Celluloid Heroes

Hammond: All major theme parks have had delays. When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked, nothing.

Malcolm: But John, if the Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don’t eat the tourists.

With computer generated special effects in movies about as common as dirt these days, it’s hard to imagine that it’s only been a little over a decade since CGI was the latest novelty. After early pioneering work in James Cameron’s The Abyss and Terminator 2, Jurassic Park was the first film to use computers as a major component of its special effects and to realistically simulate living creatures.

What’s sad to report is that after more than a decade, even with the massive improvements in computer power since 1993, there have been only a handful of movies to use CGI as effectively as Jurassic Park did. Almost anyone with a modicum of talent, a computer and a few thousand dollars in software to produce film quality CGI effects. However, the ability to create life-like critters like Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs requires an eye for movement, form and mass that takes more than the latest software to develop. I think because the effects technicians behind Jurassic Park knew they were breaking new ground in technology, they were rigorously careful that their creations did not look fake.

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For anyone who might have been keeping track, Marnie was my 100th review. I know, you must feel lightheaded. Have a drink and sit down.

When I was watching Melinda and Melinda tonight, the DVD started with that obnoxious ad that seeks to discourage tech-savvy teens from ripping and sharing movies on the internet. These ads are such a miscalculation that it’s hard to know where to start.

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