One of the quickest ways to turn heads in Hollywood these days is to label yourself as a champion for the use of AI. Executives love it because it saves them money, but film fans mostly balk at the tech, preferring projects made entirely by humans. Recently, 2x Oscar winner Ben Affleck revealed he “did use” artificial intelligence for “lots of things” in the making of Animals, his latest Netflix psychological thriller, which he both directs and stars in.
Behind the Illusion
“I used [AI] for lots of things in that movie,” he revealed at a Q&A for Bloomberg Screen Time. “I’m a little bit hesitant to point out what they are or even talk about it because, in my business, we’re trying to foster the illusion of reality, right? It’s sort of like if you went to a magic show and the magician walked out and said, ‘Just before I start, I want you to know there’s another bunny under here. This guy’s a plant.’ It sort of ruins it, right?”
A Stunt Gone Off the Rails
Still, while Affleck is reluctant to disclose which scenes in Animals use AI, viewers who’ve streamed the film have quickly spotted a handful of sequences where the tech is clearly in play. In this film, a kidnapped child inside a small trailer is pushed over the steep wall of a Los Angeles drainage canal, catapulted into the air near the bottom, and launched directly into Affleck’s waiting arms.
“Mac and Me” Levels of VFX
The scene is Mac and Me levels of terrible, even if the amount of time where AI is used is minimal. Unable to escape scrutiny, film fans across X and TikTok seized the moment, sharing slow-motion clips for added emphasis and collective dunking. In Affleck’s defense, the scene would be challenging to execute in real life. However, a dedicated visual effects team would have done a far better job of bringing the stunt to life. The final product comes off as a cheap shortcut for what could have been a genuinely harrowing moment in the film, one not marred by AI.
Tread Lightly
While AI is here to stay and certainly has its place in Hollywood, filmmakers must tread lightly if they don’t want to find themselves in another “Animals” situation.
