Visual Effects Magic: Before and After

Even better than weight loss comparisons are before and after visual effects shots. Of course, weight loss might also just be VFX.

These have been culled from around the internet. Plenty to chose from. Great selections can be found here, here, and here, for starters.

I wanted to assemble a bunch in one spot.

I've always found movie magic fascinating. It's astonishing how little is real, and it must be a strain for some actors. A vivid imagination and a child like sense of play will be essential for actors in the future.

Think of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Angelina Jolie and Jude Law excelled when planted in CGI environments, but Paltrow struggled. She's great opposite real people, but against imaginary elements, she wasn't convincing. At least in that early go around. She's better in Iron Man.

The opening sequence from The Walking Dead. The guy isn't even on a highway.

I'd expected much of Gravity to be CGI, but honestly, I thought she'd at least have a full spacesuit, even if sans face plate. The helmet isn't real, and neither, it seems, is the rest of her suit.

Of course, you expect a lot of fantasy films to be CGI. And they are. From Lord of the Rings to Game of Thrones, most of it ain't real. It's (green screen) magic:

Same goes for sci-fi:

But so is most of The Great Gatsby:

Period pieces like Boardwalk Empire also indulge in a good deal of digital fakery:

It makes dangerous stunts much easier to pull off:

And weird creatures become possible:

Although the blue stuffed toy gives The Life of Pi an even more interesting psychological twist, as a descent into madness.

Most of the shots are of vast, outlandish vistas. Yet some are mundane, and you'd never guess they were effects shots. These days, it's more economical to do CGI than go on location. Partial sets filled out by CGI are the order of the day. 

I'd never have guessed he wasn't even wearing a super suit. They're performing in their pajamas. Marlon Brando would have loved this.

Bored Panda, Design Taxi, Business Insider, and Yellow Trace have lots of pics. Find more here, here, here, here, and here.