So far, 2017 has been a banner year for superhero films with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Wonder Woman both getting positive reviews and doing serious work at the box office. But we can't forget the gem that is Logan, which came out earlier in the year and garnered widespread acclaim for its direction, performances, and how it bucks the trend of comic book movies. But the VFX of the film are also worthy of praise; Hugh Jackman wasn't actually cutting off limbs and faces. Watch this video breakdown that shows off the deceptively good video effects of Logan.
Rising Sun Pictures did some of the video effects work for The Wolverine and they were once again called upon to work on the follow-up, Logan. While the film was much more down to earth than most other comic book movies, that doesn't mean it didn't need to utilize a lot of technical wizardry. Rising Sun Pictures worked on some 230 shots for Logan with work that ranged from animating Wolverine's famous claws, to creating blood and gore effects, to simply adding objects to the background. The video lays out how the team constructed some of the biggest scenes in the movie, starting with, well, the beginning.
The opening limousine fight set the tone for the violence and brutality of the film. As the video demonstrates, Rising Sun was responsible for creating that violence, through the use of adding blood and removing the limbs of the poor guys who crossed an angry Wolverine. The breakdown shows step by step how the company layered effects to make the scene happen. Occasionally, they would have to move Logan's arms and fists to make the shot work, while matching up the positioning of his claws with that of the actors. The R-rating also allowed them more creative freedom to lean into the stabbing action.
According to VFX Supervisor Dennis Jones, the most challenging sequence creatively was the hotel room sequence where Charles Xavier unleashes an uncontrollable psionic blast. There were no clean takes due to how it was shot, so they weren't pleased with their initial attempts. After trial and error, they found the right combination of effects, creating one of the most visually arresting sequences of the film.
People tend to complain about an overabundance of CGI, but that's because we only see bad CGI. Good CGI is near invisible in the movie, as this breakdown showcases. Rising Sun added a whole highway to one scene, but you wouldn't know it by watching the movie. It's just another thing Logan can add to its "Why it's so great" list.
If this video made you feel like revisiting the movie, Logan is currently out on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital release.
