The Flash VFX Artist Zach Mulligan Reveals Bad CGI “Was Made In A Week.”

The Flash has taken heavy criticism for its bad CGI. Now, Zach Mulligan, a VFX artist on the film, dropped a bomb on TikTok when he said, “If it looks like a VFX shot in The Flash was made in a week, it’s probably because it was.”

In the video, Mulligan, who also did VFX work on Black Adam and the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, outlined how VFX companies are hired by Marvel, Warner Brothers, and other studios to complete VFX work. He explained that Warner Bros. has VFX vendors bid against each other to work on a film. The lowest bid wins. But the VFX companies also have to keep pace in order to get future work.

“Because of this, VFX artists are forced to work relentless hours, overtime almost every day, including weekends,” said Mulligan. “If the VFX companies aren’t meeting the unrealistic expectations that these studios are setting, they risk losing out on future contracts, and there’s only so many studios that are making superhero movies anymore.”

Studios are relentless in flogging VFX artists to get their films out by the release date, often with quality issues. Marvel, like Warner Bros., also faced criticism for flogging VFX workers on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Mulligan said the mad rush to put out three superhero movies a year is to “please shareholders,” and completing thousands of VFX shots in quick turnarounds is the reason for bad CGI in films like The Flash.

This turnaround is backfiring on studios. Audiences don’t take too cheap-looking superhero films. There’s a glut of DC and Marvel films, and audiences are demanding better-quality films. While plot and characterization will always trump VFX in crafting a satisfying superhero film, it is unforgivable that any $200 million film would deliver mediocre effects.

Poor CGI is just one reason why The Flash is suffering at the box office. Issues include the poor optics around star Ezra Miller’s off-screen behavior and the general lackluster adaptation of one of DC Comics’ most important storylines, Flashpoint.

Warner Brothers Discovery has a job attracting audiences back to the DC brand, and unfinished, low-quality CGI is not the way to do it.