levels, there’s a part of Thanos that is very empathetic. He has a very complex inner life, and he’s not all bad. Josh is a performer who’s capable of delivering that kind of complexity, where you have that level of violence in him, but at the same time you have that level of sensitivity.
Now that Avengers: Infinity War is perched at the tip-top of the box office characters, Thanos’ reign will likely continue for at least another few weeks, as evidenced by the newly-unveiled Fortnite crossover.
