By This video makes sad, and there are two very-different-but-basically-the-same reasons for it. One is the fact that I was reminded by how unrealistic the CGI is in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Seriously, it’s awful. What’s much sadder is just how poorly Andy Serkis’s performance translated during the ape-ification. In my review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I said:
Easily the best aspect of the CG is the way Caesar’s face reflects the (amazing) performance by Andy Serkis. His performance is absolutely the best thing about the film, and even when I didn’t believe that Caesar was in the room with them, I could connect with him on an emotional level. The performance capture technology is truly incredible.
I take it all back. As bizarre as it is to watch, Andy Serkis’s real-life performance is leagues beyond what the final film showed. I scoffed at the idea of giving Serkis an Oscar for his performance, because I thought:
As nice as it would be, there’s no reason to believe that the exact performance made it to the screen. Everything in that movie was digitally tweaked into oblivion, and there are obviously moments where Andy Serkis was not actually Caesar (for example, when he’s climbing trees), and I doubt that Serkis’s face made a perfect transition to digital every time.
Well… I was right, but for all the wrong reasons. They did exactly the opposite of what I imagined. His performance is legitimately Oscar-worthy. Unfortunately, that performance did not make it into the film, which I think should disqualify him from the running. He should learn from this experience and start acting as an actual human so he can win some actual awards. He’s pretty awesome at it. Have you played Enslaved: Oddysey to the West? You should. It’s got human Andy Serkis in it. He’s awesome.
[HitFix, Via Collider]