Another even more cringeworthy use of motion capture technology was horror adventure sequel The Mummy Returns in 2001, where then-WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson made his big screen debut as the Scorpion King, a mighty warrior who is cursed by the Egyptian god Anubis and trapped in a tomb beneath a giant pyramid. In the film's prologue, which recounts the Scorpion King's history, Johnson is decked out in some Conan the Barbarian-style getup, but looks fine otherwise. When we next see him, in the movie's climactic action sequence, he is an uncanny nightmare.
These YouTubers Just Fixed The Rock's Awful CGI Face in The Mummy Returns
The late '90s and early '00s were a dark time for cinema: filmmakers were making full, liberal use of computer-generated effects, but the technology just wasn't quite there yet, resulting in CGI creations which almost immediately looked dated and corny. Among the most egregious offenders were George Lucas' "digitally remastered" versions of his original Star Wars trilogy, which incongruously inserted brand new animated aliens into existing footage, as well as the prequels that followed.
A YouTuber Just Fixed The Rock's Awful CGI Face
As YouTube VFX house Corridor Crew put it, the Scorpion King's big moment might not be the worst special effects shot of all time, but "it sure is goofy-looking."
That's not to say there isn't merit in the design of the character: "The animation for the scorpion itself is excellent. Whoever hand-animated the scorpion fricking killed it." When it comes to Johnson's face, however, it's a different story entirely. "The expressions don't seem to sync up at any one particular point, causing the face to look a little unnatural."
The Scorpion King's skin also looks "waxy" and "plastic" compared to the skin of the human actors in the same scene. Additionally, the light from the flames on-set doesn't appear to be landing on him correctly, or casting shadows the way that it would if he were physically present, rather than being digitally inserted in post-production.
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The team correct these issues by giving the character a sweatier-looking face, and imposing The Rock's features more realistically onto him. They also help connect him physically to the scene by making the camera shake a little on impact when he forces the tomb door open, and showing dust falling as he makes his way out.
It's been nearly 20 years, but it looks like the Scorpion King's CGI curse has finally been lifted.
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