10 Best CGI Moments In Star Wars History
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. With a
00:09 combination of practical effects, animatronics, and highly detailed models, however, he pulled
00:14 it off. 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. And although certain aspects of those movies definitely
00:25 look questionable, there are still moments that definitely hold up. When he used CGI well,
00:30 it resulted in some of the most immersive and iconic moments in cinema. And that's what we're
00:34 here to look at today. I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are the 10 best CGI
00:39 moments in Star Wars history. Number 10. The Battle over Coruscant. Revenge of the Sith,
00:45 Episode 3. The original Star Wars trilogy did wonders for the world of special effects. A
00:50 combination of animatronics and miniature scale models were used to depict the giant space battle
00:55 central to the plot. Although the various depictions of the tiny rebel fleet taking on
00:59 the Empire's monolithic space stations were captivating, Lucas was nevertheless limited
01:04 on what he could show. By the time that Revenge of the Sith rolled around, he finally had the means
01:09 to portray a high speed and complex space battle in a dynamic way. We had literally never seen
01:15 anything on this scale before. Utilizing his classic pan from space technique, Lucas revealed
01:20 a Republic star cruiser gracefully moving through space before he locks the camera onto two swooping
01:26 Jedi fighters. 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 reveal
01:37 the giant battleships turning their broadside blasters on one another. It was one hell of a
01:42 way to open up a movie. For all of the issues that the prequels had, this scene was definitely
01:46 not one of them. 9. Coruscant Night Chase - Attack of the Clones, Episode 2
01:52 Coruscant is one of the most fascinating places in the Star Wars universe. The planet-wide city
01:57 was only teased in The Phantom Menace with sweeping wide shots of the upper levels and
02:01 several interior scenes of the Jedi Temple. But with Attack of the Clones, however, the vast
02:05 expanse of the city's many levels was explored further. Although the CGI in this scene would
02:10 appear somewhat dated for a live-action film, it was definitely cutting-edge for 2002. Most
02:16 importantly, it created an immersive experience, as we saw two Jedi partake in a high-speed chase
02:22 to capture a mysterious bounty hunter. In terms of realism, this scene is somewhat lacking.
02:27 But there aren't many scenes that light a fire in your imagination quite like this. And really,
02:31 that's the purpose of CGI. As the chase descended into the dystopian cityscape, the world came
02:37 alive. The lower levels were inundated with smog, aliens, and death-stick dealers. What it amounted
02:43 to was a neo-noir cityscape somewhere between Blade Runner and The Fifth Element. And you know
02:47 what? That was brilliant world-building. 8. The Bunta Eve Pod Race - The Phantom Menace,
02:53 Episode 1 The Phantom Menace got quite the bad rep
02:56 when it first released. Sure, Jar Jar Binks was a character we could do without, but the CGI
03:01 techniques used to generate him were pretty impressive. This will never be considered one
03:05 of the highlights of Lucas' saga, but it still contained some iconic moments, and the pod race
03:10 sequence definitely is a top contender. Now, race and chase sequences can oftentimes feel
03:15 long-winded, bloated, and tiresome. It's actually a mystery how the Fast and Furious franchises
03:20 lasted so long, honestly. But there was none of that with this scene. You had moments of tension,
03:25 exhilarating high-speed crashes, and character-based drama, all built into 9 minutes of
03:30 adrenaline-fueled excitement. The nature of this scene gave the animators a huge advantage when it
03:35 came to generating the images. The mere fact that everything happens at such high speed meant that
03:40 a blurring effect could be used to hide any sloppy animation. And you know what? It worked. In terms
03:45 of being an engaging experience, this CGI sequence is up there with the best.
03:50 7. The Battle of Scarif - 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. 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. Director Gareth Edwards is first and
04:13 foremost a visual effects artist, but he has such a respect for narrative that at no point did he let
04:18 himself get carried away. Look at any of the CGI sequences in this movie, and you will not find a
04:23 moment that's anything less than gorgeous, and utterly integral to the plot. From the antics of
04:28 the sarcastic K2 to the destruction of Jedha, each moment is visual storytelling perfection.
04:34 But it was the desperate battle above Scarif that really solidified this as one of the most
04:38 breathtaking films in the franchise. The CGI ships and fighters look so real, it's hard to
04:43 believe that they weren't actually scale models. Unused footage from the original trilogy was also
04:47 spliced into the sequences, serving as a wonderful homage to Lucas' original vision. In terms of the
04:53 greatest space battles ever put to the big screen, you would be hard-pressed to beat this one.
04:57 6. 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 were
05:05 visually awe-inspiring while having zero emotional weight. Vice Admiral Holdo's sacrifice to save the
05:10 remnants of the Resistance was indeed a tragic moment, but not because the audience felt touched
05:15 by her bravery, but because a truly breathtaking scene was wasted on a rather nonsensical plot
05:20 point. Holdo was a character the audiences never really grew attached to, neither did her decision
05:25 to hyperspace ram a ship make any logical sense in the world of Star Wars. It's for that reason
05:30 that this entry feels kind of like a controversial one. The moment when thousands of light-speed
05:34 particles dispersed through the Imperial fleet was perhaps one of the most beautiful shots in
05:38 the entire franchise. It's just a shame that the iconic image does not reflect the emotional impact
05:43 of that scene. This could have been a moment of visually heart-wrenching heroism, if only
05:47 the filmmakers had utilized it properly. Instead, they just awkwardly jammed an admittedly great
05:52 concept into a very clunky plot. 5. Snoke - The Last Jedi
05:57 There were many aspects of the sequel trilogy that were brilliant. Initially,
06:01 the characters were intriguing, there was more reliance on practical effects,
06:04 and CGI technology had advanced to the point where almost anything could be created. But it makes it
06:08 all the more tragic, then, that this whole trilogy was just not as great as the sum of its parts.
06:13 Now, Snoke was a marvel in CGI. Utilizing the industry's go-to motion capture performer Andy
06:19 Serkis, the mysterious character was a groundbreaking display of animation and an
06:23 intriguing original villain. 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 far
06:36 more favorably. It truly is a shame that an artistic endeavor such as this ultimately went
06:41 to waste, in a trilogy that won't be remembered at all for its stunning visuals, but rather,
06:45 its lackluster plotlines. 4. Django Fett's Seismic Charge - Attack
06:50 of the Clones, Episode 2 We've already touched on the slightly dated
06:54 looking CGI in the prequel movies, but certain scenes still managed to wow audiences. George
06:59 Lucas really went to town when depicting space combat in these movies, because it was the first
07:03 time that he wasn't limited by technology when it came to telling a story. Sure, certain CGI
07:08 moments from the prequels look like shoddy cutscenes from a half-decent PS2 game, but others
07:12 still have all the visual impact required to sell a scene. And really, that's all CGI should be used
07:18 for. You can get away with slightly less convincing special effects if they're being utilized in a
07:22 well-written and engaging scenario, and that is what this moment was. With Obi-Wan hot on the
07:27 heels of Django Fett, viewers were treated to a game of cat and mouse in an asteroid field.
07:32 The delayed sound of Fett's seismic charge as it sent destructive waves through numerous asteroids
07:36 will forever remain a highlight of one of the, let's admit it, weaker movies of the franchise.
07:41 3. 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. A parsec is a unit of distance, not time. Given the Kessel Run was
08:07 a 20-parsec smuggling route, the more astute audience members were left scratching their
08:11 heads at Han Solo's claim. The only conclusion was that George Lucas either used the term because it
08:16 sounded cool 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. By skirting
08:26 a bunch of black holes, Solo essentially used the Millennium Falcon to travel through time
08:31 through the route. With an Imperial Star Destroyer looming out of the gloom and numerous
08:35 TIE fighters hot on his tail, Solo managed to hop, skip, and jump his way through the route
08:39 before coming into contact with a Lovecraftian space beast. It was simply brilliant. Punch it
08:45 chewy indeed. 2. The Battle of Kashyyyk - Revenge of the Sith
08:49 Episode 3 There's no doubt that CGI has come a long
08:52 way since George Lucas released the prequels, but if we're merely going to include sequences based
08:56 on how they live up to the CGI of today, then we'd be doing a disservice to some truly memorable
09:01 moments of Star Wars. These movies had a certain sheen to them, they didn't feel as gritty as the
09:05 original trilogy, and they felt almost cartoon-like compared to the sequels. But aesthetically, that
09:10 kind of works. The prequels were set in a more idealised time in the Star Wars universe, a time
09:15 when the Empire hadn't cast its dark cloud over the galaxy quite yet, so it kind of makes sense
09:20 that everything looks a little polished. The Battle of Kashyyyk would look out of place in
09:24 one of the newer Star Wars movies, there's no doubt about that, but that still doesn't mean
09:27 that this isn't a great CGI moment. Within the context of the movie, it works perfectly, and was
09:32 one of the more celebrated depictions of the Clone Wars. Who didn't love seeing Wookiee swinging from
09:37 Fluttercraft attaching bombs to droid tanks? No one.
09:40 1. 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 of Tarkin
09:49 was polarising to say the least. And in fact, we've covered it many times on different lists
09:54 as being some of the best and worst moments of this film, so it's very confusing, we're split
09:58 down the middle. Now, Rogue One is easily in the top three Star Wars movies ever made. Because it
10:02 contained everything we wanted, it expanded on a significant moment of the originals, with a
10:07 distinctly darker tone, nuanced heroes, and captivating visuals. But one of its most visually
10:12 impressive moments was also its most controversial. The effectiveness of a fully CGI human character
10:18 was somewhat hit and miss. When it worked, it was nothing short of breathtaking, but when it
10:22 didn't work, it was jarring. It was all to do with the framing of the character. CGI Tarkin worked
10:28 when he was in the shadows, lurking like an ominous force of malice. But when he was brought
10:32 out into the light, and especially when shown next to real actors, the illusion kind of fell apart.
10:36 It was certainly the most impressive advancement in computer-generated human characters that we've
10:41 seen so far, but maybe the filmmakers overplayed their hand. There was also the ethical and moral
10:46 implications of using the image of an actor who had already been dead for decades. Even with the
10:50 express permission of the actor's estate, it was a bit uneasy to see a man resurrected and trotted
10:55 out on screen for entertainment purposes. And there we go, my friends. Those were the 10 best
11:00 CGI moments in Star Wars history. I hope that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you
11:04 thought about it down in the comments section below. As always, I've been Jules, and you can
11:07 go follow me over on Twitter @RetroJ, but the O is a zero, and it'd be great to chat to you over
11:12 there, my friends. But before I go, I just want to say one thing. Hope you're treating yourself with
11:16 love and respect, my friend, because you deserve all of the best things in life, all right? I want
11:19 you to look as good as some of these CGI moments. You are a massive ledge. Now go out there and
11:24 absolutely smash it today. I believe in you. As always, I've been Jules. You have been awesome.
11:29 Never forget that. I'll speak to you soon. Bye.