POLL: Who had the best SFX of 2008?

POLL: Who had the best SFX of 2008? POLL: Who had the best SFX of 2008?

There is a three-way going on at the Oscars this year. Comic book movies The Dark Knight, Iron man and Hellboy II: The Golden Army have all been nominated in the "Best Visual Effects" category. Who will win? And why did The Incredible Hulk get snubbed?

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By ComicBookMovie - Jan 06, 2009 04:01 PM EST
Filed Under: Other

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement today.

Also making the cut: Australia, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and two Brendan Fraser-powered flicks, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Journey to the Center of the Earth (which is gunning to be the first 3-D movie to be nominated in this category).

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cloverfield and two other superhero opuses—Hancock and The Incredible Hulk—were among the surprise snubs. The films were among 15 short-listed last month.

On Jan. 15, the Academy will screen 15-minute reels from the contenders, and then a panel of experts will whittle the field down to a final three. (The screenings at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater are open to the public).

Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards will be unveiled Jan. 22, with the ceremony taking place exactly one month later.

What movie do YOU think had the best SFX?

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MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/6/2009, 5:25 PM
I loved Hellboy 2! it was great fun. On special effects alone i think it should win
Kilowog
Kilowog - 1/6/2009, 5:37 PM
I agree. if you go on special affects alone i would have to give the award to Hellboy II. No one else had even close to the same number of affects and they were qualitie effects at that.
phendry
phendry - 1/6/2009, 5:46 PM
Hell Boy II!!!
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 1/6/2009, 5:50 PM
I think I'd have to go with Hellboy, especially after seeing the documentary on the dvd there was just so much depth put into every shot that it simply boggles the mind,
Shaman
Shaman - 1/6/2009, 6:23 PM
Ironman hands down for me! But even though it kicked ass, it didn't top the FX of Superman Returns in my book.

The plain! The plain!

Is that a bird, is that a plain, no it's a continent full of kryptonite making it's way to the freakin sun! How cool is that!!!
SGA
SGA - 1/6/2009, 6:28 PM
probly hellboy 2 or Iron man.

and as for the continent of Kryptonite....i think as awesome as the concept is...give the giant rock to someone other than superman and have him actually punch somebody at least ONCE in a movie.
LegionarioXIX
LegionarioXIX - 1/6/2009, 6:54 PM
Hellboy 2 for sure.
I can't believe other people don't agree though.
oh well.
blacksword7
blacksword7 - 1/6/2009, 7:15 PM
the award is for special effects! iron man's special effects were no different than any other action film today. Hellboy II was special, you don't see good old effects like that any more. they opposed cgi as much as possible (save for the army) and there's no possible way the effects in iron man came as close to the quality of the effects in hellboy. i think all the people voting for iron man are a little biased just because they enjoyed the movie more.
saintc
saintc - 1/6/2009, 7:34 PM
Why and the hell is Iron man winning, and dark Knight in second. This isn't for best movie of 08 here, this is sfx! While I love The Dark Knight mroe than almost anyone... Hellboy definately took this one. The SFX were amazing...
parascythe
parascythe - 1/6/2009, 8:00 PM
either Hellboy or wanted for me for special effects...

mind you guys SFX doesnt only mean CGI...the best way to put this i think is...how effective the SFX had been incorporated in the film and how much it contributed for the whole film...(well anyone can still add to these but i think this 2 is more close in choosing best SFX IMHO, dont know) rather than how many CGI was in the film...not nit picking though...chow!
theFACE
theFACE - 1/7/2009, 4:40 AM
Hellboy II was far more original and inovative with there visual effects, he could have done it all CGI but didn't. In this day and age, with the Hulk and Iron man movies using CGI, it takes guts to do what he did. For that reason Hellboy II should win, it wont, but it should.

and "grif" Indy 4, REALLY! I saw a kid waving a sparkler the other day and i thought to my self "if only they had visual effects like that in Indy 4". That pick is from way beyond left field, that pick is from the parking lot.
WeaponX
WeaponX - 1/7/2009, 5:19 AM
Iron Man should get it. The transition between prop suit and CGI suit was damn near seamless. Also trying to do a complete CGI model against a blue sky, without shadow to hide the super imposed lines of the model is pretty damn tough to do without making the model look fake. They pulled that off too.

Hellboy II, awesome make-up effects but used CGI when in-camera props would have done, the baby in the blanket, for example, was poorly done. It deserves a very close second.

The Dark Knight, great movie, but I think its teet has been suckled enough. Great explosions and stuff but compared to Iron Man and Hellboy II it's got precious little to bring to the table.

I like the way the Hulk looked, if only they had more budget to polish him up a bit more then it would have launched it to fighting for #1.

But my vote goes to Iron Man.
Shaman
Shaman - 1/7/2009, 8:07 AM
The meaning behind special effects is to make something look "real" when it obviously can't be. Ironman's armor and technology was so well done it all looked real! The suit alone should make the movie win as it's very movement was incredibly realistic where as in Hellboy 2, you could actually tell when CGI was involved. The company that created the special effects for Ironman surpassed every other effects ever made in any movie. The realism that transpired through the effects is why this movie should not only win the award for 2008 but for all time. Hellboy had "cool" effects but by definition, they were crappy. It's not the "originality" of the art, it's how real it actually appears on screen and pretty much everything looked fake in that movie. I honestly don't get how DelToro's movies like Blade 2 and Hellboys can have crappy effects while Pan's Labirynth had very realistic effects.
NoobMike
NoobMike - 1/7/2009, 8:52 AM
Hellboy 2 was cool, but I wouldn't give an Oscar to a movie that has fake plastic crabs stitched onto the rubber suit of a character. I really liked the visual FX of Speed Racer, they looked fake but they were intended to look fake.

If it was up to me I'd probably give the Oscar to Iron Man or Speed Racer.
ryanallen
ryanallen - 1/7/2009, 9:16 AM
I'm willing to bet that the Curious Case of Benjamin Button takes home the Oscar just cuz' people love their realism.
IonParallax
IonParallax - 1/7/2009, 10:28 AM
Iron Man for me. As people have explained, the transitional scenes were flawless. Expertly done. Iron Man all the way.
TheMyth
TheMyth - 1/7/2009, 10:30 AM
Ironman wins by a landslide. I swear at times in that movie I'm truly convinced RDJ is inside a fabricated titanium alloy suit. Some of the best CG work I've seen in a long time. But I think ryanallen is probably right and we are gonna get robbed by a deuchebag who ages in reverse... *making a jerkoff motion*. Honestly I don't know why Dark Knight is in this category really. That movie didn't really have much CG in it. I hope Ledger does win that Award for his portrayal of the Joker.
TheMyth
TheMyth - 1/7/2009, 10:32 AM
Anyone who suggested Wanted or Hellboy should have their brain smashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a gold brick.
ThunderCougarFalconBird
ThunderCougarFalconBird - 1/7/2009, 10:35 AM
It's a tough call.

Iron Man was almost seemless but the shear work that went into Hell Boy boggles the mind! Both are great fun to watch. Dark Knight is a great example of toning down the effects and making it believable instead of mind blowing. Wanted, Hancock and Hulk are a bit sketchy in places, although they did a decent job they don't compare to the others.

I've not seen the others yet but here's what I think (Based on trailers/clips etc. so if I'm wrong go easy)

The Spirit, same old Frank. LOVED 300 and the effects worked great but there's only so much you can take before the style gets boring.

Punisher, should be simple enough. Arnie and Stallone did 1000's of these movies in the 80's so how hard can it be to get right today?

Speed Racer, has anyone even seen this?! I mean come on! If you saw the trailer and didn't think " Wow, what a steaming pile of horse crap!" then your on drugs!
saymekian
saymekian - 1/7/2009, 11:30 AM
I can't believe Hulk got snubbed over Dark Knight effects-wise, to be honest.

There are scenes in Hulk where he and the action looks completely real:

When they are sitting in the cave.
When it shows him holding Betty in the helicopter fire.
When he throws the forklift.
The entire Hulk/A-bomb fight was amazing.

I also give props to Hellboy II for going the animatronic direction. Everything looked great in that movie.
Shaman
Shaman - 1/7/2009, 11:33 AM
Ehhh Myth? Is the slice of lemon for the citric acid to make the wound hurt more? LOL

Howlett- 80's action movies can't be done right today because they lack depth. Rambo we all know and love so we'll all pay to see the next one but for unknown characters to the masses, for them to just have an 80's feel action movie is simply not enough.

Speed racer equals hard drugs...CHECK! LOL
Shaman
Shaman - 1/7/2009, 11:36 AM
Dark Knight has no business on this poll.
theFACE
theFACE - 1/7/2009, 12:03 PM
grif - fair point

And i have to agree with Shaman, the dark knight's emphasis was not on visual effects and shouldn't be in this category and i would be suprised if it is. don't get me wrong i loved the dark knight but it really shouldn't be considered next to some of the other movies in terms of the level of visual effects.
Shaman
Shaman - 1/7/2009, 12:18 PM
It has it's award being the best batman movie ever made as well as best comicbook movie of 2008 though, that's pretty respectable given the compitition.
Spock
Spock - 1/7/2009, 12:35 PM
Ok I need to sound off! By far I think IronMan has it, but for most improved. Hands down I will say the incredible Hulk has it. The CGI on Hulk & Abomonation. That was so real.
Shaman
Shaman - 1/7/2009, 12:45 PM
Good point Spock, if there was an "improved" poll, Hulk would totally win it. Compared to the Ang Lee movie, Norton's version was way better in the effects department as well as any other! And Hellboy 2 was just as good as the first one, not better!
crappybumbum
crappybumbum - 1/7/2009, 1:22 PM
I chose Iron Man because even the suit looked real in graphic effects
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/7/2009, 2:26 PM
Guys visual effects is not all about cgi and making things look real..its also about immersing the audience in a fantasy world. Thats why Dark Knight is in the running(not that it deserves to win)..and i agree the iron man armor was the most realistic looking effect in the category, but hellboy 2 created an entire world! nearly every single frame of that movie contained some type of visual effect, from old school animatronics to full prosthetics to cgi, think of the work that went into that movie! if the creative team dont deserve a reward for it non of the movies listed do
Shaman
Shaman - 1/7/2009, 3:12 PM
Well roar i rarelly disagree with you but i have to on this one. You actually proved my point in saying "its also about immersing the audience in a fantasy world". That can't be done properly if they don't feel that it's real. Which means that special effects are needed to make fake things look real to facilitate the audience's immersion. The idea behind the special effect is not to "create" a fantasy but make it look like it could realistically happen right in front of your eyes. And Hellboy didn't deliver as well as Ironman. So Hellboy would win hands down the award for "creativity" but the award for the "best special effects" should respectively be handed to Ironman.
adamant877
adamant877 - 1/7/2009, 3:15 PM
I have to agree on Iron Man, but Hellboy sure as hell comes in a VERY close second! (Pun intended)
Dark night was a wonderful movie, with great visuals (I would definitely suggest the best cinematography, supporting actor, adapted screenplay, and SFX makeup or costume nods), but isn't on par with the others.
They're all in tight competition with the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, however! (GREAT movie!)
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/7/2009, 4:04 PM
Well yeah like i said, Iron man had the most realistic special effect hands down..but Hellboy WAS the special effect..i just think the amount of work that went into it deserves recognition even if parts of it wer not as realistic as the armor in iron man!
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 1/7/2009, 5:01 PM
I concur with rorschach, I mean the iron man armor was great and it looked real but other than that it was pretty straight forward. Hellboy just had so much detail and I don't know if we were watching the same movie but I could hardly tell the difference between the old fashioned creature shop stuff and the cg monsters. Hellboy brought physical effects to a new level as well as the integration of physical and cg to a new level as well. Never once was I brought out of the world that Del Toro produced and I think that says a lot. Don't get me wrong I think the cg that went into Iron Man was far superior to that of Hellboy but the over all amount and quality of effects in Hellboy puts it just over the top. But that's just my opinion.

and besides I think we all know in or hearts that all these superhero movies will be snubbed my buttons because it's more "artistic"
Shaman
Shaman - 1/8/2009, 8:57 AM
You guys are debating creativity. You're saying that Hellboy was so creative that it should get recognition. So why should we give Hellboy the FX award when it doesn't deserve it cause it didn't have better FX than Ironman. Yes it was more creative than Ironman but that's not the award they're competing for. There should be an academy award for creativity where DelToro would obviously be crowned King! But i wouldn't give the "best comic book movie of the year" award to Ironman because Robert Downey Jr's performance as an actor was a hell of a lot better than Christian Bale's. He'd obviously get the "Best actor award in a comic book movie". Don't confuse apples and oranges just because they're fruits.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 1/8/2009, 11:26 AM
Well i cant speak for anyone else but im talking about the sheer number of affects not the creativity..Iron man had that one better effect than hellboys dozens..so i do see wer your coming from, and it probably will end up winning..but so much more work went into hellboy that i would rather see that rewarded than iron man
Shaman
Shaman - 1/8/2009, 11:50 AM
Fare enough Roar, nicely explained :)
ryanallen
ryanallen - 1/8/2009, 2:29 PM
To better clarify what I meant earlier, I guy aging backwards is probably going to be a little more tangible to the academy than a guy in a high-tech power suit blowing up tanks, or a resurrected mummy with control over the elements, or a demon from hell working for an agency that battles preternatural forces. The academy is probably looking for the more concrete rather than creative.
loganoneil
loganoneil - 1/9/2009, 11:27 AM
People, people - I think we're arguing 'apples to oranges' here as far as 'Shellhead vs The Big Red Monkey' go! CGI effects goes to 'Iron Man' (no contest!), but for visual effects / creature creation, props to 'Hellboy II' (it IS Guillermo del Toro we're talking about here - the greatest thing to hit the Shire since Peter Jackson and Longbottom Leaf!).
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