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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
01:09to portray 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
01:20Republic star cruiser gracefully moving through space, before he locks the camera onto two swooping
01:26Jedi fighters. With dynamic dogfights happening in between huge cruisers, the scope was vast. Sometimes
01:33the camera zeroed 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. For
01:43all of the
01:44issues 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
01:57only teased in The Phantom Menace, with sweeping wide shots of the upper levels and several interior
02:02scenes of the Jedi Temple. But with Attack of the Clones, however, the vast expanse of the city's
02:06many levels was explored further. Although the CGI in this scene would appear somewhat dated for a live-action
02:12film, it was definitely cutting-edge for 2002. Most importantly, it created an immersive experience,
02:19as we saw two Jedi partake in a high-speed chase to capture a mysterious bounty hunter.
02:24Now, in terms of realism, this scene is somewhat lacking. But there aren't many scenes that light a
02:28fire in your 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
02:54Now, The 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
03:18how the Fast and Furious franchise has lasted so long, honestly. But there was none of that
03:22with this scene. You had moments of tension, exhilarating high-speed crashes, and character-based
03:28drama all built into nine minutes of adrenaline-fueled excitement. The nature of this scene gave the
03:33animators a huge advantage when it came to generating the images. The mere fact that
03:38everything happens at such high speed meant that a blurring effect could be used to hide any sloppy
03:42animation. And you know what? It worked. In terms of being an engaging experience, this CGI sequence
03:48is up there with the best. 7. 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
04:09spectacle win out over the plot. Director Gareth Edwards is first and foremost a visual effects
04:14artist, but he has such a respect for narrative that at no point did he let himself get carried
04:19away. Look 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
04:39franchise. The CGI ships and fighters look so real, it's hard to believe that they weren't
04:44actually scale models. Unused 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
04:54ever put to the big screen, you would be hard-pressed to beat this one.
04:576. The Hyperspace Ram – The Last Jedi
05:00If 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's sacrifice to save the
05:11remnants of the Resistance was indeed a tragic moment, but not because the audience felt touched
05:15by her bravery, but because a truly breathtaking scene was wasted on a rather nonsensical plot point.
05:20Holdo was a character the audiences never really grew attached to, neither did her decision to
05:25hyperspace ram a ship make any logical sense in the world of Star Wars. It's for that reason that this
05:30entry feels kind of like a controversial one. The moment when thousands of lightspeed particles
05:34dispersed through the Imperial fleet was perhaps one of the most beautiful shots in the entire
05:38franchise. It's just a shame that the iconic image does not reflect the emotional impact of that scene.
05:44This could have been a moment of visually heart-wrenching heroism, if only the filmmakers
05:48had utilized it properly. Instead, they just awkwardly jammed an admittedly great concept
05:52into a very clunky plot.
05:545. Snoke – The Last Jedi
05:57There were many aspects of the sequel trilogy that were brilliant. Initially, the characters
06:01were intriguing, there was more reliance on practical effects, and CGI technology had advanced
06:06to the point 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. Now, Snoke was a marvel
06:15in CGI. Utilizing the industry's go-to motion capture performer Andy Serkis, the mysterious
06:20character was a groundbreaking display of animation and an intriguing original villain. But as we
06:25all know, he was rather underutilized. If even half the effort put into making Snoke look as
06:30impressive as he does was put into developing a character arc for him, well, maybe the sequel
06:35trilogy would have been received far more favorably. It truly is a shame that an artistic endeavor
06:39such as this ultimately went to waste, in a trilogy that won't be remembered at all
06:44for its stunning visuals, but rather its lackluster plotlines.
06:474. Jango Fett's Seismic Charge – Attack of the Clones – Episode 2
06:51We've already touched on the slightly dated-looking CGI in the prequel movies, but certain scenes
06:56still manage to wow audiences. George Lucas really went to town when depicting space combat
07:01in these movies, because it was his first time that he wasn't limited by technology when
07:05it came to telling a story.
07:06Now, yeah, sure, certain CGI moments from the prequels look like shoddy cutscenes from
07:10a half-decent PS2 game, but others still have all the visual impact required to sell a scene.
07:16And really, that's all CGI should be used for. You can get away with slightly less convincing
07:20special effects if they're being utilized in a well-written and engaging scenario, and
07:24that is what this moment was. With Obi-Wan hot on the heels of Jango Fett, viewers were treated
07:29to 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
07:39one of 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 that Kessel Run was
08:07a 20 parsec smuggling route, the more astute audience members were left scratching their
08:11heads at Han Solo's claim. The only conclusion was that George Lucas either used the term because
08:16it sounded 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 through time
08:30through 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 it,
08:45Chewie, 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
09:33more celebrated depictions of the Clone Wars. Who didn't love seeing Wookiee swinging from
09:37Fluttercraft attaching 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. But when he was
10:32brought out into the light, and especially when shown next to real actors, the illusion kind of fell
10:36apart. It was certainly the most impressive advancement in computer-generated human characters
10:40that we've seen so far, but maybe the filmmakers overplayed their hand. There was also the ethical
10:45and moral implications of using the image of an actor who had already been dead for decades.
10:50Even with the express permission of the actor's estate, it was a bit uneasy to see a man resurrected
10:55and trotted out on screen for entertainment purposes.
10:58And there we go, my friends. Those were the 10 best CGI moments in Star Wars history. I hope that
11:02you
11:02enjoyed that, and please let me know what you thought about it down in the comments section below.
11:06As always, I've been Jules, and you can go follow me over on Twitter at RetroJ, but the O is
11:10a zero,
11:11and it'd be great to chat to you over there, my friends. But before I go, I just want to
11:14say one
11:14thing. Hope you're treating yourself with love and respect, my friend, because you deserve all of the
11:18best things in life, alright? I want you to look as good as some of these CGI moments. You are
11:22a
11:22massive ledge. Now go out there and absolutely smash it today. I believe in you. As always,
11:27I've been Jules. You have been awesome. Never forget that. I'll speak to you soon. Bye.
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