The realization that “The Chronicles of Narnia” was actually written and published in the 1950s, shows how advanced and deep C.S. Lewis’ thoughts were. He was a genius, a man ahead of his time, and his book sold over 100 million copies worldwide. It would be really unfortunate if such work was ruined by poor filming techniques as it was adapted into film.
There is no doubt that the main challenge in filming the world of Narnia lay in the reproduction of his vision. Not only was it necessary to recreate the world of Narnia as conceptualized by C.S. Lewis, but it must also have the overall feel suited to the story’s theme.
The Matrix
The idea of watching Keanu Reeves playing the role of Neo, a protagonist who was a cyber-criminal, fighting the forces involved in enslaving humanity inside a complex virtual reality system should make sci-fi fans drool… Until that is, they find out what the set of the film really looks like.
Considering that the production was always going to heavily involve CGI technology, the warehouse where the set was based on should be quite bare. Well, they still used green screens, but other than that, most of what Neo kicked, evaded, or broke, was pretty much imaginary. "The Matrix" still rocks though more than two decades later.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
"The Hunger Games" franchise showed us how difficult it is to escape from the nation of Panem. When it comes to the character of the young and beautiful Katniss Everdeen (played by the brilliant Jennifer Lawrence), there was nothing she tried that allowed her to evade the watchful eyes of its totalitarian government.
The fantastical clock-inspired games arena required a ton of green screen work and special effects to bring it to life. The filmmakers had to portray tsunamis, Jabberjays, and red rain, so it's no wonder special effects were relied upon! And the special effects only got more sophisticated with each entry to the franchise.
The Wolverine
Hugh Jackman captured our imagination when he played the role of Wolverine across multiple "X-Men" films. Where, at first, we doubted his character for having to fight all his enemies with only his three retractable claws. But Jackman played it so well that he has fans worldwide convinced these days.
This picture here shows CGI edits that were made to make him appear wounded. The clever technology would have to heal that wound, too, since Wolverine has a regenerative ability. But that's not all. The special effects team also had to highlight his enhanced physique and abilities, as well as his keen senses.
Avengers: Endgame
Bruce Banner doesn’t want to be angry and be turned into the angry Hulk. Maybe he wishes he could just play it cool most of the time, like Captain America, and Thor, but it’s simply not in his genes anymore, we guess. And the real actors behind them are also tasked a bit unfairly.
Like, Mark Ruffalo, who needs to go fit into his huge costume every time Banner is turned into an eight-foot-tall green monster that weighs a stunning 1,400 pounds. Isn’t it a much busier role compared to the rest of the Avengers? Even if he doesn’t have to fit into his costume sometimes, he still looks awkward in a CGI suit compared to the rest of them.