The Big Picture
Blue Beetle adopts a more realistic approach with practical effects and real locations, which adds to the immersive experience for audiences. The limited budget forced the team to be creative and find ways to stretch their budget, resulting in the use of practical effects and real locations. The movie industry’s overworking of VFX professionals has led to a decrease in the quality of visual effects, making movies like Blue Beetle with practical effects a refreshing change.
In a year in which the quality of special effects from blockbuster movies – especially superheroes – have been under fire, every movie that favors the use of real locations and practical effects is welcomed with open arms by audiences. Since DC’s track record hasn’t been the best lately, it’s a good thing that their new superhero Blue Beetle favors a more realistic approach whenever possible, as director Ángel Manuel Soto told Collider.
In an interview with our Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub, Soto commented that, in a way, having a limited budget allowed him to get creative with what he was going to do in terms of action sequences. Since Blue Beetle was originally slated to debut directly on Max, the movie didn’t get a massive budget, which translates to less money for expensive special effects. That’s why the team had to find ways around it:
“[W]e were able to be smart about how we handled our budget. That’s why we went practical, and that’s why we went to real locations. And oddly enough, that also makes it feel bigger and more immersed because even the third act takes place in a real fortress that’s 500 years old in Puerto Rico. That’s not like a green screen set, you know? So, being able to do that and see the magnificence of this building, how imposing it is, and being able to capture that and have fun with this adventure in it, it was a way for us to be able to stretch our budget in a way that kind of delivers on it, I guess.”
Superheroes and VFX: A Toxic Relationship
Even though Blue Beetle is obviously the kind of movie that needs a good number of special effects to be brought to life – the story centers around a boy who comes across a biotechnological relic that acts as a powerful and deadly suit – audiences can appreciate when a movie uses special effects to enhance how a scene looks or just for things that can’t be done practically, rather than just doing it all with computers.
A better look is something that fans are in dire need of lately. However, the decrease in the quality of visual effects has very serious roots: VFX professionals have been systematically overworked by the movie industry, and their horrible working conditions have pushed a great number of them to push for the creation of a union that represents them.
The cast of Blue Beetle features Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Susan Sarandon, Harvey Guillén, George Lopez, Adriana Barraza and Damian Alcázar.
Blue Beetle is now in theaters. For more watch our interview with Soto below.
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