I don't care so much about "how they look", but D&D has always had that specific Magic Missile quirkiness that these precious lil' projectiles will always hit, with the exception of a shield spell blocking them, if you just see the monster's foot, tail or other member sticking out.
It's a rather iconic and well known spell unique to D&D, and ought to play out properly. I don't think they need to change the visuals so much, as the results.
