Here at Major Spoilers, a spirited discussion can usually be had if you bait one or more of the podcast crew into debating the merits of practical effects versus CGI. Though I’m often known for holding vehement opinions that I don’t need validation on (Val Kilmer was the best live-action Batman, Matter-Eater Lad is one of DC’s greatest characters, ‘The Dark Knight Returns’ almost singlehandedly hosed the character of Batman to this very day), when it comes to computer-generated effects, I’m a “do what works” kind of guy. While the glossy boneless Harry Potter during the troll sequence of ‘Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone’ is a little distracting, it’s better than putting an 11-year-old boy in danger or substituting an adult stuntperson. Sometimes, I wonder if we’re even talking about the same thing when we say “CGI”, leading to today’s wireframe query…
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) isn’t casting any aspersions or value judgments, as I firmly believe the all-digital ‘UP!’ is one of the finest films every made, asking: What’s the FIRST THING that pops into your head when I say CGI?
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Computer-generated imagery.
Modern City’s newest protector, Captain Obvious! Ya ta TAAA!
Terminator 2. It was probably the first time I realized its not possible without computer graphics.
Seeing that image, Weird Al’s parody of “Money for Nothing”
As an aside, the first movie I remember seeing with decent CGI was “Last Starfighter.
Final Fantasy. Especially during the PS1 era, getting a new FF game meant turning it on and touching NOTHING until the intro FMV was over and still pressing nothing at the start screen to see if there was another.
While I remember digital effects from beforehand, Jurassic Park was the first place I remember hearing the term CGI as a thing.