Furious 7
Playing God or Making Art?
In The Technology Twilight Zone
It’s a wild world – especially when our technological powers go further then we were ever previously able to imagine. It’s a common debate between technology advocates; has our ability to fiddle with reality gone further than it’s okay to go? When is technology tasteful, and when does it cross the line and disrupt the flow of our lives? Should there be a line, and if there should, just where are we supposed to draw that line?
The new movie released in theaters April 3rd, Furious 7, seems to truly encapsulate the argument. Most of us know that actor Paul Walker tragically passed away during the filming of this projected Blockbuster hit. What many don’t know is that the film was finished by digitally recreating Walker in his unfinished scenes. The moments are subtle but noticeable. Director James Wan faced a choice: plow ahead and finish the film, or put the project aside and move on.
His choice in moving forward to complete the movie creates a rift between tech advocates and folks who’d prefer to let nature run its course. That rift is deepened when folks discover that the technology for recreating Walker was completed by the same company, WETA, that brought Gollum to life in The Lord of the Rings, and Ceasar in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. While it makes sense to entrust the task to a folks so adept at breathing life into some of history’s best-loved characters, this is new territory.
Most of Walker’s unfinished scenes were created using his brothers, Caleb and Cody, as doubles. By combining world-class CGI – the resemblance is pretty darn close.
Is it unsettling, astounding, unnerving, mind-bending, tasteless, tasteful, or just simply fascinating?
The Hollywood reporter suggests that many actors are already scanned for “archival” purposes, taking digital copies of favorite performers and storing them for future use.
Actors bring something truly special, unique, and beautiful to the art of filmmaking. They’re life presence is not reproducible. And, as much as each of us would love to bring our age-old favorites back for one last performance, that’s not the way life works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNKJJ_RxNWo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=86&v=8i10vUI-k6w
Furious 7 is an example of how truly astounding technology has become. The industry is literally playing with fire, and that’s a blessing and a curse, it means reflecting on core values, smiling at the possibilities, and making choices most appropriate to each specific projects.
“Furious 7” has grossed more than $251 million in its first two weekends, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
