Season 2 – Light & Magic

Audience Reviews

View More

Noah S. @Noah2002 Jul 7 What’s probably more interesting than the movie itself is how it’s made. This is why movies feel special. See more Mark W May 2 This season was directed by a former employee of ILM, interviewing current employees of ILM, and airing on a channel run by the same company that owns ILM. So it's really too much to expect it to be completely impartial about ILM, although it does at least acknowledge there are people who aren't fans of their work on the Star Wars prequels. While I loved the first season of the show, for me the second season shows how the art of SFX began a descent into the dark side. CGI is just like any other tool a filmmaker uses; it can be used well (Jurassic Park, Terminator 2) or it can be used badly (The Phantom Menace.) What was once a quest for innovation curdled into cutting corners, as Lucas began demanding that he be able to fill practically every shot of a movie with CGI with a strictly limited budget. He saw CGI as a way he could become the ultimate director, and be able to ignore everyone else. There's even a scene that shows him asking his special effects team to move actors around in a scene that he had already shot. Even the one real element in a shot, the actors themselves, just became more digital real estate to be manipulated. CGI is always more technically sophisticated than analog or practical effects. But that doesn't automatically mean it always looks better, a lesson I believe Hollywood is finally learning. The series doesn't talk about how George Lucas' increasing creative bankruptcy and demand for loyalty drove away talented partners like Gary Kurtz, leaving only people who were afraid to tell Lucas anything contradictory. Gone were people like Marcia Lucas and Brian DePalma, who made Stars Wars infinitely better because they weren't afraid to tell Lucas where his story wasn't working. The series is still good as an insider's view of ILM. But it doesn't really deal with the issues it raises. Three stars seems about right. See more Alysha S Apr 27 It's worth seeing if you are into details of George Lucas innovation. See more Harry W Apr 27 Very interesting look into ILM during the 1990s and early 2000s. Has a focus on the Star Wars Prequel trilogy. See more Read all reviews

Light & Magic — Season 2

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW