In a strange turn of events, some people are taking a moment to stop trash-talking Marvel’s CGI skills to actually praise them, as the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 trailer has finally given them hope. Fans have been less than happy with the studio’s CGI offerings of late as rumors churn that VFX artists have been underpaid and rushed leading to botched-looking final products, but perhaps that is going to change.
CGI has always played a big part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; how could it not when you’re dealing with superheroes, aliens, outer space, and other dimensions? What has been a bit of a letdown, however, has been the quality of said CGI, with many viewers easily able to point out when something looks way too unreal and it pulls them out of the movie. From gripes over the appearance of Pip the Troll in the mid-credits scene of Eternals to the mid-credits scene in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness which was wholly derided for its awful-looking “third eye,” fans have not been happy.
Their most recent addition to the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania also suffered from the same problem, with the introduction of M.O.D.O.K. being heavily derided by many with the perceived bad CGI becoming a meme. In and amongst all this complaining though, some fans may have found a kernel of positivity as they take in just how good the character of Groot looks in the third installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise.
One Reddit OP, u/rnbakneejerk, wrote, “the CGI on Groot looks incredible in Vol. 3 and Christmas Special. Kinda gives me hope that the MCUs CGI is gonna make a big come back.”
The character of Groot is a firm favorite, and viewers have been watching him grow up big and strong since the end of the first Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s great to see that the time and care have been taken over him to make him look so real; the attention to detail, such as texture, is fantastic.
Some people believe that we are a little less harsh on Groot compared to, say, human CGI characters, as we don’t notice when things look weird as often.
There is no need to bypass the uncanny valley of it all.
This user really believed that Groot in the Holiday Special was a mix of practical and VFX effects.
Many think that the level of detail is down to the fact that James Gunn does not cut corners.
The trailer for Vol. 3 really blew this user away.
Another user reminds us that the VFX staff working for Marvel are really struggling with time restrictions and a lack of decent pay.
The sheer content coming out from Marvel makes it difficult to keep the quality high, so maybe they should slow down.
Let’s hope that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 can deliver and we aren’t thrown out of what is hopefully an epic film due to bad CGI work. The film flies into theatres on May 5.