Every Unbelievable CGI Shot Of Superman You Won't Believe Made It Into JUSTICE LEAGUE (With Pictures)
With Justice League set to take to hit Digital HD next month, we take a tongue in cheek/CGI mouth look at all the poorly visualised Superman moments in the movie it's hard to believe WB was ok with...
Warner Bros. was under the belief that Joss Whedon's extensive reshoots would improve Justice League and while it's become clear that we'll never be able to see Zack Snyder's version to compare the two, The Avengers director definitely made some changes which hurt the movie in a big way. In case it wasn't already obvious, we're talking about the CGI mouth which stands out like a sore thumb.
While Whedon can't be entirely blamed for that, his decision to change so many Superman scenes when Henry Cavill had his Mission: Impossible 6 moustache pushed the studio's VFX teams to their limits as they scrambled to remove that and make the actor look normal. Unfortunately, they failed.
So, we've now taken a look through Justice League and singled out every unbelievable scene it's hard to believe Warner Bros. was happy to allow see the light of day when the movie was released last November. From that found footage opening to Clark Kent's race with The Flash, we take you through every moment here, figuring out what was and wasn't reshoots and why they looked so damn bad!
Found Footage
So, Justice League kicks off with some found footage of Superman and it appears as if it was shot very late in the game because Superman's mouth sticks out like a sore thumb. Rather than setting the tone for the movie, this scene only serves to highlight the persistent problem with Henry Cavill's appearance throughout and as you'll see, it gets better in places but also a whole lot worse (yes, we said worse).
What is even going on here? As Superman looks off into the distance, his bizarre CGI mouth stretches into a grimace of sorts and it's probably a safe bet that one thing he doesn't love about Earth is VFX artists who don't have enough time to complete the work they're given following extensive reshoots!
Superman Returns
The battle between Superman and the League appears to have been shot by Zack Snyder because there are only a handful of shots where the Man of Steel doesn't look quite right and it's not until he comes to blows with Wonder Woman that we start seeing a mixture of his CGI and non-CGI mouth.
It's when Clark comes face to face with Batman that things really start going wrong, though, as it becomes apparent that Joss Whedon reshot this entire face off (no pun intended) between the two heroes. Unfortunately, that leads to one of Justice League's coolest lines being ruined to a large extent.
Batman definitely bleed and so will your eyes after witnessing this bizarre grimace from the Man of Steel. The weird thing is, his bottom lip looks worse here than the top one and that has to be a sign his entire mouth was replaced in post-production as opposed to just the top half to cover up his 'tache.
Reunion With Lois Lane
Superman's reunion with Lois Lane was featured in one of the trailers for Justice League but he looked a whole lot more normal there! It's not clear why Joss Whedon decided to change this entire sequence (there's no longer even a mention of Lois wearing the engagement Clark never got chance to give her). Unfortunately, things continue getting weirder and weirder from this point onwards in the movie.
Henry Cavill's mouth looks mighty odd during his conversation with Lois (especially when he describes coming back from the dead as being "itchy," one of the movie's worst lines). However, it's when he hugs her and learns that his mom is on the way that we get to see him crack a real Joker smile!
If you thought Superman's mouth looked off when he's giving a toothy grin, what's the deal with his lips? They look rubbery and he's taken on the appearance of a Madame Tussaud's waxwork!
You know, if Henry Cavill ever gets bored of playing Superman, him and his CGI mouth may want to consider auditioning for The Joker. This with the combination of him saying "Yes, ma'am" is plain creepy and it will be interesting to see what comes after this moment when the Blu-ray is released.
Superman Vs. Steppenwolf
Superman coming to join the fight against Steppenwolf is definitely satisfying but the fact his lips don't seem to match what he's saying when the hero talks about being a fan of "justice" is simply unbelievable. It ruins what should have probably been a scene which had fans punching the air with excitement but at least the action scenes which follow it are for the most part very, very good.
Batman and Superman are once again face to face and while there's no denying that the decision to have Superman go off and save some civilians (which surely put the fate of the entire world in jeopardy?!) felt extremely forced, it's also something fans have been demanding since Man of Steel.
The thin lips strike again, this time when Superman is attempting to help Victor Stone separate the Mother Boxes (the weird way his arms bend in the next shot is another good example of poor CGI).
The DC Films Universe finally gave us Superman's freeze breath...and it was ruined by his weird face (no offence, Henry - you're a handsome guy but your CGI mouth really isn't a great look in this movie).
The Man Of Steel Takes Flight
Even though this scene makes no sense (how did Superman regain his Clark Kent persona without the world realising who he really is?), it was still cool but it seems Joss Whedon is the one we need to be thanking for it. While it goes by quick enough that it's hard to notice, "the mouth" - as it will forever be known - makes its return here and arguably stands out even more than the massive "S" logo.
Race With The Flash
Why did Joss Whedon add this after-credits scene? It's hard to imagine Warner Bros. wanted to spend too much more on extra scenes after those expensive reshoots but the filmmaker clearly thought it would be a fun and feelgood note to send fans with (he probably wanted to add his owns stamp to Justice League beyond the scenes he'd added throughout and this was entirely his own).
Either way, Superman still looks awful and it's hard to watch his exchange with The Flash without cringing. There's nothing wrong with the dialogue as such but his mouth looks horrendous here.
Sadly, it doesn't get better and while we never learn who wins this race, even more frustrating is that Warner Bros. was happy to release the DC Comics adaptation with unfinished work like this.
What did you think of Superman's Justice League scene? Did you find the mouth distracting? As always, be sure to let us know your thoughts on that in the comments section down below.