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,
00:05he 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
00:24definitely look questionable, there are still moments that definitely hold up. When he used
00:29CGI well, it resulted in some of the most immersive and iconic moments in cinema. And that's what we're
00:34here to look at today. As I'm Jules, this is WhatCulture.com, and these are the 10 best CGI
00:39moments in Star Wars history. 10. The Battle Over Coruscant
00:44Revenge of the Sith, Episode 3 The original Star Wars trilogy did wonders for the world of special
00:50effects. A combination of animatronics and miniature-scale models were used to depict the
00:54giant space battles central to the plot. Although the various depictions of the tiny rebel fleet
00:59taking on the 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 means to
01:09portray a high-speed and complex space battle in a dynamic way. We had literally never seen anything
01:15on this scale before. Utilizing his classic pan-from-space technique, Lucas revealed a Republic
01:21star cruiser gracefully moving through space, before he locks the camera onto two swooping Jedi fighters.
01:27With dynamic dogfights happening in between huge cruisers, the scope was vast. Sometimes the camera
01:33zeroed in on tiny buzz droids, and other times it panned wide to reveal the giant battleships
01:38turning their broadside blasters on one another. It was one hell of a way to open up a movie.
01:43For all of the issues that the prequels had, this scene was definitely not one of them.
01:489. 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 was only
01:57teased in The Phantom Menace, with sweeping wide shots of the upper levels and several interior scenes
02:02of the Jedi Temple. But, with Attack of the Clones, however, the vast expanse of the city's many
02:07levels was explored further. Although the CGI in this scene would appear somewhat dated for a live
02:12action film, it was definitely cutting edge for 2002. Most importantly, it created an immersive
02:18experience, as we saw two Jedi partake in a high-speed chase to capture a mysterious bounty hunter.
02:24In terms of realism, this scene is somewhat lacking. But there aren't many scenes that light a fire in
02:29your imagination quite like this. And really, that's the purpose of CGI. As the chase descended
02:34into the dystopian cityscape, the world came alive. The lower levels were inundated with smog,
02:40aliens, and deathstick dealers. What it amounted to was a neo-noir cityscape somewhere between
02:45Blade Runner and The Fifth Element. And you know what? That was brilliant world-building.
02:508. The Bunta Eve Pod Race, The Phantom Menace, Episode 1
02:54The Phantom Menace got quite the bad rep when it first released. Sure, Jar Jar Binks was a character
02:59we could do without, but the CGI techniques used to generate him were pretty impressive.
03:04This will never be considered one of the highlights of Lucas' saga, though, but it still contains some
03:08iconic moments, and the Pod Race sequence definitely is a top contender. Now, race and
03:14chase sequences can oftentimes feel long-winded, bloated, and tiresome. It's actually a mystery how the
03:19Fast and Furious franchise has lasted so long, honestly. But there was none of that with this scene.
03:23You had moments of tension, exhilarating high-speed crashes, and character-based drama all built into
03:29nine minutes of adrenaline-fuelled excitement. The nature of this scene gave the animators a huge
03:34advantage when it came to generating the images. The mere fact that everything happens at such high
03:39speed meant that a blurring effect could be used to hide any sloppy animation. And you know what?
03:44It worked. In terms of 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 movies,
03:59but it's also the most visually stunning. The CGI effects are simply luscious. There are none of
04:05those rubbery textures that give you a really uncanny valley feeling, and at no point does spectacle win
04:10out over the plot. Director Gareth Edwards is first and foremost a visual effects artist,
04:15but he has such a respect for narrative that at no point did he let himself get carried away.
04:20Look at any of the CGI sequences in this movie, and you will not find a moment that's anything
04:24less than gorgeous, and utterly integral to the plot. From the antics of the sarcastic K-2 to the
04:30destruction of Jeddah, each moment is visual storytelling perfection. But it was the desperate
04:35battle above Scarif that really solidified this as one of the most breathtaking films in the franchise.
04:40The CGI ships and fighters look so real, it's hard to believe that they weren't actually scale models.
04:45Unused footage from the original trilogy was also spliced into the sequences,
04:49serving as a wonderful homage to Lucas' original vision. In terms of the greatest space battles ever
04:54put to the big screen, you would be hard-pressed to beat this one.
04:576. The Hyper Space 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
05:09sacrificed to save the remnants of the Resistance was indeed a tragic moment, but not because the
05:14audience felt touched by her bravery, but because a truly breathtaking scene was wasted
05:18on a rather nonsensical plot point. Holdo was a character the audiences never really grew
05:23attached to, neither did her decision to hyperspace ram a ship make any logical sense in the world
05:28of Star 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 fleet
05:36was perhaps one of the most beautiful shots in the entire franchise. It's just a shame that the
05:40iconic image does not reflect the emotional impact of that scene. This could have been a moment of
05:45visually heart-wrenching heroism, if only the filmmakers had utilized it properly. Instead,
05:50they just awkwardly jammed an admittedly great concept into a very clunky plot.
05:555. Snoke – The Last Jedi
05:57There were many aspects of the sequel trilogy that were brilliant. Initially, the characters were
06:01intriguing. There was more reliance on practical effects, and CGI technology had advanced to the
06:06point where almost anything could be created. But it makes it all the more tragic, then,
06:10that this whole trilogy was just not as great as the sum of its parts.
06:13Now, Snoke 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 intriguing original
06:24villain. But as we all know, he was rather underutilized. If even half the effort put into
06:29making Snoke look as impressive as he does, was put into developing a character arc for him,
06:34well, maybe the sequel trilogy would have been received far more favorably. It truly is a shame
06:38that an artistic endeavor such as this ultimately went to waste, in a trilogy that won't be remembered
06:43at all for its stunning visuals, but rather its lackluster plotlines.
06:474. Jango Fett's Seismic Charge – Attack of the Clones – Episode 2
06:52Now, we've already touched on the slightly dated-looking CGI in the prequel movies,
06:56but certain scenes still managed to wow audiences. George Lucas really went to town when depicting
07:01space combat in these movies, because it was his first time that he wasn't limited by technology
07:05when it came to telling a story. Now, yeah, sure, certain CGI moments from the prequels look like
07:09shoddy cutscenes from a half-decent PS2 game, but others still have all the visual impact required to
07:14sell a scene. And really, that's all CGI should be used for. You can get away with slightly less
07:19convincing special effects if they're being utilized in a well-written and engaging scenario,
07:24and that is what this moment was. With Obi-Wan hot on the heels of Jango Fett, viewers were
07:29treated to a game of cat and mouse in an asteroid field. The delayed sound of Fett's seismic charge
07:34as it sent destructive waves through numerous asteroids will forever remain a highlight of one
07:39of 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 boasts 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 a
08:0720 parsec smuggling route, the more astute audience members were left scratching their heads
08:12at 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.
08:26By skirting a bunch of black holes, Solo essentially used the Millennium Falcon to travel
08:30through time through the route. With an Imperial Star Destroyer looming out of the gloom and numerous
08:35TIE fighters hot on his tail, Solo managed to hop, skip, and jump his way through the route
08:39before coming into contact with a Lovecraftian space beast. It was simply brilliant. Punch
08:45it, 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.
09:02Now, these 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 idealized 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
09:20looked a little polished. Now, the Battle of Kashyyyk would look out of place in one of the
09:24newer Star Wars movies, there's no doubt about that. But that still doesn't mean that this isn't
09:28a great CGI moment. Within the context of the movie, it works perfectly, and was one of the more
09:33celebrated depictions of the Clone Wars, who didn't love seeing Wookiee swinging from fluttercraft
09:38attaching bombs to droid tanks. No one.
09:401. Grand Moff Tarkin – Rogue One – A Star Wars Story
09:44Now, this entry will again raise some eyebrows, because the depiction of actor Peter Cushion
09:49of Tarkin was polarizing, to say the least. And in fact, we've covered it many times on
09:53different lists as being some of the best and worst moments of this film, so it's very confusing.
09:58We're split down the middle. Now, Rogue One is easily in the top three Star Wars movies ever made,
10:02because it contained everything we wanted. It expanded on a significant moment of the originals,
10:07with a distinctly darker tone, nuanced heroes, and captivating visuals. But one of its most
10:12visually impressive moments was also its most controversial. The effectiveness of a fully
10:16CGI human character was somewhat hit and miss. When it worked, it was nothing short of breathtaking,
10:22but when it didn't work, it 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,
10:31but when 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-generated
10:40human 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, it was a bit
10:53uneasy to see a man resurrected and trotted out on screen for entertainment purposes.
10:57And there we go, my friends. Those were the 10 best CGI moments in Star Wars history. I hope
11:02that you enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in the comments
11:05section below. As always, I've been Jules, and you can go follow me over on Twitter at
11:08RetroJ, but the O is a zero, and it'd be great to chat to you over there, my friends.
11:13But before I go, I just want to say one thing. Hope you're treating yourself with love and respect,
11:17my friend, because you deserve all of the best things in life, alright? I want you to look as good
11:20as some of these CGI moments. You are a massive ledge. Now go out there and absolutely smash it today.
11:26I believe in you. As always, I've been Jules, you have been awesome. Never forget that.
11:30I'll speak to you soon. Bye.