Summary

CGI quality in the MCU has declined due to changing briefs, lack of planning, and tight deadlines for VFX artists.
Successful CGI in films like
Godzilla: Minus One
stems from directors with a strong VFX understanding and clear vision.
Great CGI doesn’t need huge budgets, but requires careful planning and leadership to succeed in the industry.

A VFX artist has offered MCU fans a practical reason for Marvel’s drastic decline in CGI quality. Bringing iron-clad superheroes and literal gods to life on screen will always require CGI, and, towards the start of the MCU, these visual effects were groundbreaking. However, recent years have seen the CGI in the Marvel Cinematic Universe take a turn for the worse, and many fans have taken to social media to call out the poor designs. Audiences have been left wondering how one of the most profitable franchises of all time, owned by entertainment titan Disney, can include such poor CGI in their movies. Well, one VFX artist has an answer.

Rassoul Edji, a VFX artist who has worked on movies and shows like Transformers: Rise of the Beasts and Percy Jackson and the Olympians, recently responded to a post about Marvel’s CGI on X/Twitter, and gave an insightful answer about the franchise’s downturn in VFX quality. The original post compared CGI from 2008, using Pirates of the Carribean as an example, to the modern CGI in the MCU, asking “What the hell happened?” Rassoul responded to the post with a lengthy answer breaking down the major changes in the industry, highlighting how major studios interact with and treat VFX companies. His tweet read:

“Clients continually change the brief, shot design and planning are no longer a priority, and we have a lot more work to get through in a shorter amount of time. We have and can create work better than back in the day, it just needs the right leadership team, planning, and time to make sure it happens.”

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Rassoul’s tweet was filled with comments asking about the industry, and he responded to many of them. One comment suggested that the rise in demand for CGI in movies has led to VFX companies’ workforces being spread thin. Edji agreed with the comment, and responded with a perfectly concise answer that ultimately summed up his original point, saying:

“Yes, they want more in less time, for less money, and at the same if not better quality. Which is of course not possible.”

Great CGI Requires Careful Planning

Godzilla: Minus One shocked the entire industry when it won the Oscar for Best VFX, beating out hundred million dollar movies like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Napoleon. The film’s director, Takashi Yamazaki has extensive experience as a Visual Effects artist, as did Gareth Edwards, the director of The Creator (one of 2024’s nominees). This proves that great CGI doesn’t need limitless budgets, but it does require a lot of pre-planning. Edji addressed this in another reply. When shown screenshots from recent movies which feature incredible CGI (including The Creator and Godzilla Minus One), Edji said:

“Indeed, all of those films you showed come from directors who have a very good understanding of VFX and how to use it. This coupled with a clear vision for the film makes a big difference.”

You can check out the original post and Rassoul Edji’s insight below.