The prequels and sequels weren't without their moments of brilliance.
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00:00 So when George Lucas first came up with his concept of an epic fantasy story set in space,
00:04 he was no doubt concerned that the technologies of the time would limit his vision.
00:09 With a combination of practical effects, animatronics, and highly detailed models, however, he pulled
00:14 it off.
00:15 And with advancements in CGI, Lucas has had an opportunity to really pull out the stops
00:19 for his prequel trilogy during early 2000s.
00:22 And although certain aspects of those movies definitely look questionable, there are still
00:26 moments that definitely hold up.
00:28 When he used CGI well, it resulted in some of the most immersive and iconic moments in
00:33 cinema.
00:34 And that's what we're here to look at today.
00:35 I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are the 10 Best CGI Moments in Star Wars History.
00:41 10.
00:42 The Battle Over Coruscant - Revenge of the Sith, Episode 3
00:46 The original Star Wars trilogy did wonders for the world of special effects.
00:50 A combination of animatronics and miniature-scale models were used to depict the giant space
00:54 battles central to the plot.
00:56 Although the various depictions of the tiny rebel fleet taking on the Empire's monolithic
01:00 space stations were captivating, Lucas was nevertheless limited on what he could show.
01:05 By the time that Revenge of the Sith rolled around, he finally had the means to portray
01:09 a high-speed and complex space battle in a dynamic way.
01:13 We had literally never seen anything on this scale before.
01:17 Utilizing his classic pan-from-space technique, Lucas revealed a Republic star cruiser gracefully
01:22 moving through space, before he locks the camera onto two swooping Jedi fighters.
01:27 With dynamic dogfights happening in between huge cruisers, the scope was vast.
01:32 Sometimes the camera zeroed in on tiny buzz droids, and other times it panned wide to
01:36 reveal the giant battleships turning their broadside blasters on one another.
01:40 It was one hell of a way to open up a movie.
01:43 For all of the issues that the prequels had, this scene was definitely not one of them.
01:47 9.
01:48 Coruscant - Night Chase, Attack of the Clones, Episode 2
01:52 Coruscant is one of the most fascinating places in the Star Wars universe.
01:56 The planet-wide city was only teased in The Phantom Menace, with sweeping wide shots of
02:00 the upper levels and several interior scenes of the Jedi Temple.
02:03 But with Attack of the Clones, however, the vast expanse of the city's many levels was
02:07 explored further.
02:09 Although the CGI in this scene would appear somewhat dated for a live-action film, it
02:13 was definitely cutting-edge for 2002.
02:16 Most importantly, it created an immersive experience, as we saw two Jedi partake in
02:20 a high-speed chase to capture a mysterious bounty hunter.
02:24 In terms of realism, this scene is somewhat lacking.
02:26 But there aren't many scenes that light a fire in your imagination quite like this.
02:31 And really, that's the purpose of CGI.
02:33 As the chase descended into the dystopian cityscape, the world came alive.
02:37 The lower levels were inundated with smog, aliens, and death-stick dealers.
02:42 What it amounted to was a neo-noir cityscape somewhere between Blade Runner and The Fifth
02:46 Element.
02:47 And you know what?
02:48 That was brilliant world-building.
02:49 8.
02:50 Winter Eve Pod Race – The Phantom Menace (Episode 1)
02:54 The Phantom Menace got quite the bad rep when it first released.
02:57 Sure, Jar Jar Binks was a character we could do without, but the CGI techniques used to
03:01 generate him were pretty impressive.
03:04 This will never be considered one of the highlights of Lucas' saga, but it still contained some
03:08 iconic moments, and the pod race sequence definitely is a top contender.
03:13 Race and chase sequences can oftentimes feel long-winded, bloated, and tiresome.
03:18 It's actually a mystery how the Fast and Furious franchises lasted so long, honestly.
03:21 But there was none of that with this scene.
03:23 You had moments of tension, exhilarating high-speed crashes, and character-based drama, all built
03:29 into nine minutes of adrenaline-fuelled excitement.
03:32 The nature of this scene gave the animators a huge advantage when it came to generating
03:36 the images.
03:37 The mere fact that everything happens at such high speed meant that a blurring effect could
03:41 be used to hide any sloppy animation.
03:43 And you know what?
03:44 It worked.
03:45 Despite being an engaging experience, this CGI sequence is up there with the best.
03:50 7.
03:51 The Battle of Scarif
03:52 Rogue One, A Star Wars Story
03:54 Rogue One not only has one of the strongest overall narratives out of all of the Star
03:58 Wars movies, but it's also the most visually stunning.
04:01 The CGI effects are simply luscious.
04:04 There are none of those rubbery textures that give you a really uncanny valley feeling,
04:08 and at no point does spectacle win out over the plot.
04:11 Director Gareth Edwards is first and foremost a visual effects artist, but he has such a
04:16 respect for narrative that at no point did he let himself get carried away.
04:20 Look at any of the CGI sequences in this movie, and you will not find a moment that's anything
04:24 less than gorgeous, and utterly integral to the plot.
04:27 From the antics of the sarcastic K2 to the destruction of Jedha, each moment is visual
04:32 storytelling perfection.
04:34 But it was the desperate battle above Scarif that really solidified this as one of the
04:38 most breathtaking films in the franchise.
04:40 The CGI ships and fighters look so real, it's hard to believe that they weren't actually
04:44 scale models.
04:45 Unused footage from the original trilogy was also spliced into these sequences, serving
04:49 as a wonderful homage to Lucas' original vision.
04:52 In terms of the greatest space battles ever put to the big screen, you would be hard pressed
04:56 to beat this one.
04:57 6.
04:58 The Hyper Space Ram - The Last Jedi
05:01 If the sequel trilogy will be remembered for anything, it will be all the moments that
05:05 were visually awe-inspiring while having zero emotional weight.
05:08 Vice Admiral Holdo's sacrifice to save the remnants of the Resistance was indeed a tragic
05:13 moment, but not because the audience felt touched by her bravery, but because a truly
05:17 breathtaking scene was wasted on a rather nonsensical plot point.
05:21 Holdo was a character the audiences never really grew attached to, neither did her decision
05:24 to hyperspace ram a ship make any logical sense in the world of Star Wars.
05:28 It's for that reason that this entry feels kind of like a controversial one.
05:32 The moment when thousands of light-speed particles dispersed through the Imperial fleet was perhaps
05:36 one of the most beautiful shots in the entire franchise.
05:39 It's just a shame that the iconic image does not reflect the emotional impact of that
05:44 scene.
05:45 This could have been a moment of visually heart-wrenching heroism if only the filmmakers
05:48 had utilized it properly.
05:49 Instead, they just awkwardly jammed an admittedly great concept into a very clunky plot.
05:54 5.
05:55 Snoke - The Last Jedi
05:57 There were many aspects of the sequel trilogy that were brilliant.
06:00 Initially, the characters were intriguing.
06:02 There was more reliance on practical effects, and CGI technology had advanced to the point
06:06 where almost anything could be created.
06:08 But it makes it all the more tragic, then, that this whole trilogy was just not as great
06:12 as the sum of its parts.
06:13 Snoke was a marvel in CGI.
06:16 Utilizing the industry's go-to motion capture performer Andy Serkis, the mysterious character
06:20 was a groundbreaking display of animation and an intriguing original villain.
06:25 But as we all know, he was rather underutilized.
06:27 If even half the effort put into making Snoke look as impressive as he does was put into
06:32 developing a character arc for him, well, maybe the sequel trilogy would have been received
06:36 far more favorably.
06:37 It truly is a shame that an artistic endeavor such as this ultimately went to waste, in
06:42 a trilogy that won't be remembered at all for its stunning visuals, but rather its lackluster
06:46 plot lines.
06:47 4.
06:48 Django Fett's Seismic Charge - Attack of the Clones, Episode 2
06:52 We've already touched on the slightly dated-looking CGI in the prequel movies, but certain scenes
06:56 still managed to wow audiences.
06:58 George Lucas really went to town when depicting space combat in these movies, because it was
07:03 the first time that he wasn't limited by technology when it came to telling a story.
07:06 Now, yeah, sure, certain CGI moments from the prequels look like shoddy cutscenes from
07:10 a half-decent PS2 game, but others still have all the visual impact required to sell a scene.
07:16 And really, that's all CGI should be used for.
07:18 You can get away with slightly less convincing special effects if they're being utilized
07:22 in a well-written and engaging scenario, and that is what this moment was.
07:26 With Obi-Wan hot on the heels of Django Fett, viewers were treated to a game of cat and
07:30 mouse in an asteroid field.
07:32 The delayed sound of Fett's seismic charge as it sent destructive waves through numerous
07:36 asteroids will forever remain a highlight of one of the, let's admit it, weaker movies
07:40 of the franchise.
07:41 3.
07:42 The Kessel Run - Solo, A Star Wars Story
07:46 In 2018, Star Wars finally demystified one of the most infamous legends in the franchise.
07:51 Han Solo's astrophysics-defying boast that he made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.
07:57 Now, as everyone no doubt is aware, when Harrison Ford said that infamous line back in 1977,
08:02 it made little sense.
08:04 A parsec is a unit of distance, not time.
08:06 Given the Kessel Run was a 20-parsec smuggling route, the more astute audience members were
08:10 left scratching their heads at Han Solo's claim.
08:13 The only conclusion was that George Lucas either used the term because it sounded cool
08:17 without any understanding of what it meant, or that Han Solo wasn't all that bright.
08:21 Well, we finally found out the answer to the mystery in Solo, A Star Wars Story.
08:26 By skirting a bunch of black holes, Solo essentially used the Millennium Falcon to travel through
08:30 time through the route.
08:32 With an Imperial Star Destroyer looming out of the gloom and numerous TIE fighters hot
08:35 on his tail, Solo managed to hop, skip, and jump his way through the route before coming
08:40 into contact with a Lovecraftian space beast.
08:42 It was simply brilliant.
08:44 Punch it, Chewy, indeed.
08:46 2.
08:47 The Battle of Kashyyyk – Revenge of the Sith, Episode 3
08:50 There's no doubt that CGI has come a long way since George Lucas released the prequels,
08:54 but if we're merely going to include sequences based on how they live up to the CGI of today,
08:58 then we'd be doing a disservice to some truly memorable moments of Star Wars.
09:02 These movies had a certain sheen to them, they didn't feel as gritty as the original
09:06 trilogy, and they felt almost cartoon-like compared to the sequels.
09:09 But aesthetically, that kind of works.
09:11 The prequels were set in a more idealised time in the Star Wars universe, a time when
09:15 the Empire hadn't cast its dark cloud over the galaxy quite yet, so it kind of makes
09:19 sense that everything looks a little polished.
09:21 The Battle of Kashyyyk would look out of place in one of the newer Star Wars movies, there's
09:25 no doubt about that.
09:26 But that still doesn't mean that this isn't a great CGI moment.
09:29 Within the context of the movie, it works perfectly, and was one of the more celebrated
09:33 depictions of the Clone Wars.
09:35 Who didn't love seeing Wookiee swinging from fluttercraft attaching bombs to droid
09:39 tanks?
09:40 No one.
09:41 1.
09:42 Grand Moff Tarkin – Rogue One, A Star Wars Story
09:45 This entry will again raise some eyebrows, because the depiction of actor Peter Cushion
09:49 of Tarkin was polarising to say the least.
09:51 And in fact, we've covered it many times on different lists as being some of the best
09:54 and worst moments of this film, so it's very confusing.
09:57 We're split down the middle.
09:59 Now Rogue One is easily in the top three Star Wars movies ever made, because it contained
10:03 everything we wanted.
10:04 It expanded on a significant moment of the originals, with a distinctly darker tone,
10:08 nuanced heroes and captivating visuals.
10:11 But one of its most visually impressive moments was also its most controversial.
10:15 The effectiveness of a fully CGI human character was somewhat hit and miss.
10:19 When it worked, it was nothing short of breathtaking, but when it didn't work, it was jarring.
10:24 It was all to do with the framing of the character.
10:26 CGI Tarkin worked when he was in the shadows, lurking like an ominous force of malice.
10:31 But when he was brought out into the light, and especially when shown next to real actors,
10:35 the illusion kind of fell apart.
10:36 It was certainly the most impressive advancement in computer-generated human characters that
10:40 we've seen so far, but maybe the filmmakers overplayed their hand.
10:44 There was also the ethical and moral implications of using the image of an actor who had already
10:48 been dead for decades.
10:50 Even with the express permission of the actor's estate, it was a bit uneasy to see a man resurrected
10:55 and trotted out on screen for entertainment purposes.
10:58 And there we go my friends, those were the 10 best CGI moments in Star Wars history.
11:01 I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in
11:04 the comments section below.
11:06 As always I've been Jules and you can go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJ but the
11:09 O is a zero and it'd be great to chat to you over there my friends.
11:13 But before I go I just want to say one thing, I hope you're treating yourself with love
11:16 and respect my friend because you deserve all of the best things in life alright?
11:19 I want you to look as good as some of these CGI moments, you are a massive ledge, now
11:23 go out there and absolutely smash it today, I believe in you.
11:27 As always I've been Jules, you have been awesome, never forget that, and I'll speak
11:30 to you soon, bye.