# OSCAR POLL - Best Visual Effects **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 4, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314 "2013-02-04T16:22:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/1 "2013-02-04T16:22:18Z")
If you were an Academy member, for whom would you vote? ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/2 "2013-02-04T16:50:54Z")
Full Disclosure: I didn’t see _Prometheus_ or _Snow White/Huntsman_. While _The Avengers_ and certainly _The Hobbit_ sure had a LOT of visual effects, I voted for _Life of Pi_, because 1) Richard Parker was utterly convincing - had I not known he was a CGI tiger going in, I would have wondered how they coaxed a real tiger into that performance; and 2) the look of the movie was stunning, whereas the other two had just the typical “CGI extravaganza” look to them. _The Hobbit_ should not get it, because the whole Goblin Town sequence looked like something out of a George Lucas overkill sequence (and yes, I know the OP has actually worked for George Lucas). That scene could have come out of any of the 3\* Star Wars\* prequels. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/3 "2013-02-04T17:11:54Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > While _The Avengers_ and certainly _The Hobbit_ sure had a LOT of visual effects, I voted for _Life of Pi_, because 1) Richard Parker was utterly convincing - had I not known he was a CGI tiger going in, I would have wondered how they coaxed a real tiger into that performance; and 2) the look of the movie was stunning, whereas the other two had just the typical “CGI extravaganza” look to them. A similar point for _The Avengers_, though, is that the whole movie falls apart if the Hulk looks even a little bit silly. Sure, kudos to _Life of Pi_ for making a CGI tiger look like a real one – but making a green cartoon look like a brawny and menacing Mark Ruffalo is a triumph that could’ve gone very wrong. He needs to be a manlike presence genuinely interacting with the other characters, scaring the hell out of other people who can smell his sweat, instead of being a goofy and unreal image. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/4 "2013-02-04T17:18:10Z")
I’ve only seen The Avengers, so I didn’t vote. But if I was an Academy Member, I’d do what many of them do and vote for my friends. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/5 "2013-02-04T17:20:02Z")
OK, so I haven’t seen Life of Pi - but part of the reason I haven’t seen it is that the visual effects in the trailer look absolutely horrible. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/6 "2013-02-04T18:33:43Z")
I have not seen _Snow White_ but I doubt it achieved the same level of, uh, achievement, as the the ones I did see. The visual effects of _Pi_ were phenominal. Not just Richard Parker, but all the sea/storm/underwater shots as well. The shots of the lifeboat looking up from underwater so that the boat appeared to be floating in a sea of stars. The luminescent whale. The island of meerkats. The _Avenger_ effects were good, and convincing. Hulk looked real. The flying aircraft carrier was convincing. The battle scenes were epic. But _Life of Pi_ gets my vote because it was sheer visual poetry from beginning to end. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/7 "2013-02-04T20:49:34Z")
Yeah, I agree: _Avengers_ was amazing, but _Life of Pi_ was beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/8 "2013-02-04T21:05:00Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > OK, so I haven’t seen Life of Pi - but part of the reason I haven’t seen it is that the visual effects in the trailer look absolutely horrible. The effects in Life of Pi are stunning, and not just the animals. If that’s your reason for not seeing it, you’re doing yourself a disservice. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/9 "2013-02-04T21:41:39Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > A similar point for _The Avengers_, though, is that the whole movie falls apart if the Hulk looks even a little bit silly. Sure, kudos to _Life of Pi_ for making a CGI tiger look like a real one – but making a green cartoon look like a brawny and menacing Mark Ruffalo is a triumph that could’ve gone very wrong. He needs to be a manlike presence genuinely interacting with the other characters, scaring the hell out of other people who can smell his sweat, instead of being a goofy and unreal image. And who should know better than the man who directed _Life of Pi_. Nice little irony, there. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/10 "2013-02-04T22:30:33Z")
I have seen all 5, _Prometheus_ and _Snow White_ on DVD, the others on the big screen. I would vote for _The Avengers_ because I want it to win an Oscar, secure in the knowledge that _Life of Pi_ or _Snow White_ will probably win it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/11 "2013-02-08T18:41:52Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > And who should know better than the man who directed _Life of Pi_. Nice little irony, there. That had never occurred to me! But very true. What _Pi_ does is short of miraculous, since for most of the movie, the tiger and the ocean is all there is, and it stays intensely believable throughout. The quality of the work across-the-board this year is generally very good (_The Hobbit_ was a bit too same-old-same-old), but Ang’s film gets my vote. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/12 "2013-02-08T19:53:03Z")
I’m surprised that “The Dark Knight Rises” didn’t get an effects nod, or any technical nominations for that matter. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/13 "2013-02-08T20:56:23Z")
I have seen all 5 and it was no contest: _Life of Pi_. Just absolutely breathtaking in its beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oscar-poll-best-visual-effects/649314/14 "2013-02-09T01:07:29Z")
Life of Pi…the CGI Richard Parker convincingly completed the “impossible” trifecta in movie making/directing…water, child, animal.