by Mike Shea on 8 May 2004
My two hours of Van Helsing cultivated a quote in my mind: Computer generated action scenes are the adverbs of movies. Like over-use of adverbs, computer graphic effects in a movie like Van Helsing attempt to hide poor acting - by everyone except Hugh Jackman who did a pretty good job - and a poor story. How can I get excited seeing a six-horse cart jump over a cliff when it would have been nothing but a mouse click to get it to fly through the sky like fucking E.T.. A director should use special effects only when absolutely necessary. To use it as a crutch, as it was in Van Helsing and The Hulk, shows a lack in real creativity. To see how computer graphics can be used to augment live effects, see how they are used in Lord of the Rings.
Better yet, don't use them at all. A decent director can use special effects to make a story more interesting; a great director can make a good movie without using them at all. Consider Kill Bill.