The prequels and sequels weren't without their moments of brilliance.
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00:00So when George Lucas first came up with his concept of an epic fantasy story set in space,
00:04he was no doubt concerned that the technologies of the time would limit his vision. With a
00:09combination of practical effects, animatronics, and highly detailed models, however, he pulled
00:14it off. And with advancements in CGI, Lucas has had an opportunity to really pull out the stops
00:19for his prequel trilogy during early 2000s. And although certain aspects of those movies definitely
00:25look questionable, there are still moments that definitely hold up. When he used CGI well,
00:30it resulted in some of the most immersive and iconic moments in cinema, and that's what we're
00:34here to look at today. I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are the 10 Best CGI
00:39Moments in Star Wars History. Number 10. The Battle over Coruscant. Revenge of the Sith,
00:45Episode 3. The original Star Wars trilogy did wonders for the world of special effects. A
00:50combination of animatronics and miniature scale models were used to depict the giant space battle
00:55central to the plot. Although the various depictions of the tiny rebel fleet taking on
00:59the Empire's monolithic space stations were captivating, Lucas was nevertheless limited
01:04on what he could show. By the time that Revenge of the Sith rolled around, he finally had the
01:08means to portray a high-speed and complex space battle in a dynamic way. We had literally never
01:14seen anything on this scale before. Utilizing his classic pan from space technique, Lucas
01:20revealed a Republic star cruiser gracefully moving through space, before he locks the camera
01:25onto two swooping Jedi fighters. With dynamic dogfights happening in between huge cruisers,
01:30the scope was vast. Sometimes the camera zeroed in on tiny buzz droids, and other times it panned
01:36wide to reveal the giant battleships turning their broadside blasters on one another. It was one hell
01:42of a way to open up a movie. For all of the issues that the prequels had, this scene was definitely
01:46not one of them. 9. Coruscant Night Chase – Attack of the Clones, Episode 2
01:52Coruscant is one of the most fascinating places in the Star Wars universe. The planet-wide city
01:57was only teased in The Phantom Menace, with sweeping wide shots of the upper levels and
02:01several interior scenes of the Jedi Temple. But with Attack of the Clones, however, the vast
02:05expanse of the city's many levels was explored further. Although the CGI in this scene would
02:10appear somewhat dated for a live-action film, it was definitely cutting-edge for 2002.
02:16Most importantly, it created an immersive experience, as we saw two Jedi partake in a
02:21high-speed chase to capture a mysterious bounty hunter. In terms of realism, this scene is somewhat
02:26lacking. But there aren't many scenes that light a fire in your imagination quite like this. And
02:31really, that's the purpose of CGI. As the chase descended into the dystopian cityscape, the world
02:36came alive. The lower levels were inundated with smog, aliens, and deathstick dealers.
02:42What it amounted to was a neo-noir cityscape somewhere between Blade Runner and The Fifth
02:46Element. And you know what? That was brilliant worldbuilding.
02:498. The Bunta Eve Podrace – The Phantom Menace, Episode 1
02:54Now, The Phantom Menace got quite the bad rep when it first released. Sure,
02:58Jar Jar Binks was a character we could do without, but the CGI techniques used to generate him were
03:03pretty impressive. This will never be considered one of the highlights of Lucas' saga, though,
03:07but it still contained some iconic moments, and the podrace sequence definitely is a top contender.
03:13Now, race and chase sequences can oftentimes feel long-winded, bloated, and tiresome.
03:18It's actually a mystery how the Fast & Furious franchises lasted so long, honestly. But there
03:22was none of that with this scene. You had moments of tension, exhilarating high-speed crashes,
03:27and character-based drama, all built into nine minutes of adrenaline-fueled excitement.
03:32The nature of this scene gave the animators a huge advantage when it came to generating
03:36the images. The mere fact that everything happens at such high speed meant that a
03:40blurring effect could be used to hide any sloppy animation. And you know what? It worked. In terms
03:45of being an engaging experience, this CGI sequence is up there with the best.
03:507. The Battle of Scarif – Rogue One, A Star Wars Story
03:54Rogue One not only has one of the strongest overall narratives out of all of the Star Wars
03:58movies, but it's also the most visually stunning. The CGI effects are simply luscious. There are none
04:04of those rubbery textures that give you a really uncanny valley feeling, and at no point does
04:09spectacle win out over the plot. Director Gareth Edwards is first and foremost a visual effects
04:14artist, but he has such a respect for narrative that at no point did he let himself get carried
04:19away. Look at any of the CGI sequences in this movie, and you will not find a moment that's
04:24anything less than gorgeous, and utterly integral to the plot. From the antics of the sarcastic K2
04:30to the destruction of Jedha, each moment is visual storytelling perfection. But it was the
04:35desperate battle above Scarif that really solidified this as one of the most breathtaking
04:39films in the franchise. The CGI ships and fighters look so real, it's hard to believe that they
04:43weren't actually scale models. Unused footage from the original trilogy was also spliced into
04:48these sequences, serving as a wonderful homage to Lucas' original vision. In terms of the greatest
04:53space battles ever put to the big screen, you would be hard pressed to beat this one.
04:576. The Hyperspace Ram – The Last Jedi
05:01If the sequel trilogy will be remembered for anything, it will be all the moments that were
05:05visually awe-inspiring, while having zero emotional weight. Vice Admiral Holdo's sacrifice
05:10to save the remnants of the Resistance was indeed a tragic moment, but not because the audience felt
05:15touched by her bravery, but because a truly breathtaking scene was wasted on a rather
05:19nonsensical plot point. Holdo was a character the audiences never really grew attached to,
05:24neither did her decision to hyperspace ram a ship make any logical sense in the world of
05:28Star Wars. It's for that reason that this entry feels kind of like a controversial one,
05:32the moment when thousands of light-speed particles dispersed through the Imperial
05:36fleet was perhaps one of the most beautiful shots in the entire franchise. It's just a shame that
05:40the iconic image does not reflect the emotional impact of that scene. This could have been a
05:45moment of visually heart-wrenching heroism, if only the filmmakers had utilized it properly.
05:49Instead, they just awkwardly jammed an admittedly great concept into a very clunky plot.
05:545. Snoke – The Last Jedi
05:57There were many aspects of the sequel trilogy that were brilliant. Initially,
06:01the characters were intriguing, there was more reliance on practical effects,
06:04and CGI technology had advanced to the point where almost anything could be created. But it makes it
06:08all the more tragic, then, that this whole trilogy was just not as great as the sum of its parts.
06:13Snoke was a marvel in CGI. Utilizing the industry's go-to motion capture performer Andy
06:19Serkis, the mysterious character was a groundbreaking display of animation and an
06:23intriguing original villain. But as we all know, he was rather underutilized. If even half the
06:28effort put into making Snoke look as impressive as he does was put into developing a character
06:34arc for him, well maybe the sequel trilogy would have been received far more favorably.
06:37It truly is a shame that an artistic endeavor such as this ultimately went to waste,
06:42in a trilogy that won't be remembered at all for its stunning visuals, but rather its lackluster
06:46plotlines. 4. Django Fett's Seismic Charge,
06:50Attack of the Clones, Episode 2 We've already touched on the slightly dated
06:54looking CGI in the prequel movies, but certain scenes still managed to wow audiences. George
06:59Lucas really went to town when depicting space combat in these movies, because it was the first
07:03time that he wasn't limited by technology when it came to telling a story. Sure, certain CGI
07:08moments from the prequels look like shoddy cutscenes from a half-decent PS2 game, but
07:12others still have all the visual impact required to sell a scene. And really, that's all CGI should
07:17be used for. You can get away with slightly less convincing special effects if they're being
07:21utilized in a well-written and engaging scenario, and that is what this moment was. With Obi-Wan
07:27hot on the heels of Django Fett, viewers were treated to a game of cat and mouse in an asteroid
07:31field. The delayed sound of Fett's seismic charge as it sent destructive waves through numerous
07:36asteroids will forever remain a highlight of one of the, let's admit it, weaker movies of the franchise.
07:423. The Kessel Run – Solo A Star Wars Story
07:46In 2018, Star Wars finally demystified one of the most infamous legends in the franchise.
07:51Han Solo's astrophysics-defying boast that he made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
07:57Now, as everyone no doubt is aware, when Harrison Ford said that infamous line back in 1977,
08:02it made little sense. A parsec is a unit of distance, not time. Given the Kessel Run was
08:07a 20-parsec smuggling route, the more astute audience members were left scratching their
08:11heads at Han Solo's claim. The only conclusion was that George Lucas either used the term because it
08:16sounded cool without any understanding of what it meant, or that Han Solo wasn't all that bright.
08:21Well, we finally found out the answer to the mystery in Solo A Star Wars Story. By skirting
08:26a bunch of black holes, Solo essentially used the Millennium Falcon to travel through time
08:31through the route. With an Imperial Star Destroyer looming out of the gloom and numerous TIE fighters
08:35hot on his tail, Solo managed to hop, skip, and jump his way through the route before coming into
08:40contact with a Lovecraftian space beast. It was simply brilliant. Punch it, Chewie, indeed.
08:462. The Battle of Kashyyyk – Revenge of the Sith, Episode 3
08:50There's no doubt that CGI has come a long way since George Lucas released the prequels,
08:54but if we're merely going to include sequences based on how they live up to the CGI of today,
08:58then we'd be doing a disservice to some truly memorable moments of Star Wars.
09:02These movies had a certain sheen to them. They didn't feel as gritty as the original trilogy,
09:06and they felt almost cartoon-like compared to the sequels. But aesthetically, that kind of works.
09:11The prequels were set in a more idealised time in the Star Wars universe, a time when the Empire
09:16hadn't cast its dark cloud over the galaxy quite yet, so it kind of makes sense that everything
09:20looks a little polished. The Battle of Kashyyyk would look out of place in one of the newer Star
09:24Wars movies, there's no doubt about that. But that still doesn't mean that this isn't a great
09:28CGI moment. Within the context of the movie, it works perfectly, and was one of the more celebrated
09:34depictions of the Clone Wars. Who didn't love seeing Wookiee swinging from Fluttercraft attaching
09:38bombs to droid tanks? No one. 1. Grand Moff Tarkin – Rogue One,
09:43A Star Wars Story This entry will again raise some eyebrows,
09:47because the depiction of actor Peter Cushion of Tarkin was polarising to say the least. And in
09:52fact, we've covered it many times on different lists as being some of the best and worst moments
09:55of this film, so it's very confusing, we're split down the middle. Rogue One is easily in the top
10:00three Star Wars movies ever made. Because it contained everything we wanted, it expanded on
10:05a significant moment of the originals, with a distinctly darker tone, nuanced heroes,
10:09and captivating visuals. But one of its most visually impressive moments was also its most
10:14controversial. The effectiveness of a fully CGI human character was somewhat hit and miss.
10:19When it worked, it was nothing short of breathtaking, but when it didn't work,
10:23it was jarring. It was all to do with the framing of the character.
10:26CGI Tarkin worked when he was in the shadows, lurking like an ominous force of malice. But
10:31when he was brought out into the light, and especially when shown next to real actors,
10:35the illusion kind of fell apart. It was certainly the most impressive advancement in computer
10:39generated human characters that we've seen so far, but maybe the filmmakers overplayed their hand.
10:44There was also the ethical and moral implications of using the image of an actor who had already
10:49been dead for decades. Even with the express permission of the actor's estate,
10:52it was a bit uneasy to see a man resurrected and trotted out on screen for entertainment purposes.
11:19I want you to look as good as some of these CGI moments. You are a massive ledge. Now go
11:24out there and absolutely smash it today. I believe in you. As always, I've been Jules,
11:28you have been awesome. Never forget that. I'll speak to you soon. Bye.