Denis Villeneuve is over the green screen madness of modern scifi films. It’s not that he’s completely against CGI, but he’s putting his money where is mouth is. he sure knows how to spend millions of dollars on practical effects. I’m sure somewhere a Hollywood bean-counter is screaming. “Who needs to save money or time when you can build an entire set from scratch and risk the lives of your actors for the sake of ‘authenticity’?”

Villeneuve makes a decent point – the green screen madness needs to end. Practical effects create a more realistic experience for actors, and invested actors make for better performances. There’s a missing stair in the logic, though: they conveniently ignore the fact that most of their audience will be watching their films on a screen filled with…you guessed it, CGI. So much for authenticity.

I don’t like to throw out the word ‘hypocrisy’ but it’s hard to criticize Marvel for their use of CGI, yet still cash in on the success of those filmmaking tools. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Besides – Denis Villeneuve and the Green Screen Madness is a troubling smokescreen for other issues. Like what? Like the lack of diversity in Hollywood. It’s no coincidence that the directors who are so vehemently against CGI are all men. Where are the female directors getting recognition for their practical effects-heavy films? Oh right, they’re too busy being overlooked and underpaid.

We deserve better science and technology focus in our films. Good enough isn’t good enough. Quit dumbing things down to make everyone happy. We want innovation, creativity, and representation on the big screen.

So good on ‘yer for stopping the Green Screen Madness, Dennis Villeneuve. Now use your platform to uplift and support diverse voices in the film industry. That’s what we need right now. At the end of the day, it’s not about practical effects or CGI, it’s about telling meaningful and inclusive stories. You did a great job with Dune – now it’s time to take the next step.