The Suicide Squad Director James Gunn Weighs in on Practical vs. CGI Debate, Addresses Quentin Tarantino Quote

09/10/2021 03:35 pm EDT

James Gunn's latest movie, The Suicide Squad, left HBO Max this week but it will soon be available for home viewing once again with Gunn teasing that the Blu-ray will feature "lots of cool extras." The new DC movie recently came up in a Twitter thread thanks to an article by Slate's Sam Adams, which was about Spider-Man 2 being "the first great movie about Sept. 11." On Twitter, someone quoted Quentin Tarantino in the comments, and it sparked a debate about practical effects vs. CGI, and Gunn ended up weighing in.

"Lots of thoughts about Spider-Man 2 that didn't fit in this piece, among them how CGI crowd scenes have ruined superhero movies. The New Yorkers running from Doc Ock's rampage are real, and that reflects the way the movie cares about them, not just as adjuncts to Peter's arc," Adams tweeted. "Breaking up my own thread to point out one laudable exception to the CG-crowds trend: @JamesGunn's THE SUICIDE SQUAD." That's when @OliverGoldie1 replied, "As Tarantino said, use CGI for stuff that's impossible otherwise (Starro, the T-1000) and keep explosions, car crashes, crowds etc practical. Some say the future of movies is actors in green bodysuits in front of green screens, and CGI everything in later. I find that terrifying." Here's what Gunn said in the comments:

"I agree with Quentin generally, but I'm not sure what he means here by 'impossible.' Is it impossible because it can't be done? Is it impossible because it's too expensive to do it otherwise? Is it impossible because the filmmakers didn't properly plan & have no choice but CGI?," Gunn asked. "For me, the decision between CG or practical or (my favorite) a combo comes down to A) What looks best? and B) What's physically or financially possible? Many set extensions COULD be done physically but it would be financially draining & it's something CGI artists have mastered," he added. "Likewise, a talking raccoon COULD be a puppet, but we'd be aware of its puppetness throughout the film - maybe that's a part of the feel you're going for - or maybe it isn't, and, if it isn't, CGI is the way to go. But some things are continuously done as CGI effects that shouldn't be unless necessary - the two biggest offenders are blood spurts & explosions. For whatever reason, CG artists have not yet mastered either of these effects, & they're largely used because of ease."

Gunn continued, "Many people in the comments seem to be taking this as me disagreeing with Quentin, when in fact I'm agreeing with him 100%, I'm just trying to define what was quoted to me, & share my views on the practical vs CGI debate, which is regularly over-simplified by Twitter users. The truth is there's no perfect formula for when is best to use practical or CG effects - every situation is unique & you need to decide what looks best & what is possible for your production. I only implore filmmakers not to use CGI because of laziness, as that's often the case." You can view the whole thread below:

What are your thoughts on the practical effects vs. CGI debate? Tell us in the comments! 

The Suicide Squad is being released on Blu-ray and DVD on October 25th. 

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