Michael Bay Denies Reports of His Criticism of CGI in Ambulance

Director Michael Bay has denied recent reports of his criticism of CGI in his upcoming action-thriller, Ambulance. Based on a Danish film of the same name, the film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen as Will Sharp, a war veteran who is in desperate need of money to help pay for his dying wife’s emergency surgery and must turn to his adopted brother Danny, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, for help. The two undertake a $32 million bank heist, but things quickly go wrong, forcing the brothers to hijack an ambulance along with its EMT driver, Cam Thompson (Eiza González), and an injured police officer (Jackson White). Out of luck and out of time, Will and Danny must evade law enforcement and find a way out of the city.

In a recent interview with Les Cinémas Pathé Gaumont, Bay expressed his dislike for certain CGI shots in Ambulance stating, “some of the CGI is s–t.” He continued saying that he wasn’t particularly happy with a couple of shots, but that the film does not rely on CGI as some of his movies have in the past. Bay detailed that there were not many blue screen shots in the film and that almost all of the stunts, explosions, and driving scenes were done for real.

ComicBook.com caught up with Bay, who attempted to clarify his previous remarks about what he called terrible visual effects in Ambulance. Although Bay did not completely retract his initial statements, he called the reaction to them “totally overblown” and “wrong.” Read more of what the director had to say below.

“There’s two shots that I don’t like, so, there you go. Like, you’re talking about CG in the movie. There’s two shots in the movie I don’t like. You have the truth.”

Bay is known for his trademark action-filled films, complete with car chases, explosions, and overall mayhem, dubbed “Bayhem” by both his fans and critics. Beginning in 2007 with his blockbuster, Transformers, many of Bay’s film have become littered with visual effects shots. With four out of seven of his directed films released since the first Transformers film being a part of the Transformers franchise, the reliance on CGI is understandable, but unfortunately, it has become one his biggest targets for criticism.

Bay has always had a desire to go practical when possible. Although not feasible for certain projects like Transformers, or in certain scenes, such as elements of the Japanese sneak attack on “Battleship Row” in Pearl Harbor, the director has always liked to push the envelope on set, resulting in the desired shot completed in-camera. This is evidenced by his work on Bad Boys and Bad Boys II, but also seen in the outlandish car chases in 6 Underground. If Bay can recreate any of his trademark explosive, “Bayhem,” fans will surely be pleased when Ambulancehits theaters on April 8.

Source: Comic Book

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