Iron Man 2

“Iron Man 2” is a superhero movie based on the popular Marvel comic book character. It set a new standard for how films of the superhero genre integrate special effects and computer animation with live action. A critical success (it received a rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, unusually high for a sequel) and a fan favorite (it was met with favorable reviews by comic junkies), Iron Man 2 was the catalyst for more Marvel film adaptations and, thus, The Avengers.

The use of crystal-clear special effects is apparent in the very first main scene of the movie. Tony Stark is driving a Formula 1 car in a race in Monaco when the antagonist of the film, Ivan Vanko, steps out onto the track with a homemade, whip-like lighting weapon. As Stark is about to crash into him, Vanko lashes out with the whip, slicing the car in half and sending Iron Man’s alter ego hurdling through the air. The camera zooms into Stark’s face, showing the fear in the face of a man who is usually annoyingly complacent while the car is cut perfectly in half, with sparks showering down from the white-hot metal. This not only creates a dazzling image but also shows how Ivan Vanko effectively uses pathos to scare both Tony Stark as well as the audience into submission.

One of the more impressive features of the film is the equipment that Stark uses throughout the story. With the sophisticated special effects that director Jon Favreau had at his disposal, the technology seemed not only plausible but logical. The way that the Iron Man suit robotically attaches itself to Stark is so intricately designed that it makes me feel as if I could go find it at The Sharper Image. Said Favreau of the special effects in an interview with ‘Chuck the Movieguy,’ “Five years ago you couldn’t make an Iron Man movie that showed the suit doing everything it could do in the books.” Furthermore, Stark’s butler/Artificial Intelligence computer will surely have tech geeks raving. The screen is a hologram capable of filling his entire workshop, a “galaxy-like” display of icons and applications that can be opened, rearranged, and even tossed in the garbage with a flick of the wrist. This use of logos argues not only that Tony Stark is a genius, innovative, technological mastermind but also that this kind of technology simply can’t be that far away.

                The movie also employed ethos in a very realistic medium as well. In the scene where Stark is taken before the Senate to hand his suit over to the government, the camera switches from the standard view to a news broadcast. The camera view is complete with not only the ever-popular “Live” bar at the top of the screen, but also the actual C-Span logo and the trademark title and subtitle. This makes the hearing more serious and convincing to the audience, while at the same time makes it even funnier that Stark is mocking the entire thing. Other scenes show Stark from the point of view of the heads-up display in his helmet. This gives the viewer a sense of excitement, making them feel as if they’re right there inside the suit with Iron Man, shooting lasers and missiles at the bad guys.

In a genre of its own where special effects are often criticized, Iron Man 2 succeeds where others have failed. It is a breath of remarkably fresh air for superhero films (just watch the corny stunts in the 1997 Batman & Robin). Iron Man 2 is also proof that the movie industry hasn’t fallen into the hands of “moneygrubbing hacks” with no artistic taste that Giannetti is worried about, due to our technology today.

Rating: 4/5

The Mummy

Special effects make films more interesting and worth watching. The movie The Mummy, which was released in 1999, is a remake of an old movie with a similar name, but has a lot more visual and mechanical effects that make it stand out more than the old one. According to Louis Giannetti in Understanding Movies, special effects can create a “totally different atmosphere” that makes the movie more enjoyable (33). The digital technology and make-up used in this movie also incorporate ethos, pathos, and logos to try to appeal to the audience.

An interesting use of special effects that stands out in The Mummy film involves a high priest who is mummified alive for being in love with the Pharaoh’s mistress. The high priest and the mistress both end up killing the Pharaoh after he finds this out. The mistress also kills herself when the Pharaoh’s guards come in and she tells the high priest to resurrect her later. He is unable to do that because he gets caught. His organs are removed and he is buried alive with flesh eating beetles. His sarcophagus is found years later and he is resurrected. His mission is then to try to resurrect the mistress and as he is trying to accomplish that, he wreaks havoc on the earth.

Since the high priest has no organs, he goes around killing people so he can take their organs for himself. He tries to restore himself so that he can be reunited with his love. The progression of how the high priest changes throughout the movie is interesting. When he is resurrected, his remains are shown as a computer generated skeleton. Through computer technology and make-up, more layers are added to his figure to make him seem human again. He obtains different organs from different people. First, a tongue and eyes are added to the skeleton. Then he gains muscles. The skin develops more slowly, where the layers underneath like the bone and muscles can be seen in different patches. His jaw is the last part to be incorporated in his body, restoring his human form. It is interesting to see this transformation and how the actor is able to fit into the character with these special effects and the use of make-up as he finally becomes human like he was before mummification.

This special effect helps give credibility to the actor because he is able to act well with the computer generated body parts in the process of  becoming human again. The progression to the human form is graphic and intense, which fits his character because he looks scary in person as well. His facial expressions also play an important part in contributing to his character too, which all adds to his ethos.

The special effect added to pathos as well because without the use of digital technology, the scenes in the movie would not have been as dramatic as they were. Since the high priest is evil and the progression of his transformation generates scary images, the actor has to also look the part in order for his character to be consistent with the theme of the movie. The actor does fit the role because he does a good job of looking tough and mean in the fully restored human form. According to Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters in Everything’s an Argument, “strong emotions” add “energy” (46) to the movie and it makes his role more effective. His outfit, which is a black cloak, also adds to his character because the color black here symbolizes darkness. The use of this black color  is “strongly emotional in its appeal” (22). He is bald as well and this makes his facial expression stand out more, which are intimidating. So digital technology makes the movie more intense and the audience is able to enjoy it more.

In the context of this movie and the ancient Egyptian belief in resurrection, the use of special effects makes the role of this character believable since he is shown as being immortal in the movie. This adds to the logos of the film and it fits in with the theme of the movie. Without it, the movie would not flow as well and nor would it reflect the supernatural part of the Egyptian culture. So the special effects took this movie to another level of perfection and was a key point in making it successful.

Rating:

The Matrix

The Matrix

                Throughout the past few years, movies have seen a steady increase in the amount of special effects that are used; whether they are in the form of chase scenes, epic battles or just plain animation, these elements are now so common that they have become almost invisible to the average movie going audience. However, that was not always the case. If you go back and watch a movie that is 15 years old, it is pretty obvious where the special effects are used, mainly because the technology back then was not as advanced as it is today. However, there is one old movie that I watched recently that did not have these obvious errors- The Matrix. Of course I know that there are special effects used in the movie, but they are used so well and so seamlessly that they do not distract from the story of the movie. That’s a pretty impressive feat seeing as the movie is going on 15 years old (it was released in March of 1999). So what is it that makes these special effects so good? That is what I will be analyzing in this short essay.

                To me the most important part of the special effects of this movie was that they didn’t get in the way of the plot. It is still very easy to follow the story and why the characters are doing what they are doing as the movie progresses. To me this is one of the most important aspects of special effects. After all, we are watching the movie for the story, not just to see what kind of cool action scenes the producers were able to make on some computer. The author of Understanding Movies, Louis Giannetti , is very outspoken about this issue: “The worlds screens are dominated by soulless movies full of sound and fury, signifying nothing (35). The Matrix is a clear departure from this type of movie making and in many ways was a catalyst to show that movies could be made that had a lot of animation and special effects as well as a deep and enticing plot. While we do know that Keanu Reeves cannot bend over backwards and dodge bullets in the blink of an eye, the special effects crew on the movie made it so that his character could, while still maintaining a sense of reality and believability.  

                Other than simply going along with the movie and not being in the way, the special effects did a lot for the movie and really enhanced the overall meaning of the film. For example, when Neo takes the pill and wakes up in the tub of goo, it is a jaw dropping experience to see all of the people around him who are living in their little pods. Without this image, the idea that humans are grown by the machines would have been very difficult to grasp. By simply showing us an example, the movie did not need to go into detail about how the humans are made and then eaten, etc. instead, the plot is free to move on to more important things. Another very good use of the animation to explain the plot was when Neo jumps off of the building and the ground becomes instantly bouncy. It happens so quickly that we don’t almost don’t recognize it, but if we didn’t see that experience then it would be harder for the audience to believe that the whole world was just a computer program that you could change in any way that you want. Together these, and several other scenes from the movie, add a sense of logos to the movie. While at the beginning the audience is skeptical of the idea of living in a world that is a lie while their actual body is being stored somewhere else, once they are shown these images they can see logically that this is in fact the truth. These facts are hard to deny. In Everything’s an Argument, Lunsford and Ruskiewicz argue about the power of factual arguments: “We’ll even listen to people that we don’t agree with if they can overwhelm us with evidence” (76). This is very clearly how the movie supports its claim: at the beginning of the movie we have no reason to believe Morpheus that the world that Neo is living in is a lie, we just have to go with it. However, once we see all of the robots and humans in goo pods five minutes later, we are much more agreeable to his position.

                In summary, the special effects in The Matrix are very good, especially for the time period in which they were made. They help add credibility and understanding to the movie without getting in the way of the very complicated plot line. Given all of these things, I am confident in saying that The Matrix should be an example to all movie makers on how to properly use special effects.

The Avengers

Special effects are essential in action movies. One movie that utilizes special effects at the highest level is The Avengers. The Avengers is an ensemble of multiple superheroes all coming together for one incredible, action-packed movie. The biggest fight scene in the movie is the climactic battle, taking place in “New York City”. I put New York City in quotation marks because most of that scene actually did not take place in New York at all. The production could not realistically set things on fire all over New York, or destroy multiple buildings, so they did not actually film in New York at all. I learned from the bonus features on The Avengers DVD that they filmed some of the action sequence in Cleveland, which they dressed to look like New York. The other portion of the fight scene was filmed in New Mexico with a green screen surrounding all of the characters. Then they dressed the area with flipped cars, broken glass, smoke, fires in the distance, and stuff falling everywhere to add to the effect and make the scene more realistic. In reality, the only real thing was the ground around them. Filming in a different location can hinder a movies authenticity, but the extreme lengths that The Avengers visual effects team takes to make the scene look real counter effects the usual negative effects that might usually occur.

One of the most talked about characters, not only in this scene, but out of this entire film was the Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo. People said that the character added some of the best lines and best scenes into the movie, but mostly people raved about how amazingly life-like the Hulk looked. In order to get that sort of reaction from the fans, the production team went through extensive work. The character in the film is primarily computer generated.  But to make it more lifelike, Mark Ruffalo was incorporated into the filming of the Hulk, and having that semblance really grounded the character in reality. Obviously there is not an actual Hulk out in the world that the visual team can look to for inspiration, but having the Hulk look as life-like and believable as possible really draws in the audience. Mark Ruffalo ran through every one of the Hulk’s performances in the film, which really adds credibility not only to the character, but to the movie as a whole. In addition to Mark being incorporated into the Hulk, the animation was a major contributor to the character. It involved a whole process of simulation to create fine wrinkles and the correct movement of the skin to make the Hulk look realistic and not just computer generated. The audience knows that it is a computer-generated animation, but being able to go to the movies and forget about reality for a few hours is extremely appealing. Therefore, the Hulk looking believable is extremely important and adds a whole other dimension to the film. Technology can sometimes hinder a movie’s acting. In Louis Giannetti’s, Understanding Movies, it states, “Acting has also been affected by this technology, though not usually in a positive way” (33). By using Mark Ruffalo to actually run through the scenes, it diminishes the risk of bad acting when the actors don’t actually have anything but a green screen there to act with. Lunsford and Ruszkiewicz say in Everything’s an Argument that, “Sometimes images have the power to persuade by sheer pathos” (452). That is exactly what happens in The Avengers when the audience gets to know Bruce Banner/ the Hulk.  A feeling of investment in this character is created that makes the audience want to root for Bruce Banner to accept the Hulk as part of himself and use it to his advantage to help save not only New York City, but the entire world.

I love learning about the behind-the-scenes action that goes on during film production. Watching the bonus features on The Avengers DVD really gave me an in-depth look at the lengths the production team took to make the movie incredible. The Avengers was one of the top movies of 2012 and one of the main reasons was because of the amazing special effects. The visual effects team did not care how long it took, but they wanted to get every detail right. They succeeded. Every detail from the shattering of windows down to the way that the Hulk’s skin moves was unbelievably accurate and life-like,  which added credibility to the movie and thus enhanced the film as a whole.

 

The Incredibles

My favorite animated movie of all time is definitely “The Incredibles” by Pixar.  After watching it many, many times this summer while babysitting I think I can probably quote the entire movie. “The Incredibles” is about a family of superheroes. The Parr family has a large range of superpowers that complement one another. Bob Parr, “Mr. Incredible,” has super strength. He can lift just about anything -- a couch, a car, even a train with one hand. His wife, Helen, is “Elastigirl” and she can stretch as far as you could imagine. Daughter Violet can make herself invisible. She can also create force fields to protect herself from just about anything. Son Dash is lightning fast. The baby, Jack Jack, has superpowers that aren’t unveiled until the last scene in the movie. “Jack Jack” has the power to light his whole body on fire (kind of scary, but pretty cool).  Unfortunately, the community they live in has shunned the “supers” so the Parr family has to retire from crime-fighting and try to live a normal suburban life with no powers. They are pulled back into action to combat the evil plot of  Syndrome and, working together, they save the day.

Animation throughout the years has dramatically changed. “Traditional animation, with its time-consuming, hand-drawn cel images, is being replaced by computers, which produce images that are created digitally. Computer-generated imagery (CGI) has produced a new “look” in animation, less detailed, more sculptural, more plastique - like the streamlines images of Shrek, The Polar Express and The Incredibles.” (Giannetti p 33)

“The effects seen in ‘The Incredibles’ are completely fresh and spectacular,” says Sandra Karpman, effects supervisor. “The biggest leap from an effects standpoint is the fact that we have beautiful, amazing, 3-D volumetric clouds that you can actually fly through. Most clouds in other effects movies, or even previous CG films, are matte paintings or stock photography. In our film, when Helen is in the airplane flying through the clouds, it's very 3-D, and you see the clouds moving against each other. They’re transparent, and if you stack them, they become opaque.” (Arkoff )

The animators did really amazing things with the faces of the characters. Executive producer John Lasseter remarked, “When you see the characters in this movie act, and you look into the pools of their eyes, you can feel what’s going on inside their soul. The subtleties of their facial animation and their body gestures are remarkable.” (Arkoff ) The team at Pixar used this animation to create an emotional appeal in their audience. In the book Everything’s an Argument, authors Andrea A. Lunsford and John J. Ruszkiewicz believe that “Emotional appeals are powerful tools for influencing what people think and believe.” (Lunsford, Ruszkiewicz p 38)

Animation is crucial for this movie and was definitely the right route to go. A number of scenes featuring Mr. Incredible quickly come to mind. The first is when Bob is trying to get back into “superhero shape” and he bench presses trains. In another scene Bob comes home from a long, hard day at work, and when he slams his car door shut, the windows break. He proceeds to pick the car up over his head and then notices that his little neighbor boy is standing there staring at him in amazement. Both of these scenes show Mr. Incredible’s super strength and would not have worked with human actors. Later on, Mr. Incredible jumps off one of the highest cliffs I have even seen to get away from Syndrome and dives into the water below. If any human tried to perform this, he or she would die upon impact. I also like the scene in which Bob is sitting on a couch when Helen comes into the room with the vacuum. To help his dear wife, Mr. Incredible, while still sitting, lifts up the other couch so she can vacuum underneath. A final example is the scene in which Bob is in a meeting with his boss. His boss tells him if he doesn't step it up then he is going to be fired. Mr. Incredible gets extremely angry and throws his boss through five office walls into the hallway. (The Incredibles, Film) All of these scenes would be nearly impossible to pull off if the film was not animated.

The very first time I saw “The Incredibles” was in a movie theater with my family. My parents had promised the producer, a family friend, that we would see it on the opening weekend. When the movie ended, spontaneous applause broke out.  The adults in the theater loved the movie just as much as the kids did.  The audience was drawn into this film that movie critic Peter Travers of Rolling Stone described this way:  “... not like any animated movie you’ve ever seen.  While delivering the goods as a rip-roaring action-adventure and in the process rocketing the art of animation to new heights of imagination, humor and wonder, director-writer Brad Bird has crafted a film that breaks fresh ground and defies fogy rules... It’s James Bond, Indiana Jones and the X-Men all rolled into one.” (TRAVERS) It is no wonder that “The Incredibles” won numerous awards, including “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” in 2005.

Works Cited:
Arkoff, Vicki. "Ultimate Guide to 'The Incredibles." TLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sep 2012. <http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/family/how-the-incredibles-works3.htm >.

Giannetti, Louis D. Understanding Movies 12th edition. NJ: Pearson, 2011. Print.

Lunsford, Andrea; Ruszkiewicz, John. Everything’s an argument. MA: Bedford, 2000

TRAVERS, Peter. "The Incredibles ." Rolling Stone. N.p., 11/3/04. Web. 27 Sep 2012. <http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/the-incredibles-20041103>.

The Prestige

          When making a movie, every single detail is thought about with great care.  The actor that will play the part, their clothing, and most importantly, the technology is all cautiously thought of. It is fascinating when someone looks deeply into the details of how a movie was technologically made.  Special effects, camera angles, make up and stunts are specifically done in order to give a certain perspective to the viewer. When observing the technology perspective of The Prestige, my view of the movie changed.  The camera angles and special effects used throughout the movie significantly altered the influence of the movie. 

            Everyone loves magic.  As a child magic shows seem to be the most mysterious, stimulating demonstrations.  So much time was spent trying to analyze every move the magician made in order to find out how it worked.  Most of the time, the trick ended up being incredibly simple resulting in mild disappointment.  The Prestige created a new perspective on magic. Instead of using illusions, it used science.  By doing so, this created a more realistic perception of magic.  While shooting the movie, stunts were a crucial part of their process. Lee C. Jaster explained that, “Sometimes the best visual effect is the one the audience doesn’t realize is there.” Many do not consider that while shooting the movie, the actors had to perform stunts (magic tricks) that they were required to train for.  They had to be fully prepared to be dropped into a tank full of water with their hands tied.  Many magic tricks are considered dangerous and actors cannot simply do them without preparation.

            The most famous trick that is performed in the movie is the transported man.  The entire movie is focused around this trick. However, until the end, the scientific design of the trick was not created. The special effects that were used for this trick are extraordinary.  The lighting is a crucial part because it creates the intensity that the director wants the viewer to feel.  The lightning-like blue beams that surround Hugh Jackman give the spectator a mysterious feeling because it is not something they’ve seen before. It adds to the effect of the unfamiliar aspect of the trick.  The special effect that adds even more to this is the deformation of his skin as the lights move around him.  His skin seems to move and warp as if he is becoming a hologram.  While initially watching the movie I did not notice this because I was so fascinated with what was happening but then I took the time to notice technical aspects of each trick. Something as small as warping his skin slightly as the lights move around him had a huge impact of the scientific and magical view of the trick. 

            While stunts and lighting have a great impact on the movie, nothing comes close to the setting. This movie was made to represent the turn of the 19^th century.  Because of this, special effects were needed to represent the time frame that the movie was supposed to symbolize.  Although it is an incredibly basic detail that is crucial, many do not consider the work that it required.  Without the costumes, backdrops and props, no one would know when the movie was occurring.  It also helps grab the attention of the spectator.

            My appreciation for movies has significantly increased.  Focusing on the technical aspects of movies heightens the impact a movie can have on the viewer. So much work is put into making a movie as realistic and convincing as possible. Overall, The Prestige did a great job creating a movie that carefully constructed special effects that would positively enhance the story. 

 

The Dark Knight

In original cinema, simple things like color and audio were considered special effects. With today’s modern technology, there is an extreme array of effects producers can use to enhance their films. The 2008 hit The Dark Knight used a variety of different special effects, but relied most on two.

One thing that we often neglect as a special effect is the simple but vital role of make-up, and one of the most important effects to this film was the makeup on the main villain. Heath Ledger played the Joker who was a very dark, cynical character. He tried to bring any heroes down to his low level as he pinned good people against one another. One of the most memorable parts of his character is the make-up. He has greasy green hair and a painted white face with black eyes and a drawn on red smile. It is always smeared and dripping and it really adds to the wickedness and evil of the character. Although Heath Ledger’s acting is impeccable in this film, it really would not have the same impact if it were just his normal, attractive face.

Another important special effect used in the movie is illustrious computer-generated imagery. As producer Christopher Nolan said, the film has “about 650 visual effects shots” so clearly CGI was vital to creating the film (Miller). As a classic superhero story would be, this film is packed tight with action scenes. For example, there are multiple car chases with explosions or a scene where the Joker burns an entire room full of money. These images would clearly not only be dangerous to shoot but also extremely costly, so they were instead created using computer-generated imagery.

While CGI is used to create explosions and intense action, it is also used to simply create the world in which the characters live in. Batman lives in a fictional town called Gotham City, and to create this the producers relied on “the ability of computer-generated imagery to create fantastic, brave new worlds, where the magical is commonplace” (Giannetti 33). In a scene where Batman is flying through the air over Gotham City, Christian Bale was shot jumping in front of a green screen and later the artists “comped in the background [they] shot in Hong Kong” (Miller). Much of the shots were filmed in Chicago, but they also pulled from film from Hong Kong and mixed those together, and even just completely original images created solely by a computer artist. This freedom allowed them to create a more authentic world so that it didn’t look as though Gotham City was just the well-known Chicago.

Both the make-up work used on the villain and the computer-generated imagery used in many scenes were key to the pathos and logos of this film. They both helped to play to the emotions of the viewers; Ledger’s make-up job “hits precisely the right note” and is just enough to send the creeps down your spine, and the insane explosions add to the intensity of those important scenes (Lunsford 40).

They also were both vital to the believability of the film. The Joker would have been much less scary without the make-up and the intense scenes would have been much less effective without the work that could only have been created by computers.

For these reasons, I give this film 4 popcorn bags:

Miller, Gerri. "Inside 'The Dark Knight'" HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. <http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/dark-knight2.htm>.