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Old Action Movies Look Better Than New Ones

Polioliolio

Polioliolio

Member
Nov 6, 2017
5,403
Yeah, CG looks unreal even today. It's like watching a cartoon, even when you are thinking it looks good, the feel is totally off.

If budgets are so much bigger, surely it would cost less today to make the same quality of effects that are in say, Predator or Terminator today than compared to 30 years ago, right?

Also, modern movies have the worst color filters. They just can't resist but make every movie unbelievably gold and teal.
 
h1nch

h1nch

Member
Dec 12, 2017
1,908
I think a lot of Nolan's action movies still hold up well, visually. Inception, Batman films, etc. And I think Dunkirk will age extremely well. His preference for using practical effects over CG I think helps a lot.
 
Waffles

Waffles

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
1,792
I mean, part of it is the type of movies made then vs now. Most "bad looking" modern movies are filled with people/beings doing superhuman/otherworldly things which would be difficult to make convincing without cgi.
 
Stantastic

Stantastic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,493
try making this argument without cheery picking the best films from over 3 decades and comparing it to a single movie from 6 years ago and maybe you might have a chance at convincing anyone that doesn't just already agree with you.

like you might have a point here but your argument is trash.

heres an idea that i cant be bothered doing myself, compare the 3 generation of Star wars films.
That should prove to be a pretty fair way of showcasing the visual quality of action films at very different points in time.
 
ShortNasty

ShortNasty

Member
Dec 15, 2017
1,008
J_Viper said:
This was so fucking bad and everyone gives it a pass lol
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No, it does not get a pass. It's mentioned in almost every thread about the movie. It's garbage CGI. People recognize it as such. This thread Is even kind of about it. It's a huge blemish on the movie.

BrutalInsane said:
I think a lot of it has to do with actually using physical spaces and models instead of this cgi garbage.
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Yup. I think this is my problem as well. I realized this may be it after watching Thor and BP.
 

Deleted member 2229

User requested account closure
Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,740
Polioliolio said:
Yeah, CG looks unreal even today. It's like watching a cartoon, even when you are thinking it looks good, the feel is totally off.

If budgets are so much bigger, surely it would cost less today to make the same quality of effects that are in say, Predator or Terminator today than compared to 30 years ago, right?

Also, modern movies have the worst color filters. They just can't resist but make every movie unbelievably gold and teal.
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You dont notice good CGI. There are plenty of films out there that have CGI, blockbuster action and otherwise that you'd have no idea is there because its cleverly mixed in with real sets and whatnot. Mad Max Fury Road is a perfect example of this.

The film uses tons of CGI, but no one notices or complains about it, because its done well.
 
TheGhost

TheGhost

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
28,137
Long Island
There is a reason why old 80's and early 90's horror movies will still make my stomach turn and today's movies don't. Same applies to action movies.

Practical effects will always trump CGI
 
gnomed

gnomed

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,299
US
Ong Bak, The Protector, The Raid, Raid 2. You can even include V for Vendetta and Ninja Assasin. Super hero movies have always been lacking.
 
NamelessNamekian

NamelessNamekian

Member
Nov 30, 2017
1,589
Betty said:
I think the John Wick films are pretty great looking.
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I agree, John Wick 1 and 2 looked great!
 
Rad Bandolar

Rad Bandolar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,036
SoCal
Aftermath said:
Someone who knows what they are talking about can explain it, but I think is it to do with colour?

Is it the type of film used? i.e 35mm or something like that?
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It's a combination of digital cameras and digital color timing/grading used in production these days. Since color timing is now a digital process and far easier to do, there's a lot of techniques used now that were not done in the past. They can even go back and use it on existing movies, so a movie released on Blu-Ray may not look like the theatrical release because the director went back and messed with the color grading/timing.

There's also just a change in tastes. There was a strong push for naturalism & authenticity during the '70s and into the '80s that influenced the Directors & DPs of that generation, but tastes started moving away from that in the 90's toward bolder colors and "enhanced reality", as well as different lighting techniques to mask deficiencies in CG. What you have now is a full integration & maturation of CG into the film making process, as well as experimentation with digital post-processing techniques to achieve the looks of films today.
 
jett

jett

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,694
What do you expect, you're comparing top tier stuff to comic book mediocrity.
 
bshock

bshock

Self-requested permanent ban
Banned
Nov 3, 2017
1,394
It's because of the over use of Cgi and most action films being lame super hero stuff.
 
hipsterpants

hipsterpants

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,581
I'd say the least grounded something feels, the worse the action feels. With old school practical effects you subconsciously are aware that what you're watching is physically in front of the camera, which can enhance that experience (or it can just look shitty and fake, of course).
 
Mona

Mona

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
26,151
i just wanna give a shout out to the great practical effects in brazil (1985)

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UltimateHigh

UltimateHigh

Member
Oct 25, 2017
15,500
I kinda agree actually.

Give me the last act of Predator over damn near anything in the action genre today.
 
jett

jett

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,694
Aftermath said:
Someone who knows what they are talking about can explain it, but I think is it to do with colour?

Is it the type of film used? i.e 35mm or something like that?
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If we're talking strictly about the MCU, it has to do with their move to all-digital and poor/uniform color grading since. There's a push towards grey rather than deep blacks. In every single movie. This happens even in their more colorful affairs like GOTG2. The picture just looks flat and dull, without any depth to the visuals. Their 35mm movies like Iron Man and 1&2 look a good deal better, with properly rich, dark tones. Their current post-production pipeline is frankly not to my personal liking.

This is btw a Marvel issue since digitally-shot movies can and do look fantastic elsewhere.

Anyway, enough of the MCU. There are plenty of action movies today that look great, and I would say in general the average quality is higher than we got back in the 80s/90s.
 
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HStallion

HStallion

Member
Oct 25, 2017
62,466
That's a problem with most any movie that relies on tons of CGI to establish shots and the action going on. It can look very flashy but its often done on a budget as fast as possible and without the time to really experiment and flesh things out it doesn't have quite the same weight or impact, especially in the long term. That said there are tons of great action films still coming out but rarely from Hollywood or big Western studios
 
Poodlestrike

Poodlestrike

Smooth vs. Crunchy
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
13,520
This is dumb. It's not like every movie back then looked like that; the reason people remember and reference the films you're using as examples today is because they were (and are) exceptional. Movies that have a lot of time and care put into how they look end up looking better than movies that don't, regardless of era or CGI vs practical effects or whatever.
 
More_Badass

More_Badass

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,664
To be exact, good action movies look better than bad ones, new or old

John Wick, Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Logan, Baby Driver, Dunkirk, Inception, TDK, Rise and War (Apes), Edge of Tomorrow, Obvilion, Rogue Nation, Skyfall, Godzilla, Fury, The Revenant, Pacific Rim, Snowpiercer, Dredd, Hanna all look great and those are just some movies since 2010

Not to mention the Korean and other foreign movies like The Villainess, The Raid 1 and 2, The Good The Bad The Weird, Train To Busan, and others
 
VaporSnake

VaporSnake

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,603
Watched the new remaster of Terminator 2 a few weeks ago, it's mind blowing how that movie doesn't look dated at all outside of the T-1000 effects.
 

Cybersai

Banned
Jan 8, 2018
11,631
Every single movie of the 80's and 90's looks better than the movies of today. It's like we've gone backwards.
 
Dali

Dali

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,184
Poodlestrike said:
This is dumb. It's not like every movie back then looked like that; the reason people remember and reference the films you're using as examples today is because they were (and are) exceptional. Movies that have a lot of time and care put into how they look end up looking better than movies that don't, regardless of era or CGI vs practical effects or whatever.
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https://youtu.be/eoG8CyOTQo4

Nemesis is just one example of a low budget movie that used pretty crap practical effects, but when compared to cg heavy stuff in today's blockbusters it still looks better and creepier to me. I would expect to be kinda freaked out if i saw a mostly robotic cyborg. Nemesis, screamers, Robocop 2, virus... those movie's visuals stuck with me in a way nothing modern has and none of them are really considered high budget or the best thing ever.
 
Siggy-P

Siggy-P

Avenger
Mar 18, 2018
11,869
Marvel CGI seems to be getting worse. A lot of people crap on Man of Steel (for fair and unfair points) but it didn't have a problem making CGI super powers look good for the most part.
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But even then that's limiting yourself to superhero movies. There's a lot of great CGI and effects, including Fury Road (as someone mentioned already):
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Star Wars:
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Planet of the Apes

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And game of thrones:
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There's a lot more I'd find if my phone wasn't dying from the gifs while typing this.

Point is though, CGI, like plot or editing, takes time and focused resources to be good.
 
Scullibundo

Scullibundo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,741
You're comparing a bunch of masterclass action films to a film made by Joss Whedon, OP.

Don't blame the tools.

A director that knows what he's doing with the tech being used can still create fantastic action. Look at Fury Road and Avatar.

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louiedog

louiedog

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,439
It's easy to make it seem like that when you pick examples of old stuff that holds up and put it next to modern stuff that doesn't look so great.

I think movies like Jurassic Park and The Terminator still look fantastic 25 and 35 years later but I've watched both recently and it's easy to find parts of both that don't work. At the same time I'm sure there are tons of effects heavy shots in The Avengers that didn't make you blink because they're seamless and you were adequately engrossed.
 
jett

jett

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
44,694
Siggy-P said:
Marvel CGI seems to be getting worse. A lot of people crap on Man of Steel (for fair and unfair points) but it didn't have a problem making CGI super powers look good for the most part.
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Unfortunately Man of Steel also falls prey to overuse of shoddy CGI

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Siggy-P

Siggy-P

Avenger
Mar 18, 2018
11,869
jett said:
If we're talking strictly about the MCU, it has to do with their move to all-digital and poor/uniform color grading since. There's a push towards grey rather than deep blacks. In every single movie. This happens even in their more colorful affairs like GOTG2. The picture just looks flat and dull, without any depth to the visuals. Their 35mm movies like Iron Man and 1&2 look a good deal better, with properly rich, dark tones. Their current post-production pipeline is frankly not to my personal liking.

This is btw a Marvel issue since digitally-shot movies can and do look fantastic elsewhere.

Anyway, enough of the MCU. There are plenty of action movies today that look great, and I would say in general the average quality is higher than we got back in the 80s/90s.
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Yeah I've recently been re-watching the MCU films and it's shocking how much more colorful and better looking the first Thor and Guardians films are.
 
Jesse_and_the_rippers

Jesse_and_the_rippers

Member
Dec 22, 2017
7,099
A big piece is the cameras they used. Another is on location shooting, where the director needed the perfect time of day and backdrop for that smoggy LA sunset they envisioned. Nowadays they would fix in post with cgi.

Whedon's Avengers looks bland for sure. The Russo movies have definitely been more visually appealing, imo.
 
vhoanox

vhoanox

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,156
Vietnam
Since when Black Panther gets a pass on anything lol. Its a highest grossing solo Marvel movie, there will be endless mocking gif when bluray version is out.
 
Burrman

Burrman

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,633
Do you guys really think the scope of most marvel movies could be done with practical effects? Huge battles with aliens and all? Nah @nd overall I think they got a great comic book to life look. The ones that don't require heavy cg like winter soldier look fuckin amazing.
 
Siggy-P

Siggy-P

Avenger
Mar 18, 2018
11,869
konka said:
Yeah it just looks like shitty video game stuff.
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Eh... that's mainly just the final fight that looks that bad, the rest ranges from fine to great. I know it's not the best looking film, I was mainly mentioning Man of Steel to compare to the Avengers and Black Panther CGI.
 
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