On social media, I'm sure you've seen memes showing that the visual effects (VFX) of the 2006 Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest movie look more realistic than the VFX of modern films like Ant Man Quantumania. Industry players say that the large amount of VFX, lower pay and artists not being given overtime are the reasons why modern VFX look worse.
But the director of the original Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, Gore Verbinski, was quoted as saying that the Unreal Engine is actually to blame. According to him, VFX used to be produced using 3D software Maya which can produce graphics that look more realistic but requires expertise to master it.
Since Unreal Engine began replacing Maya as in The Mandalorian series, graphics have looked more plastic because it was originally developed for video games and not for film special effects. Among the shortcomings of Unreal Engine according to Verbinski is that it does not produce realistic-looking skin, causing the uncanny valley effect which is a major criticism in games such as the remake of Until Dawn (which uses UE 5).
