# what are the best "non-CGI" movies with the most CGI? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469 "2009-11-30T15:26:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/21 "2009-12-01T20:29:29Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Spiderman seemed to have extensive CGI; I would assume the in-costume Spiderman swinging through the streets was entirely CGI. Um…Spiderman is the very definition of a “CGI movie”, in that it is a movie that would have been impossible to do without CGI and is probably on most folks’ Top Ten list of “Movies That Employ Extensive Amounts of CGI”. ---
**Author:** ![Doom\_Slinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Doom\_Slinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doom_Slinger)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/22 "2009-12-02T00:54:55Z")
I was surprised at the extent to which _Brokeback Mountain_ made use of CGI. [Cool clip of some examples.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPw5plmkd6Q) ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/23 "2009-12-02T03:45:14Z")
The critics on At the Movies were listing their top films of the decade and they mentioned that _Zodiac_ uses a lot of cgi in the background to set the period. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/24 "2009-12-02T04:43:16Z")
can’t comment on most of these because i haven’t seen them yet… ya i agree that _Spiderman_ and _Titanic_ are “CGI movies” because they can’t be done without it. _Brokeback Mountain_ is interesting. the sheep i get, but mountains and night scenes? is nothing real anymore? are we reaching, or have we already reached the point with pictures nowadays, where you can’t look one without first wondering if it is photoshopped? ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/25 "2009-12-02T05:32:05Z")
> [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Really? Like what? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/WDwTQ57YyzI/maxresdefault.jpg "MK12 // Stranger Than Fiction: Opening HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwTQ57YyzI) > [@gaffa](#): > > Are you sure? I’m pretty certain that virtually all the effects were “in camera”. The more I think about this, the more convinced there were more effects. Clearly, I just need to watch again. But I’m thinking of a scene in a library or bookstore where the titles of books are slowly fading away in the background as he’s forgetting that particular memory. Is that the right movie? ---
**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:** [December 2, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/26 "2009-12-02T13:41:58Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The more I think about this, the more convinced there were more effects. Clearly, I just need to watch again. But I’m thinking of a scene in a library or bookstore where the titles of books are slowly fading away in the background as he’s forgetting that particular memory. Is that the right movie? Yes, and that’s the same scene I think of, as well. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/27 "2009-12-02T13:50:27Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > The critics on At the Movies were listing their top films of the decade and they mentioned that _Zodiac_ uses a lot of cgi in the background to set the period. Yeah, the special edition DVD has [this featurette](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT491ctM8Kk) that shows how much CGI was used. Quite a lot considering how little I noticed it in the film. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/28 "2009-12-02T13:53:18Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > _Brokeback Mountain_ is interesting. the sheep i get, but mountains and night scenes? is nothing real anymore? are we reaching, or have we already reached the point with pictures nowadays, where you can’t look one without first wondering if it is photoshopped? It was never real. It was always just images on celluloid. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/29 "2009-12-02T15:34:17Z")
Besides obvious CGI sequences, I was a little amused to read that, in **The Dark Knight** , they digitally changed all the cars’ license plates in the outdoor shots from Illinois to “Gotham City” (who knew Gotham got its own plates?). That and removing obvious Chicago landmark buildings in the city shots. Mostly I just liked the bit about the cars. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/30 "2009-12-02T18:51:12Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > The more I think about this, the more convinced there were more effects. Clearly, I just need to watch again. But I’m thinking of a scene in a library or bookstore where the titles of books are slowly fading away in the background as he’s forgetting that particular memory. Is that the right movie? I looked very closely at that scene the second time I saw that in the theater, and the books changing color was a mechanical effect. It was accomplished using spring loaded flaps (think of the mechanical alarm clock in _Groundhog Day_). ---
**Author:** ![ElectricZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58f4c7/32.png) [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/31 "2009-12-03T16:25:49Z")
World Trade Center. Certainly the shots of the towers themselves were going to be CGI, but watching some of the extras I was amazed at how many of the “regular” exterior shots on the streets were on a soundstage with CG backgrounds. It was very well done. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/32 "2009-12-04T01:41:27Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > ya i agree that _Spiderman_ and _Titanic_ are “CGI movies” because they can’t be done without it. I disagree about Titanic. It could have been made without CGI. Models, green screen, etc. It wouldn’t have looked as good, but it could have been done. Think of the original Star Wars. All models, cameras on rails, green screen and clever editing - no CGI. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2009, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469/33 "2009-12-04T03:52:40Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwTQ57YyzI](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDwTQ57YyzI) Ok well I knew about that stuff. I was thinking of the OPs intent of backround things, sets, and “regular” looking scenes that actually had a lot of CGI. Think of it like how “Ghost Town” was set in NY, but wasn’t ever shot there and all of it is green screen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-best-non-cgi-movies-with-the-most-cgi/519469.md?page=1)