As Justice League hit theaters, it’s hard to imagine anything outshining the many big stars in the movie.
But according to Twitter, it isn’t Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck or Jason Momoa that is the most-talked about feature of the film. It isn’t even Henry Cavill – well, at least not all of Henry Cavill.
Shortly after the film’s release, the actor playing Superman became Twitter’s most talked-about Justice League member thanks to some particularly unsubtle CGI work done on his upper lip.
Quite a look: Twitter users have eviscerated Justice League over the CGI used to remove Henry Cavill’s mustache
Rugged: The actor’s filming on the movie coincided with his work on the set of Mission: Impossible 6, which saw him playing a mustachioed character
Standoff: Paramount refused to let Henry shave while filming, so Warner Bros were forced to find a digital way of making him appear clean-shaven
It all started when 34-year-old Henry’s schedule for the filming overlapped with his work on the set of Mission: Impossible 6. In the latter film, his character boasts a prominent mustache – one that Paramount forbade him to shave.
This caused a bit of trouble given Henry’s role as the perpetually clean-shaven Superman. So, the filmmakers were forced to come up with a solution – and it wasn’t cheap.
In an interview with Fox, Henry explained just how the mustache masking went about, saying that it starts with flattening the hair with wax.
Nailed it: This user saw something familiar in the almost unrecognizable Henry’s look
Another view: Even from the side it was clear that the ‘approximately $25 million’ spent on the CGI wasn’t money well spent
A big hit: Despite being obvious, many Twitter users were tickled by the botched job
‘And then I had dots all over my face,’ he said. ‘And they try to put dots, which are barely visible, sort of in the various points on the face where you would see them during normal… not face replacement, but whatever CGI aspect they may be applying to a face.
‘And yeah. I was covered in dots, and had a big mustache. It was definitely a new look for Superman.’
In the end, Warner Brothers apparently had to spend ‘approximately $25 million’ on digitally removing the actor’s facial hair. Sadly for them, the general consensus among viewers is this wasn’t quite money well spent.
Poking fun: As if the CGI wasn’t funny enough, the circumstances around it only add to the hilarity
An idea: This Twitter user suggests that the sub-par special effects could be turned into a drinking game
Also an option: Others questioned why they didn’t just let Superman have a mustache
Users on Twitter quickly started posting images of Henry’s nearly unrecognizable face online, with some comparing him to ‘human Shrek’ and branding the whole look as ‘disturbing’.
‘Whatever role is requiring Henry Cavill to sport a mustache for so long had better be in the best f***ing movie ever to justify that,’ added another user.
For some, however, the obvious CGI just made the whole watching experience more enjoyable.
‘Justice League’s attempt to hide Henry Cavill’s mustache with CGI is everything you’ve hoped it would be,’ one fan wrote, while another joked that the appearance of the ‘CGI mustache mouth’ should be turned into a drinking game.