I think CGI is getting worse for the same reason video games are getting worse - reaching 70% of a result can be done with 10% of the effort it took decades ago

I think CGI is getting worse for the same reason video games are getting worse - reaching 70% of a result can be done with 10% of the effort it took decades ago, but reaching 100% is not getting easier - you need tons of incredibly talented and dedicated engineers who have a very deep understanding of CG and come up with a bespoke solution. An example in movies would be the video the Corridor guys did on the Terminator 2 shot where the T-1000 phases through the prison bars - the VFX team on the movie essentially built a fluid simulation engine to get it right. The fact that they were able to recreate the effect on a shoestring budget speaks volumes of their talent and the evolution of tooling, but it doesn't look nearly as good: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXehBx0Yc_w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXehBx0Yc_w Another example from the field of video games would be Back 4 Blood vs Left 4 dead - the insane amount of care and effort Valve put into minute details cannot be replicated by faster tools and more computing power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRLNUGmFC8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRLNUGmFC8