I've always felt that if a special effect is supposed to convey something that is out of this world and unnatural, going 100% realistic would be the wrong answer. I'd say that having to pick their battles when spreading the budget across multiple vfx shots and then being forced into the position of having to embrace a shitty effect is a bit of a blessing in this case.
Similarly to having awkward vfx, you have lots of awkward dialog and editing choices in his work that also "take you out of the film". I'd actually love to see video games incorporate some of this approach some day.
Another movie that has unrealistic cg is Speed Racer and that move is awesome! Even though that is more of a real life cartoon, not a real life shampoo ad with blood and other shameful bodily fluids all over it as it's wrapping a bit of a corpse floating down a small town river, like Twin Peaks is.