I honestly didn’t think it could get worse than the floating head in Love and Thunder, but here we are. I watched the leaked VFX test footage for the upcoming MCU X-Men Reboot three times this morning, and my stomach actually turned. We were promised practical effects. We were promised a gritty, grounded Logan. Instead, what just hit 4Chan and Twitter is a CGI Nightmare that looks closer to a mobile game ad than a Phase 6 blockbuster.
The “Floating Claws” Glitch: A Technical Embarrassment
At exactly timestamp 0:43 in the leaked dailies, we see the actor (who definitely resembles Taron Egerton, though unconfirmed) lunge at a Sentinel drone. Here is the problem: his claws don’t even track with his hands.
I zoomed in on the Wolverine CGI render, and the lighting maps are completely broken. The Adamantium claws appear to be “floating” about two inches above his knuckles, devoid of any skin tearing or realistic anchoring. It’s a rush job. It screams “crunch culture” and unfinished assets. In an era where Dune: Part Two set the standard for invisible VFX, seeing Marvel Studios allegedly drop the ball on their most important IP is terrifying.
Why Fans Are FURIOUS: The “Digital Suit” Scandal
Twitter is already melting down under the hashtag #FixTheXMen, and for good reason. The leak suggests that Wolverine’s entire iconic yellow-and-blue suit is fully CG.
Why does this matter? Because physical costumes ground a performance. When an actor is wearing a motion-capture pajama suit instead of Kevlar and spandex, the movement lacks weight. The leaked still shows a “rubberized” sheen on the suit that defies physics. It looks weightless. Fans have been waiting decades for a proper MCU X-Men integration, and if Feige and Co. are trying to paint over the actors with digital brushes to save money on costume departments, this movie is dead on arrival.
Technical Breakdown: The Volume vs. Green Screen
My analysis suggests this was shot on The Volume (LED stage) but with improper calibration. The background plate—a destroyed Genosha landscape—has a different focal depth than the foreground actors. This results in that dreaded “soap opera effect” where the characters look like stickers pasted onto a background. The ambient occlusion is missing entirely around the boots, making the characters look like they are sliding rather than running.
Final Verdict: A Wake-Up Call for Marvel
Is this unfinished footage? Hopefully. But usually, leaks like this are indicative of the final art direction. If Disney doesn’t pivot back to practical effects for the mutants, we are looking at a box office bomb of historic proportions.
Do you think CGI suits ruin superhero movies, or is this just a rough draft? Let me know in the comments.
Disclaimer
“Note: This article contains theories and analysis based on current trailers/leaks. Official details may vary upon theatrical release.”
Jordan Blake is a rogue film critic and former VFX compositor with over 15 years of industry experience. Tired of paid reviews and “safe” opinions, Jordan left the studio system to tell the audience what Hollywood won’t. He specializes in forensic frame-by-frame analysis, exposing bad CGI, and decoding hidden lore that others miss.
Known for his “no-nonsense” approach, Jordan pays for his own tickets and refuses to attend press junkets, ensuring his loyalty belongs only to the fans. If a movie is a cash grab, he’ll say it. If it’s a masterpiece, he’ll explain why technically.
Specialty: VFX Breakdowns, Script Analysis, Hidden Details.
Motto: “Cinema doesn’t lie, but marketing does.”
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