Legendary actor Andy Serkis is well-regarded for many of his motion capture performances. He is known today for his seminal performance as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies.
To this day, many performances have gone unnoticed during the awards season. The rare exception was Andy Serkis’ February 2020 BAFTA award for his contributions to film. Aside from that, the big-time awards including the Oscars and the Golden Globes have yet to extend an actor their proper due. The first actor and performance that comes to mind is…
Jason Cope as Christopher Johnson in ‘District 9’
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The directorial debut of South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp was the sobering science fiction narrative District 9 based in his home country. Starring a then-relatively unknown Sharlto Copley as a field agent of one of the nation’s weapons manufacturing companies, the film features Copley’s character discovering how rough the other half lives when meeting Cope’s motion capture performance as Christopher Johnson. Johnson stars as one of the main aliens who have begun living in South Africa and works together with Copley once the agent gets infected with a strange virus.
While Johnson only communicates through his species’ language, the body language and expressiveness of Jason Cope create a mesmerizing performance that makes viewers forget that he’s playing an extraterrestrial humanoid. The film itself was produced by Lord of the Rings and Hobbit director Peter Jackson. It received near-universal critical acclaim for its social commentary, Copley’s amazing acting, and Blomkamp’s strong freshman efforts.
It received four Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects. It also received a Best Screenplay nomination at the Golden Globes. However, none of the awards shows gave a nomination for Cope’s commanding presence and his sobering subtlety as Johnson. The next underrated motion capture performance is…
James Spader as Ultron in ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’
As a follow-up baddie to Tom Hiddleston’s captivating portrayal of Loki in the first Avengers film, Ultron proved to hold his own. While his motion capture performance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe was relegated to Age of Ultron, Spader’s chilling line delivery as the menacing artificial intelligence set out to destroy all of humanity was played perfectly. Listening to his take on Pinocchio’s Got No Strings shakes you to your core and makes you hang on to his every word.
The exchanges between him and virtually any cast member is insanely entertaining. In retrospect, the joke-to-plot ratio was unusually high in this film, but Spader’s charisma and energy still breathe new life into the less entertaining scenes. Take the scene where Ultron tracks down South African arms dealer Ulysses Klaue (played by Andy Serkis!) to the Salvage Yard.
He catches him by surprise and runs the damn show. There’s a quip or two involving some dismemberment and comparisons to Tony Stark. But he still gets back to his point until the Earth’s mightiest heroes drop in to save the day. Also, the last few scenes with him and Paul Bettany’s own partial motion capture performane as Vision are poignant.
Josh Brolin as Thanos in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’
It’s a sheer coincidence that all these actors have names starting with a J. Honest.
The last motion capture performance that was omitted from many award show acting categories was Josh Brolin as Thanos. The Mad Titan Thanos was a villain everyone and their mother knew would be the Avengers’ next big threat post-Loki, post-Ultron, and then post-each other. Each step along the way leading up to Infinity War proved to be worth the wait. Standing at 8 feet, 3 inches, Josh’s motion capture performance of the genocidal Titan from Titan held his own against the strongest of the mighty heroes. His commanding baritone and extensive combat training made him a nightmare that not even the Hulk was able to subdue.
As if being a buff brute wasn’t enough, Brolin’s quieter scenes as Thanos (mainly those with his adopted daughter, Gamora) proved he was also able to tug on the heartstrings. It showcased pathos and a sense of genuine sadness when the odds weren’t in his favor. He sympathizes with the Scarlet Witch having to kill Vision, he openly cries realizing he has to kill Gamora, and even admires Starlord when Peter hesitates to kill Gamora.
Listening to Thanos’ opening monologue gives instant chills. Every time. Come award season, Brolin did receive a Saturn Award and MTV Movie & TV award for his jaw-dropping turn as Thanos but nothing more.
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