Computer generated imagery often gets a bad rap, but the truth is, many movie franchises have been dramatically improved by modern digital special effects. From the Star Wars movies to the films of the MCU, most modern blockbuster franchises rely quite heavily on CGI, with fantasy or sci-fi worlds drawing audiences the most easily of any cinematic promise. Sometimes previous films are improved significantly by the addition of modern special effects.

Granted, some movie franchises are aged by early CGI. But as the medium has improved and innovated over time, it's hard to deny that some of the best movie reboot franchises have flatly improved their source material with updated graphics. Whether it's gargantuan fantasy creatures, impressive science fiction machines, entire fictional landscapes or even simple animals, good CGI can make a world of difference in the arena of remakes, reboots, and prequels.

10 Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Stunningly rendered ape societies

The Planet of the Apes movies have always thrived on special effects, with the original films impressing earlier sci-fi audiences with their elaborate ape prosthetics. However, when it came time for visionary filmmaker Matt Reeves to re-imagine the slow takeover of simian society, there was little doubt that CGI would be involved. Indeed, the Planet of the Apes prequel movies have some of the most impressive CGI of any modern blockbuster franchise.

Most of the series' success can be attributed to the excellent motion capture acting of Andy Serkis, who plays the ape leader Caesar in the first three films. Every minute facial expression and bit of body language from Serkis' performances are perfectly translated into the CGI model, with lifelike textured skin and lovingly-rendered fur. The Planet of the Apes prequel films have only gotten more impressive as time has gone on.

9 Star Trek

An updated take on an old classic

Few major science fiction franchises have been as historically held back by budgetary constraints than Star Trek. Thanks to its nature as a TV series first and foremost, Star Trek has rarely had the budget to advance its scenery past sterile ship decks and alien species marginally different from human beings. Luckily, the 2009 reboot with Chris Pine offered a whole new landscape of far-flung cosmic life forms and locations to explore.

Not only do the massive ships of Starfleet look better than ever with updated big-budget CGI, but the various alien species making up the Federation also sometimes get a literal visual facelift. The new movies didn't go overboard, still relying on practical sets and makeup when appropriate. But it's hard not to it that certain elements of the original franchise are obviously upgraded by the new look.

8 Mad Max: Fury Road

A mix of practical effects and smooth CGI

For the most part, Mad Max: Fury Road is highly praised for its practical effects. With elaborate, dangerous stunts and real working vehicles for Mad Max: Fury Road, it's easy to see and feel how George Miller became so highly accredited for getting his hands dirty with practical effects. However, it's important to recognize that Mad Max: Fury Road also uses heaps of CGI to great effect, enhancing the budget-constrained action of the earlier Mad Max films.

There are two elements of Mad Max: Fury Road that are quite obviously CGI, namely Furiosa's mechanical arm and the massive sandstorm that ends the first dizzying chase sequence. But it's also quite laden with digital effects that do the heaving lifting in of erasing stunt wires, tidying up the color correction, or even straight-up changing scenery from night to day. As commendable as the practical effects of the new films are, the smoothly-blending digital effects also deserve more credit.

7 Dune

An obvious the original obscure film

David Lynch's original Dune has had nowhere near the same level of cultural impact as Denis Villeneuve's new two-part series. Lynch's vision of Frank Herbert's iconic science fiction classic had its own sense of quiet charm to it, with creative art design and elaborate sets. That being said, the single movie feels undeniably limited in scope, with none of the same grandeur Villeneuve was able to instill later.

With CGI, Villeneuve is able to craft some breathtaking worlds, from the sweeping desert dunes of Arrakis to the black sun of Giedi Prime. The sound design and artistic direction are realized excellently through the new duology's effects, with ornithopters humming through the air and flickering energy shields absorbing enemy fire. That's not even to mention the gargantuan sand worms that produce the precious spice, slamming into the barren Earth with jaw-dropping power.

6 Batman Begins

Grounded Batman with realistic special effects

Superhero movies and good CGI go hand-in-hand. In Batman's case, the first four movies beginning with Tim Burton's Batman in 1989 didn't have the chance to get much use out of CGI, with Arnold Schwarzenegger's freeze rays in Batman & Robin being the most glaring exception. For his Dark Knight Trilogy, Christopher Nolan was quick to embrace traditional CGI as he had done many other times in his career.

Despite being a more grounded take on the Caped Crusader's lore, Batman Begins started off the Nolanverse trilogy with some impressive CGI. The nightmare fear gas sequences courtesy of the villain Scarecrow look sleek and properly terrifying thanks to Nolan's adept use of digital effects, and the film compliments its practical action quite nicely with similar CGI touch-ups to Mad Max: Fury Road. Even in a more realistic take on a superhero, good CGI is a valuable asset worth commending.

5 Evil Dead Rise

Enhances its gore with some stomach-churning CGI

As a franchise, Sam Raimi's Evil Dead movies have always prided themselves on practical effects. From the hideous, grotesque faces of the various Deadite demons to the buckets of fake blood used throughout the original three movies' almost slapstick levels of violence and gore, reliable real effects have always been the way for Ash Williams to go. But recent entries in the franchise, such as Evil Dead Rise, have proven that the iconic horror-comedy name needn't fear technological progress.

Impressive effects like the final melded Deadite monster at the end of Evil Dead Rise set a powerful precedent for CGI to exist alongside the good old-fashioned practical gore that will always be present in the series. The TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead also played with CGI monsters on occasion, marking one of the few instances in which a series' spin-off TV show arguably looks better than the original movies. Hopefully, future Evil Dead movies aren't done widening their SFX toobox.

4 Man Of Steel

Brought Superman into the modern day

Batman is far from the only DC superhero to heavily rely on good special effects to sell his excitement. If anything, Superman's incredible powers have always demanded a certain level of digital effects mastery, something the original Christopher Reeve Superman movies often struggled with. Indeed, the corniness of old visual effects like the giant cellophane "S" Superman throws from his chest were done away with at once thanks to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel.

ittedly, Man of Steel wasn't the first Superman movie to be made in the modern age of blockbuster CGI, with Superman Returns taking that title. However, it wasn't until Man of Steel that the character's special effects were dramatically improved, soaring through the air and crashing into advanced alien spacecraft courtesy of General Zod with believable impact. From laser beams to X-ray vision and even simple flight, Superman's powers were given a noticeably improved visual overhaul at the start of the DCEU.

3 Tron: Legacy

Reclaimed the series title of cutting edge sci-fi

For a movie once hailed as an impressive tech demo for the possibilities of digital effects, the original Tron is now laughably aged. From the glowing hockey pads worn by the film's sentient programs to the early, textureless CGI of the famous light bikes, Tron is one science fiction film that remains very much a product of its time. Thankfully, Disney was able to revive the franchise with a pseudo-reboot sequel that once again demonstrated a mastery over the cutting edge of digital effects.

Almost 15 years later, 2010's Tron: Legacy still looks amazing, with the hypnotizing neon landscapes and vehicles of its unique cyberpunk world still easy on the eyes. Though perhaps not hailed as a modern triumph of CGI on the same level as the likes of James Cameron's Avatar, Tron: Legacy is able to craft an enduring visual identity that improves upon the original to a dramatic degree. The special effects of the new movie alone brought the public perception of the franchise to new heights, and for good reason.

2 X-Men: First Class

Made many reconsider what mutants were capable of

By no means do the original Fox X-Men movies look particularly dated in their CGI today, even if certain uses of Wolverine's digital claws or Colossus' reflective skin haven't held up amazingly. For early 2000s films, the special effects of the original trio of mutant movies hold up quite nicely, certainly not being distracting enough to detract from their enduring quality. However, the new X-Men timeline established with X-Men: First Class represented a dramatic leap in rendering capabilities.

In just one film, the prequel generation of X-Men put the biggest show-stopping setpieces of the original trilogy to shame. From Magneto lifting entire submarines aloft in the air to the likes of Darwin's shapeshifting mutant power, there's hardly a scene that es in X-Men: First Class that doesn't impress with some time-tested CGI. The increased popularity of the series allowed Fox to explore more decidedly comic book-y storylines that the series might never have dreamed of being able to touch at its inception in the early 2000s.

1 Godzilla Minus One

Made Godzilla a horror film again

The original Godzilla was quite a poignant nuclear allegory before the titular King of the Monsters became engrossed in perpetual title fights with other kaiju. That being said, the 1954 film undeniably loses some of its potency over time thanks to the almost adorably antiquated rubber suit, certainly an impressive effect that still doesn't look bad, but is far from the terrifying sight Toho likely intended it to be. In the modern day, Japan has brought Godzilla back to his city-destroying atomic roots with films like Godzilla Minus One.

Set in the aftermath of World War II, Godzilla Minus One turns Godzilla into a genuine horror movie monster again, all unrepentant natural fury as he bears down on the puny humans in his way. From the first moment he steps foot on screen, Godzilla is utterly terrifying, and the impressive CGI for the film's money keeps him a believably scary threat throughout the whole experience. If there's one movie reboot that has certainly benefited from the advancement of CGI, it's without a doubt the Godzilla films.