Once upon a VHS tape…
before “render farm” was a household word and green screens became the default wallpaper for Hollywood, there was an art form that could make you believe in dinosaurs, aliens, or haunted hotel corridors without a single pixel involved. Practical effects.
Fast forward to 2025, and while CGI has become scarily realistic (sometimes literally uncanny), practical effects still hold the throne in ways that even the flashiest render can’t dethrone.
Tangibility You Can Feel
Practical effects exist in the real world. They cast real shadows. They occupy space. They reflect light naturally, and our lizard brains pick up on that — even if our conscious minds don’t.
Think of the difference between watching a rubberized Xenomorph dripping alien goo in Alien versus the 100%-CGI creatures in some modern blockbusters. One makes you want to reach for a flamethrower. The other? A little too… smooth.
The “Wow, How Did They Do That?” Factor
The magic of practical effects is that they’re as much about clever problem-solving as they are about spectacle. Miniatures, puppetry, animatronics, squibs, and matte paintings all invite curiosity.
Fans dissect how the T. rex animatronic in Jurassic Park sometimes “sweated” because the rain messed with its hydraulics. That imperfection? It made the dinosaur feel alive.
CGI Ages in Dog Years
Technology evolves so fast that CGI from just a decade ago can already look dated. Meanwhile, practical effects age like a well-loved prop sword — scratches and all.
Watch The Thing (1982) today, and those body-horror transformations still feel disturbing because the latex, blood pumps, and servos actually happened in front of a camera.
Actors React Better to Real Stuff
Imagine trying to cry in terror while staring at a tennis ball on a stick (standard CGI stand-in). Not exactly Oscar-bait material.
When an actor can touch a slimy monster arm or see sparks fly from a real pyrotechnic hit, their performance has an authenticity that’s nearly impossible to fake — which means we, the audience, buy it more.
Practical + CGI = Best of Both Worlds
It’s not a cage match. Some of the most jaw-dropping movie moments use practical effects as the base, with CGI as enhancement. The Dark Knight’s truck flip? 100% real. The Bat’s sky escape? CGI assist.
In 2025, the smartest productions aren’t replacing practical effects — they’re marrying them with digital wizardry to keep audiences hooked without falling into the uncanny valley.
Final Frame
CGI can paint worlds we could never visit in real life — but when you need something to feel real, to sink claws into your suspension of disbelief, practical effects still deliver the knockout punch.
The future isn’t pixels or prosthetics. It’s both. But if you want your movie to live in audience hearts for decades, maybe hire someone who still knows their way around a buck
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