The Suicide Squad: James Gunn Explains Favoring Practical Effects Over CGI

James Gunn, director of DC’s sequel/soft reboot The Suicide Squad, has shed more light on his decision to use more practical effects instead of CGI. During the period of time when Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, he signed on to direct The Suicide Squad. Despite insisting that the film isn’t a sequel to 2016’s critically-panned Suicide Squad, Gunn’s film features several actors reprising their roles from the first film, including Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, and Viola Davis. New additions to the cast (and there are many) include Taika Waititi, Idris Elba, John Cena, Nathan Fillion, Storm Reid, and Peter Capaldi.

Gunn has mentioned before that The Suicide Squad will use practical costumes instead of CGI ones, and that he’s been using more practical effects than ever before. In regards to plot details, Gunn has kept those closely under wraps, though fans have done their best to theorize about what could happen based on set photos and other teases. Production on the film recently wrapped, with Gunn sharing a photo of the cast and crew to commemorate the occasion. This could indicate he might be more willing to share details about The Suicide Squad, starting with a bit more about his decision to opt for practical effects over computer-generated.

In a series of Tweets, Gunn explained why he tends to prefer practical effects over CGI. Gunn mentioned that, when it came to The Suicide Squad, he used practical effects whenever he could, and that included the “biggest, most beautiful sets I’ve ever seen by Beth Mickle.” He lavished more praise on others who worked on the film, from costume designer Judianna Makovsky to pyrotechnics coordinator Dan Sudick. However, Gunn was sure to mention that he doesn’t think any less of CGI, explaining, “I’m forever grateful to the VFX artists who have worked on my films. This is just about not relying on post production to do the work that should be done in production.” You can see all of his posts below:

A common criticism lobbed at big-budget films – especially those of the comic book variety – is that they rely too much on CGI. A CGI-heavy sequence, while an impressive achievement, can lead to audiences feeling overwhelmed. However, there are also lots of instances, as Gunn said, that require CGI in order to serve certain films’ grand scopes. There are even times when CGI is used for something so small, fans might not even realize CGI is being used.

Regardless of one’s standpoint on CGI vs. practical effects, it will be interesting to see what Gunn does with his version of the Suicide Squad. The practical effects will surely add a layer of realism that might make the film even more exciting for audiences. Despite the original 2016 movie being derided by fans and critics alike, the outlook for Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is pretty good so far.