Credit: Spawn
It’s been heard around the grapevine that some folks would rather see more of a storyline and less focus on the special effects when it comes to a Spawn movie, so it might be that it’s not so much about practical effects and CGI and the debate that sits between them. But the truth is that Spawn might be able to take place with practical effects, but it feels as though this would seriously damage the credibility of the story and therefore make it even worse than the 1997 movie that came out with Michael Jai White and John Leguizamo. Currently, the reboot is being pushed by a few people but it has yet to surface, which isn’t a good sign but also doesn’t mean that it’s not going to happen. Trying to craft a story with less emphasis on the special effects though does sound like something that might focus more on Al Simmons and less on the hellspawn he was destined to become since, by the time he puts on the suit, the effects are going to be needed, period. There are definitely ways to make sure that the audience focuses more intently on what’s going on and less on the effects that are making the story possible, but there’s still going to be a lot of emphasis on the special effects since, well, Spawn is a supernatural creature that needs those effects to function.
Credit: Spawn
His suit alone is going to be a huge draw for people since its many capabilities require a heavy amount of CGI along with practical effects.
For those who have read the comics and seen the initial movie, it’s kind of obvious that this guy needs a lot of heavy CGI that will make his suit come to life and allow him to do whatever needs to be done at any given time. Even the green glimmers that might come and go would need to be addressed since, without them, his suit might feel as cheesy as it did back in the 90s. To make certain that the story is going to have a chance of going as far as it needs to, Spawn’s special effects will be a requirement that can’t be avoided. There’s a lot of room to tell his story and make it stand out along with the special effects, but trying to top the effects is going to require the work of a great writer that would be able to make the story pop and overcome the fascination that people might find in the effects. Heck, his cape would require a great deal of CGI without question.
The scenery in which he exists and the different settings he travels to would need a huge number of effects to work.
If Spawn is seen traveling to Hell again then it’s fair to say that it’s going to need to come with a great story, or it’s going to have to look impressive enough to keep people watching, since the movie back in the 90s was a CGI hellscape, and not in a positive way since it felt as though it was something that belonged to a TV movie at best. The manner of special effects needed for this movie might, at times, feel kind of simple compared to some of the heavy-handed ways that the effects might be used, but scenery and location could be a healthy blend of practical effects and computer imaging that could keep people from judging the reboot too harshly. People already have high expectations at this time, so it’s fair to say that keeping them satisfied should be the overall goal.
Credit: Spawn
His enemies would need a huge amount of CGI to work as well.
The Violator couldn’t possibly come off as a practical effect and be that great since the effects that brought him to life back in the day weren’t that great, but trying anything less would have meant a lot of added camera work and on top of that, it wouldn’t have been nearly as effective. The work that was done back then didn’t really tell the story in a great way since it looked extremely cheesy and not at all like what people might have expected. So, that’s another big NO on the absence of CGI.
At the end of the day, this is the type of movie that needs to come off as a special effects spectacle.
It is possible to add practical effects and make this story really take off, but the downside of trying to minimize the special effects in favor of telling the story is that the story will inevitably suffer. Spawn is a character that absolutely needs the effects that make his world work since practical effects are going to end up looking like something that was produced by film students looking for a passing grade, rather than the spectacle it should be.