I havn't investigated MR much, because I don't want to get attached to it, then when it expires, be forced to go out and buy it.
Personaly, I don't have that kind of money right now...
I use proper lighting, and if need be, GIJoe2.0 because, well, it will be free forever.
MR is great and all, but like John Knoll said,
"We fake as much as we can to pull-off the shot to get it to George on time."
Even ILM "fakes" GI on most of their GI work.
It's just takes too long to use full-on GI in production right now.
So, for me, proper lighting, shading, and if need be, GIJoe2.0 is what I use.
I do agree with Darkon that proper scene science and investigation of the environment will help you achive better, and more realistic shots.
...of course, I just could be on crack
Israel "Izzy" Long
Motion and Title Design for Broadcast-Film-DS
izzylong.com