I have often told people that the magic of movies was killed off by computers. The ingenuity it took to pull off effects is extinct. You will never hear someone say, as they walk out if a theater: “Geez, how did they DO that?!”
Kids are amazed if you show them a Keaton or Lloyd movie and say “yes, they really did that stunt - it wasn’t created by CGI.” Of course, the problem with CGI is that is looks so unbelievably phony. Even watching the spectaculars from the 50s like “The Ten Commandments,” show enormous energy and talent to create those effects.
I’ve been playing with 3D effects for years, and I routinely ask “how did they do that?!”
Anyone who thinks the computer does all the work has no idea what they’re talking about. It takes an enormous amount of work and creativity to pull some of this stuff off. That doesn’t detract from the old school special effects stuff, it’s just different.