Top 10 Awesome Movie Scenes Ruined By Terrible Effects

Nothing ruins a fantastic scene faster than awful visuals. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 10 Awesome Movie Moments Ruined by Terrible Effects.

For this list, we’ll be looking at times where bad special effects distracted audiences from great scenes. We’re not saying the movies on this list are great, or that the CGI is awful throughout. This list is just focused on the times where awful CGI brought down scenes that should've been awesome.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
When the massive oliphaunts entered the Battle of Pelennor Fields, they looked and felt like real threats. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Orlando Bloom’s Legolas when he encountered them. The elf decides the best and coolest way to take the Oliphaunt down is by scaling it solo and shooting its neck. But as Legolas climbs, his body awkwardly switches between Bloom and an unnaturally smooth CGI clone. The CGI elf doesn't look as detailed as the oliphaunt he's climbing on. As a result, Legolas ironically feels faker than the entirely computer-generated creature. Now don’t get us wrong. Legolas did an amazing job taking on the oliphaunt. We just wish the visuals here were as impressive as his feat.

“Wonder Woman” (2017)
In 2017’s Wonder Woman, our heroine wants nothing more than to kill Ares, the God of War. When the two first clashed, the fight looked like it would live up to the hype. But everything changed when Ares covered himself in CGI metal. The resulting armor lacked color and distinctive features. This made it hard to spot Ares’ body against the already dark background. Unfortunately, audiences could see actor David Thewlis’ face peeking out from underneath the armor. Instead of looking intimidating, the human face among the dark CGI made Ares look ridiculous. What should have been an epic showdown between gods became a struggle for the audience to take Ares seriously.

“The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug” (2013)
An escape scene is only great if audiences believe someone is in danger. If a movie doesn't make the action feel threatening, you end up with something like the barrel scene in “The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug”. During the film, Bilbo and his allies have to escape from a ton of enemies by riding in barrels down a fast-flowing river. The excitement of the scene disappeared when the powerful and detailed rapids suddenly became a cheap stream of bland CGI. But the inconsistent scenery wasn't the only bad effect. The orcs, dwarves and elves all switched between actual actors and unconvincing CGI at random moments. Since nothing in the scene felt totally real, it was hard to be thrilled by their watery escape.

“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
“Avengers Infinity War” was full of seamless visual effects. But there were also places where the CGI was so obvious that it was distracting. When hope looked lost during the battle of Wakanda, Thor made an epic entrance. But we were completely taken out of the moment’s gravitas when Bruce Banner took off his CG Hulkbuster helmet. His head looked like it was floating above the big armor. It gave the impression that Banner was Photoshopped into the Hulkbuster at the last second. This effect is especially disappointing when you consider that characters like Iron Man looked fantastic while wearing a CGI suit... and he was in the same movie. We shouldn’t have been distracted by Banner’s floating head during Thor’s tremendous save.

“King Kong” (2005)
Whenever audiences are taken to Skull Island, they look forward to seeing both King Kong and the awesome dinosaurs he shares the island with. While Kong looked great, the dinosaurs fell short in a major scene. During the 2005 film, a rescue party gets caught up in a prehistoric stampede. The photorealistic dinosaurs just don’t look like they’re sharing space with the human characters. This visual disconnect makes it obvious the actors are running in front of a green screen. It was hard enough to buy that Jack Black’s character could outrun dinosaurs while carrying camera equipment. The poor visuals ensured this tense stampede was impossible to take seriously.

“The Matrix Reloaded” (2003)
During “The Matrix Reloaded”, the sinister agent Smith attacks Neo with an army of clones. When the fight begins, the combination of seamless CGI, practical effects and fight choreography looked incredible. But that changed when Neo inexplicably became smooth and rubbery in the middle of the fight. The hard impacts of the practical stunts were tossed aside so that he could perform absurd physics defying feats. We could almost accept this if the movie didn't continually switch between the live-action Neo and his rubbery counterpart at random points. The clash between “the One” and Agent Smith was fantastic before it made its awkward transition to a CGI Neo. Can we take the blue pill and forget the second half of the fight?

“X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (2009)
If you’re making a Wolverine movie, you have to get a few things right. He must be from Canada, he has to fight someone, and his claws should look badass. Unfortunately, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” couldn’t pull off the latter. After Logan gets his bone claws covered in the metal adamantium, he closely inspects them. His new claws looked like a rough test render instead of the final effect. The lighting on them is too shiny to realistically blend into the scene. They also lacked enough detail to look sharp. Logan’s claws looked a hundred times better in the first X-Men. Since that film came out a full nine years before this Wolverine prequel, the visual effects team should’ve been able to present much better claws.

“Black Panther” (2018)
The first fight between Killmonger and Black Panther was a hard hitting and tightly choreographed match that relied on practical stunt work. So, when they clashed again at the movie’s climax, we were ready for another epic bout. Unfortunately, the rematch stepped away from what made their first fight so great. Kilmonger and Black Panther both wore full body cgi suits that seemed to make them weightless. As a result, their blows felt less impactful. And when a vibranium train caused their suits to start failing, the CGI’s lighting and textures failed to look convincing. These subpar effects distracted from the excellent music, dialogue and weight of the scene. Frankly, a movie as excellent as “Black Panther” deserved much better.

“The Mummy Returns” (2001)
Scorpion King’s debut should’ve been intimidating. Not only was he feared by the terrifying Imhotep, but he was played by an absolutely shredded Dwayne Johnson. When the Scorpion King finally appeared, the audience was stunned into silence... by how terrible he looked. An awful sketch of the Rock’s face was pasted onto a terribly rendered scorpion body. The resulting combination looks far too awkward and disjointed to be terrifying. And the closer the camera gets, the smoother and faker he looks. As it is, the movie’s version of Scorpion King’s looks less intimidating than his Playstation 2 video game counterpart. In fact, you’d be better off playing the game than watching this disappointing scene.

Before we look away from our top pick, here are a few dishonorable mentions.

Needlessly Remastered Jabba the Hutt
“Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977)
Because the Original Puppet Looked Better

Clu’s Unsettling Debut
“Tron: Legacy” (2010)
Because His Face Was a Uncanny Valley Version of Jeff Bridges

Grawp’s Groan-worthy Introduction
“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (2007)
Because Hagrid’s Giant Brother Looked Like a Troll

Voldemort Unveiled
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone” (2001)
Because Voldemort’s Disgusting Face Should’ve Stayed Hidden

Bond Surfs a Terrible Tidal Wave
“Die Another Day” (2002)
Because the Wave Looked Worse Than a '90s Screensaver

“Robocop” (1987)
Most of the violence in “Robocop” is achieved through practical effects. As a result, every gun shot and injury felt real. But realism was literally tossed out the window near the end of the film. After the slimy executive Dick Jones takes a co-worker hostage, Robocop shoots him until he falls out of a window. As Jones falls, his arms and legs stretch out like he’s Mr. Fantastic. His face and clothes also appear discolored. And to top it all off, his body starts to blink out of existence before it hits the ground. Maybe the filmmakers thought the shot would go by too fast for audiences to notice. Unfortunately, we can't look away from the spotty CGI that ruined a great villain's demise.