The following question was asked on Quora: “Why was the CGI for Wolverine’s claws in X-Men Origins: Wolverine so low quality?”
My Answer: The CGI claws in X-Men Origin: Wolverine have been mentioned in many places, including CHUD’s list of the Worst CGI in Movie History, so it’s not your imagination.
The CGI claws look light and fake and have no substance to them at all. It’s especially clear in the bathroom scene.
But the reality is that the CGI claws have always looked bad, but they just weren’t used as much as they were in Origins. If you go back and watch 2000’s X-Men, CGI is used for the claws when they first come out of his hand and they don’t look so good.
Computer graphics just don’t have the same weight and heft as real metal. The reason we didn’t notice is that, for most of the shots in previous movies, Hugh Jackman used what are called “practical claws” (i.e. real claws) that were held between his fingers. For some fight scenes, the pointy ends are CGI to avoid cutting the actors, but for regular scenes, the claws are real.
The practical claws look great on screen, but the problem is that the practical claws are very bulky and dangerous. Stuntmen and stunt-women have been stabbed by them, and Jackman says he’s covered with scars from accidentally cutting himself with them. For X-Men Origins: Wolverine, they tried to reduce the danger by going almost all-CGI, but it didn’t work. They specifically went with practical claws for The Wolverine and Logan, and they look much better. Hugh Jackman suffered for our enjoyment.
What did you think of Wolverine’s claws?
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