Movies
The worst visual effects in cinema: from fake babies to Superman’s mustache
Let’s take a trip down memory lane to find the absolute worst pieces of VFX Hollywood has given us over the years
The worst visual effects in cinema
'Blade' (1998)
The first movie from Marvel's resident vampire hunter starring Wesley Snipes was one of the biggest comic book movies at the time, except for the questionable CGI in the movie's final fight against Deacon Frost; and who could forget his dedly transformation...
'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2' (2012)
The adventures of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan reached their climax with the birth of their baby, Renesmee, sometimes through an unsettling animatronic, other times through terrifying CGI. We honestly can't decide which one was worse.
'The Matrix Reloaded' (2003)
While the first entry into the 'The Matrix' saga starring Keanu Reeves marked a before and after for visual effects in movies, the two sequels had some baffling VFX moments, one of which was Neo's fight with hundreds of Agent Smiths. At some points of that fight, it looked like a PS2 game...
'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' (2009)
Certainly the worst showcase of the Adamantium claws in the history of Wolverine on the big screen, of course in one of the series' lowest points.
'Jumanji' (1995)
While most of the Robin Williams movie managed to offer viewers some amazingly convincing visual effects for the times, scenes like the monkeys in a police car make us wonder... why?
'Justice League' (2017)
The chaotic story behind 'Justice League' is now known by many, with reshoots by Joss Whedon giving us one of the weirdest moments in the DCEU, and that's quite something considering everything else. At the time, Henry Cavill was already filming 'Mission: Impossible - Fallout', for which he had grown a mustache. Given that he couldn't shave when filming the reshoots for DC, he had to have his glorious mustache digitally removed. The results speak for themselves.
'The Mummy Returns' (2001)
The sequel to 'The Mummy' gave us one of the worst CGI characters in history with a version of Dwayne Johnson at the start of his acting career as artificial as it was out of place.
'I Am Legend' (2007)
A post-apocalyptic movie starring Will Smith that was quite well regarded, although with half-vampire creatures that should have been kept in the shadows. The interactions between the main mutant with Robert Neville ended up being not as successful as the rest of the film.
'Hulk' (2003)
Ang Lee's adaptation of Marvel's Hulk, with Eric Bana as Bruce Banner, left us with a rubbery CGI Hulk that admittedly looked more like an action figure.
'Thor: Love and Thunder' (2022) and 'Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumanía' (2023)
It's curious how Marvel Studios has been giving us worse and worse CGI effects as the years pass. Proof of thatare Axl's floating head in the fourth Thor movie, as well as M.O.D.O.K.'s face, which distorted its actor's face on the peculiar body of the villain. Come to think of it, both are head related...
'An American Werewolf in Paris' (1997)
The transformation scene and the CGI monster itself are scarier than the entire movie.
'Lost in Space' (1998)
An entertaining space adventure with an attractive cast, ideal to watch with the whole family, although beware of some truly hideous CGI creatures.
'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace' (1999)
While the George Lucas prequel trilogy relied heavily on CGI - abusing of green screens like never before -, some creatures were much more noticeable than others. Like Jar Jar Binks.
'The Lawnmower Man' (1992)
A promising sci-fi film starring Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Fahey based on a Stephen King story, which halfway through becomes a nightmare-inducing MTV videoclip of the times.
'Spawn' (1997)
Spawn's adaptation from the comic pages was a complete failure in many aspects, but its special effects were some of the worst. Among them the Clown transforming into a hellish creature take the prize.
'Mortal Kombat' (1995)
The first adaptation of the famous fighting game is guilty of many sins, but Reptile's appearance has no viable defense.
'Green Lantern' (2011)
The Green Lantern CGI suits were some of the worst effects so far in the superhero genre. It's no wonder that Ryan Reynolds himself let Deadpool kill his past self right after recieving the DC movie script.
'The Flash' (2023)
The DCEU really dropped the ball at the end, with CGI versions of its own actors and a rage inducing scene about babies in The Flash.