I agree. So often (but not always) CGI feels like a "cheat" (Gladiator II is a good recent example). My rule of thumb with CGI is that it should be only used for things that absolutely cannot be filmed in camera (Balrogs for instance - that so much of The Lord of the Rings is practical and physical is one key reason why those films have stood the test of time). If that means raking sand to remove footprints between takes (ala Lawrence of Arabia) then do it, budgets be damned. :)