The visual FX shown in the first trailer for GREEN LANTERN didn’t do much to knock any socks off. The WonderCon footage, released after a few more months of post-production work, was vastly improved but still had some issues, specifically the goofy look of Green Lantern’s facemask on Ryan Reynolds. Warner Bros., sensing that there was still some work to be done before the June 17th release, has granted the production an additional $9 million to beef up the VFX team with hopes of getting everything perfect.
Normally you might read this type of article and the accompanying text would be a lot of “sky is falling” nail-biting. On the contrary, I’d like to take the measured approach and be pleased that Warner Bros. recognized the issue and is taking the appropriate steps to fix any shortcomings in the FX. GREEN LANTERN is a movie that lives or dies on its FX and getting it right on this film is perhaps more important than on any other superhero film.
Also, the last-minute scramble isn’t exactly new (that it’s become public is the only difference). To complete the work on TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, one FX studio working on the film has shifted to seven-day weeks and 12-hour days with even Easter canceled (is Frank Cross heading this studio?).
An additional $9 million with only two months before release may sound like a lot but the $45 million VFX budget for GREEN LANTERN is actually much smaller than you’d expect. There were no specifics given on TF3 but I’d guess it’s much higher than $50 million.
So if you’re at all concerned about the FX in GREEN LANTERN, know that Warner Bros. hears you, understands you and is working on it. Whether it will all gel remains to be seen.
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