“Cinema traditionally involved arranging physical reality to be filmed through the use of sets, models, art direction, cinematography, etc. Occasional manipulation of recorded film (for instance, through optical printing) was negligible compared to the extensive manipulation of reality in front of a camera.” (Denson and Leyda, 2016) The film, “The Mummy Returns”, which is a horror film that was released in May 2001 and directed by Stephen Sommers, is a great example of how physical reality gets manipulated with digital CGI. It is about the resurrection of Imhotep, who is a chancellor in the Ancient Egypt and the fight between Imhotep and the Scorpion King. Digitally, the effects and the editing in the film is not very good but the transformation scene of the Scorpion King can be shown as an example for post cinematic form and the usage of digital CGI with visual effects. 

In the final scene of the film, where the Scorpion King confronts Imhotep and Rick (the main character), Scorpion King transforms into a big scorpion and starts fighting with Imhotep and Rick. In this scene, even the pixels of the animation can be seen with bare eyes, so that is why the quality of the editing is not very good. The budget and the technological status of 2001 can be shown as a reason for that. However, no matter how low the quality of the usage of the digital CGI is, the form of the post cinema can be seen by the transitions between the footages and the soundtrack behind the scene. And most importantly, the transformation of the Scorpion King shows the connection between digital CGI, visual effects and post cinematic form.

Although this is a bad example for CGI, it is still worth to evaluate because bad examples are actually the ones that teach and show the most out of it. That is why, The Mummy Returns shows how post cinematic form is dominated by digital CGI. And this film gives a really good advice for the editors and cinematographers about what not to do in the CGI.

Bibliography:

• Denson and Leyda (2016): Post-Cinema. Theorizing 21st-Century Film. Falmer: REFRAME Books 2016. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/13457.

Kaan Cakir

10.11.2022