This is a hyper-digitized age. Blockbuster films rely heavily on the use of computer-generated imagery (CGI). This is true from films with smaller budgets and fewer major action sequences, such as Deadpool, to CGI tour de force films such as any from the Transformers franchise. However, some suggest that films are too CGI-reliant. Gone are the days where The Incredible Hulk can be portrayed by a mere man (no matter how muscular). Even characters like Grogu whose predecessor was portrayed as a puppet are now CGI-produced.

While sometimes the criticism of CGI-mania is warranted, the critique can go too far. Due to enhancements in modern technology, audience expectations, and storytelling demands, practical effects are not always the right call.

1977’s The Incredible Hulk television show was extraordinary for its time. Lou Ferrigno was absolutely massive in his portrayal of Marvel’s strongest Avenger. His take on The Hulk was a major achievement for its time. Just consider how Christopher Reeves first portrayed Superman during the same era, without the rippling muscles of today’s Henry Cavill.

However, times have changed since 1977. Computer technology can create a believable, larger-than-life CGI hulk. Imagine a man, no matter how massive, physically fighting against another man who is portraying Thanos. The fight would not have been nearly as powerful or effective as what audiences saw during the opening scene of Avengers: Infinity War.

In Marvel comic books, The Hulk is the size of a truck, not a six-foot-five-inch man. Audiences have come to expect comic book movies and television shows to remain relatively faithful to the source material. Thankfully, modern Hollywood technology has caught up to, or perhaps created, this expectation, and can fulfill it.

Apocalypse is the most formidable X-Men foe in comic book lore. He is thousands of years old and capable of teleportation, telekinesis, matter manipulation, and many more godlike abilities. Additionally, he is a mammoth of a creature in the source material. Oscar Isaacs portrayed the being without the use of much CGI in 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.

Thanos is the most formidable Avengers foe in comic book lore. The Mad Titan possesses superhuman physiology, superhuman strength, superhuman stamina, and many more otherworldly abilities. This does not include what he is able to achieve when in possession of the Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity Stones. Josh Brolin has been the voice of Thanos since 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy. The character is entirely CGI-rendered.

Both of these supervillains are about the same size in the comics, rivaling such beings as The Hulk. However, Fox Studios took the practical effects route with Apocalypse, while Marvel Studios went for the larger-than-life approach with Thanos. The former is much more suitable for a being of their stature and power. Apocalypse looks like a slightly-updated Power Ranger villain while Thanos is positively intimidating.

Granted, the films each appear in are not of the same caliber. Yet, part of the reason for that are the portrayals of the character and the clever use of CGI when it comes to Thanos. In Avengers: Infinity War, he detonates one of the planet Titan’s moons and proceeds to use the chunks of rock as projective weapons, thanks to the wonders of CGI. It is a marvel to behold, and entirely appropriate given the parameters of the story.

Jedi Master Yoda was introduced to audiences in 1980’s Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. The small, bantering creature was masterfully puppeteered without the use of primitive 1980s CGI. The character was effective and believable as a puppet, and thankfully so given the state of CGI at the time of filming.

In The Mandalorian, Grogu (formerly and affectionately referred to by audiences as ‘Baby Yoda’) is of the same species as Master Yoda from Star Wars episodes V and VI. However, Grogu is a CGI rendering, as his introduction into the Star Wars universe came some 40 years after Yoda’s introduction. The CGI rendering is deftly performed. It is subtle enough that Grogu appears as a puppet, even if he is not one. The audience is none the wiser, and Grogu’s portrayal does not distract from a compelling story.

The Juggernaut is one of the X-Men’s great villains, and is a larger-than-life character in the comics. While he might be a mortal mutant, he is as large as The Hulk. His claim to fame is that with momentum, he becomes physically unstoppable. In X-Men: The Last Stand, he is not a CGI rendering, but a man in a cringeworthy-costume befitting a movie of the same standing. It felt like Fox Studios was cutting corners here, as the technology was available to make him a looming CGI monster.

Deadpool 2 wisely chose to make The Juggernaut an entirely CGI-based entity. This made for superb action sequences and timely comedy as well. Technology came a long way in the twelve years between these two movies, but X-Men: The Last Stand could have gone the CGI route as well and simply chose not to.

CGI has not always worked well. 2003’s The Matrix: Reloaded is a prime example with its porous action sequences. However, sometimes practical effects leave a lot to be desired, such as with the portrayal of Apocalypse in X-Men: Apocalypse. As the wheel of technology continues to spin, audiences can expect a higher quality CGI of and more of it in the future.