6 Recent Movies That Look Hilarious With The CGI Removed

6

The Invisible Man was Just a (Very Visible) Dude

While stopping short of adding a scene where Tom Cruise's Mummy movie is revealed to be a dream in the mind of an unimaginative coma victim, this year's The Invisible Man charted a new course for the so-called "Dark Universe" -- which, as you might remember, previously amounted to just one crappy movie and a publicity photo (that was also crappy).

The Invisible Man, though, is quite good, turning the familiar tale into an allegory for the trauma of abuse. They also updated the method of invisibility for the 21st century; instead of a crazy potion, it involves a high-tech suit -- which also means that this is the first Invisible Man movie where the titular character isn't running around town with his junk flapping in the breeze. In one early scene, Cecilia (played by Elisabeth Moss) is attacked by her abusive, invisible ex-boyfriend. It's freaky and weird and it was accomplished by literally just having a dude in a bright green suit hang around the set, who is decidedly less good at hiding.

Universal

The scene plays way differently when the attacker is painfully visible.

Universal

Yeah, it's way less terrifying with a man a skintight bodysuit -- 

Universal

-- that, frankly, leaves nothing to the imagination.

5

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker -- Those Space Horses Were Just ... Horses

Regardless of how you feel about Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it inarguably has some pretty terrific special effects; from the space battles, to the lightsaber duels, to whatever digital technology was used to make it seem as though Oscar Isaac wasn't constantly dying on the inside.

LucasfilmWhich clearly they forgot to add to some scenes.

4

Sonic the Hedgehog's Stand-in is Upsetting to Look at

After early footage revealed that the new movie version of beloved video game character Sonic the Hedgehog looked creepy enough to belong on some kind of Mushroom Planet watch list, the filmmakers did the unthinkable: they pushed back their release date and completely overhauled the character design. Back during the making of the movie, though, the crew was obviously working with the original, craptastic version. Meaning that Sonic's stand-in ended up looking disturbingly realistic, as if Dr. Robotnik had finally killed and taxidermied his arch-enemy.

Paramount Pictures

Paramount PicturesInstead of collecting magic rings, he collects your individual vertebrae.

3

The Motorcycle Chase in John Wick 3 Was Created by Pushing Keanu Reeves on a Sled

Further confusing America into thinking they were reading a book, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum returned with another crazy story of elite assassins and the world's sketchiest hotel that doesn't have the words "Econo" or "Lodge" in the name. The highlight of the movie is probably the thrilling motorcycle chase, much of which was captured in just one shot. At the risk of ruining the illusion that Keanu Reeves is the most superhuman badass on the planet, we'd like to show you how that scene was actually made. Most of it was shot on a green screen, with the actors on "bike sled rigs" being pushed around by stagehands.

Summit Entertainment

2

The Lion King Set was an Empty Room

As Disney continues to mine its past library of films for content, until all that's left to be remade is Song of the South and friggin' Condorman, we recently got an unnervingly realistic new take onThe Lion King starring Donald Glover, Beyonce, and James Earl Jones -- because no one fires James Earl Jones, goddammit. While director Jon Favreau's previous intellectual property reheat, The Jungle Book, was full of amusing props and actors subbing in for CGI animals, with no human actors in The Lion King, that wasn't necessary this time. But they still created a set, albeit a virtual one, which they first scout with VR goggles.

Disney

1

The making of Shazam! Looks Uncomfortable and Nausea-Inducing

Like Big if Tom Hanks was as into steroids as he is old-timey typewriters, Shazam! tells the story of Billy Batson, a fourteen-year-old boy who turns into a hulking adult superhero thanks to a literal wizard. In what surely was intended as an allegory for puberty, Billy is forced to figure out how to use his new powers, looking super-awkward in the process. As he's learning to fly, in real life, actor Zachary Levi was sent careening through various locations on a large "tuning fork" pushed by some guys in blue leotards.

Warner Bros.