Pirates of the Caribbean Director Reveals Why Movie CGI Is Failing

Gore Verbinski, the creative force behind the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films, has a clear perspective on why visual effects in movies seem to be slipping in quality. According to Verbinski, the root of the problem lies in filmmakers embracing the look and feel of video games, especially through the use of Unreal Engine.

In a recent interview with But Why Tho?, Verbinski explained,

I think the simplest answer is you’ve seen the Unreal gaming engine enter the visual effects landscape. So it used to be a divide, with Unreal Engine being very good at video games, but then people started thinking maybe movies can also use Unreal for finished visual effects. So you have this sort of gaming aesthetic entering the world of cinema … I think that Unreal Engine coming in and replacing Maya as a sort of fundamental is the greatest slip backwards.

Unreal Engine’s Impact on Hollywood

Unreal Engine, developed by Epic Games, is a powerful tool for building high-end video games like Fortnite, Gears of War, and Hogwarts Legacy. But its reach has expanded far beyond gaming. Major film and TV productions, including The Mandalorian and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, have used Unreal Engine to create their digital worlds.

While the technology is impressive, Verbinski believes it brings a distinct video game flavor to movies. This shift, he argues, makes films feel more like role-playing games than cinematic experiences. The effects themselves aren’t necessarily poor, but when applied to stories grounded in reality, the results can appear artificial or even cartoonish.

The Uncanny Valley and Speed Over Artistry

Verbinski elaborated,

It works with Marvel movies where you kind of know you’re in a heightened, unrealistic reality. I just don’t think it takes light the same way... So that’s how you get this uncanny valley when you come to creature animation, a lot of in-betweening is done for speed instead of being done by hand.

He points out that the way Unreal Engine handles lighting and animation is fundamentally different from traditional film effects. The push for faster production often means that detailed, hand-crafted animation is replaced by automated processes, leading to less convincing results—especially when it comes to bringing creatures or characters to life.

Comparing Past and Present CGI

Verbinski has witnessed these changes firsthand. The original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, particularly the depiction of Davy Jones, was celebrated for its groundbreaking digital effects. Yet, the most recent entry in the series, Dead Men Tell No Tales, released fourteen years after the first film, was widely criticized for its less impressive CGI.

This decline is especially surprising given the advances in technology over the years. For Verbinski, the difference comes down to the tools and the artistic choices behind them, not just the hardware or software itself.

Looking ahead, movie fans are already buzzing about upcoming releases like Avengers: Doomsday, Supergirl, The Mandalorian and Grogu, Spider- Man: Brand New Day, and The Odyssey. As the industry continues to evolve, the debate over the best way to create movie magic is far from over.