Marvel Movies Without Special Effects (Video)

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the most important developments in the history of cinema, regardless of the quality of its individual films. Millions of people eagerly await each new release, which enriches the big screen with a huge display of special effects. However, behind those scenes are real people improvising, wearing prosthetics, and working in front of blue and green screens, supported by an impressive amount of computing power.

I think it's a good time to review the dates: Captain Marvel this coming Friday, Avengers: Endgame on April 26, and Spider-Man: Far From Home on July 5. Those are the release dates assigned to Spain so far, so don't hesitate to check your local listings.

With the release of new Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the same old recommendation arises: if you start watching the ones you need to watch now, you'll be in great shape for Endgame and Far From Home, completing all existing phases. Some may think the movies are coming out almost as fast as a clothing line, but there's an extraordinary amount of work behind each project. For example, Black Panther's preproduction began in 2016, and principal photography in January 2017. Want to know what they do? Then you can start here:

This video from GamesRadar shows us how the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies look before the special effects are added. Fortunately, building full-scale sets hasn't gone away, and you can't help but admire the use of ropes and cables to create action scenes that defy gravity (and prevent actors from getting injured, of course). The fight scene with Thor on the bridge during Thor: Ragnarok was actually filmed with a Chris Hemsworth surrounded by blue screens, facing actors wearing prosthetics and markers for motion capture. Even more impressive is Hulk, Rocket, and Fenris (read Fenrir), with fully simulated bone structure and muscles.

I think there's no doubt in saying that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be impossible without the current state of special effects. While we know things can go very wrong when they are overused, it's clear that those responsible have a precise vision of how, when, and where to apply them.