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10 Best Motion Capture Movie Performances: From Andy Serkis to Zoe Saldaa

The evolution of film is unstoppable, including the development of utilizing motion capture performances, even if Hollywood hasn’t fully accepted it yet. In celebration of actor, director and producer Andy Serkis’ birthday, who brought the movement to new heights with exceptional performances in several tentpole franchises including “The Lord of the Rings” and “Planet of the Apes,” we’re ranking the 10 best motion capture turns in the medium thus far.

Any CGI character can be included in a narrative utilizing the wizardly tactics of visual effects artists, but an actor’s movement and voice are often needed to elevate the optical aspects of the personality, adding a layer of depth to the story that would be missing otherwise. Motion capture is extremely difficult but the entertainment industry at large hasn’t fully embraced its place in the medium, often paying the actors much less and no major awards body recognizing it as its own category.

A hot topic since the early 2000s, critics and industry professionals have circled the debate around awards season. Serkis has had mild attempts of breaking through; he was given a special digital acting performance award at the Critics Choice Awards for his turn as Gollum in “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002). Nearly a decade later, he was thrust into the Oscar conversation when he picked up a best supporting actor nomination for his work as Caesar, the evolved chimpanzee in Rupert Wyatt’s invigorating “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011).  Finding recognition alongside the likes of Kenneth Branagh (“My Week with Marilyn”), Nick Nolte (“Warrior”) and eventual winner Christopher Plummer (“Beginners”), his nom marks the first and only major recognition for the acting art form.

While an old-school bias has prevented motion-capture actors from being taken seriously, as the Academy continues to diversify its membership and accept new types of films into its inner circle, perhaps a digital performance by an actor in the future will knock their socks off, leaving them no choice but to hand over the gold statuette for a masterclass in simulation.

Down below is the list of the 10 best motion capture performances.

Honorable mentions: Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”), Idris Elba (“The Jungle Book”), Toby Jones (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), Seth MacFarlane (“Ted”), Bill Nighy (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”), Lupita Nyong’o (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens”), Mark Ruffalo (“The Avengers”), Andy Serkis (“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”)

  • Rosa Salazar in Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

    Role: Alita
    Film: “Alita: Battle Angel” (2019)

    Director: Robert Rodriguez
    Producers    : James Cameron, Jon Landau, David Valdes
    Distributor: 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)

    The scene that proves it: “Because I love you.”

    There’s plenty of criticisms for the adaptation of the Japanese series by Yukito Kishiro’s big-screen treatment, but the performance of Canadian-born actress Rosa Salazar isn’t one of them. Her turn as the cyborg suffering from amnesia is fully executed and realized through her movements and tearful eyes. All the complexities of her work shine in every frame she inhabits, even if the overbearing digital imagery drowns out her emotional beats.

    Link to Variety review

  • Alan Tudyk in I, Robot (2004)

    Role: Sonny
    Film: “I, Robot” (2004)

    Director: Alex Proyas
    Producers    : Laurence Mark, John Davis, Topher Dow, Wyck Godfrey
    Distributor: 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)

    The scene that proves it: “Sonny’s interrogation.”

    The story of a homicide detective (played by Will Smith), the underrated outing of actor Alan Tudyk displays a sensational range, keeping the audience on its toes, straddling the line between trust and misunderstanding. The film received mixed reviews from critics for its watered-down approach to the short stories by Isaac Asimov. Still, Tudyk’s soft voice inflections and calming movements are well worth recognizing.

    Link to Variety review

  • Tye Sheridan in Ready Player One (2018)

    Role: Wade Watts / Parzival
    Film: “Ready Player One” (2018)

    Director: Steven Spielberg
    Producers    : Donald De Line, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg, Dan Farah
    Distributor: Warner Bros

    The scene that proves it: “Parzival gets the egg.”

    Young Tye Sheridan has been an up-and-coming force for some time now, with memorable turns in films like “The Tree of Life” (2011) from Terrence Malick and “Mud” (2012) from Jeff Nichols. Jumping into the lead seat of the father of blockbuster cinema Steven Spielberg, he more than carries the film over the finish line with his heartbreaking eyes and movie star good looks. As he maneuvers in the video game world, searching for the “golden egg,” he’s able to lay his personal inflections in his conversations with greats like Oscar-winner Mark Rylance and Ben Mendelsohn, even managing to bring out the chuckles with counterparts like Lena Waithe and the young Philip Zhao.

    Link to Variety review

  • Jason Cope in District 9 (2009)

    Role: Christopher Johnson / Grey Bradnam
    Film: “District 9″ (2018)

    Director: Neill Blomkamp
    Producers    : Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham
    Distributor: TriStar Pictures

    The scene that proves it: “Eviction.”

    I’m not sure if the Oscar-loving community knows how lucky we are to have seen a film like the sci-fi treasure “District 9” get recognized for best picture. Viscerally and humanly constructed, Jason Cope plays Christopher Johnson, a prawn who assists Wikus (played amazingly by Sharlto Copley) in rising up and fighting against the Multinational United (MNU). While the subtitles provide insight into his thinking, Cope performed all the speaking parts for the aliens. It’s his commitment to the actions that allow the viewer to find a connection with his alien son CJ, and the growing and mutual respect with Wikus.

    Link to Variety review

  • Andy Serkis in King Kong (2005)

    Role: Kong
    Film: “King Kong (2005)

    Director: Peter Jackson
    Producers    : Jan Blenkin, Carolynne Cunningham, Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
    Distributor: Universal Pictures

    The scene that proves it: “Ann Darrow dancing.”

    Filmmaker Peter Jackson has shown his marvelous ways of building worlds and having his actors interact with them. Marking the second remake of the 1933 classic, we’re able to see the soulful exchange between woman and ape, thanks to the devoted gestures and facial expressions of Andy Serkis and heart-rending eyes and charisma of Naomi Watts, both of which were well worthy of Oscar consideration. Serkis digs to Kong’s roar, playful nature and undying devotion to the woman of his dreams, which ultimately leads to his big-city demise.

    While the spectacle was more than impressive, winning three Academy Awards for sound mixing, sound editing and visual effects, the bloated runtime remains its greatest misstep.

    Link to Variety review

  • Andy Serkis in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

    Role: Caesar
    Film: “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011)

    Director: Rupert Wyatt
    Producers    : Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
    Distributor: 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)

    The scene that proves it: “Caesar is home.”

    Rupert Wyatt’s wildly entertaining and undervalued franchise is dynamically slick and emotionally sound thanks to the anchor that is Andy Serkis’ fathomless portrayal of Caesar, the evolved ape and eventual leader of the Ape Army. While he offers his range of measures in the sequels “Dawn” and “War,” it’s his work in “Rise” that has him grappling with his place in the worlds between man and beast. Serkis elevates the movements that had him so singular to “King Kong” instead, finding common ground and heightened differences between our most closely aligned animal. Stoic in expressions, it’s the final exchange between him and former owner Will (James Franco) in which he encapsulates the themes and action beats that led them to this crossroads.

    Link to Variety review

  • Zoe Saldana in Avatar (2009)

    Role: Neytiri
    Film: “Avatar” (2009)

    Director: James Cameron
    Producers    : James Cameron, Jon Landau
    Distributor: 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)

    The scene that proves it: “I see you.”

    While the script and dialogue of the current highest-grossing film of all time (depending on the current state of the re-release battle between this and “Avengers: Endgame”) may make you cringe, the passion of Zoe Saldana doesn’t allow it to tank the entire experience. As the future leader and daughter of the Na’vi clan, she slides into her performance capture with just as much ferocity as you would find in any love drama, minus the digital makeup. Saldana’s final hero shot to badass Colonel Quaritch (totally owned by Stephen Lang) is the sultry and strong female lead-types we like to see in the science-fiction genre.

    Link to Variety review

  • Toby Kebbell in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

    Role: Koba
    Film: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” (2014)

    Director: Matt Reeves
    Producers    : Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
    Distributor: 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios)

    The scene that proves it: “Tricking the humans”

    The villainous turn of Toby Kebbell marks one of the best and criminally undervalued in the genre. As Koba, Caesar’s treacherous lieutenant and scarred pygmy chimpanzee, he shows the dark nature that’s been embedded from his pre-evolution days, unable to shake the horror of a past he feels is an inevitable future unless the apes take action. Hauntingly frightening, he’s able to garner sympathy from the audience, as we see the two sides clashing at every turn.

    Link to Variety review

  • Josh Brolin in Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

    Role: Thanos
    Film: “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

    Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
    Producers    : Kevin Feige
    Distributor: Marvel Studios

    The scene that proves it: “Getting the soul stone.”

    Academy Award nominee Josh Brolin’s (“Milk”) long-awaited entry into the MCU as the sophisticatedly evil Thanos is the single best villain of the entire cinematic universe. A deeply realized motivation, that’s lacked in many of the early superhero entries, Brolin offers up demented reasoning for wanting to extinguish half of all living things (until it’s disappointedly abandoned in “Endgame”), giving the weight of his words a larger impact on the viewers. Awards-worthy in every sense, he’s the lively thread that holds the first half of Marvel’s Phase Three conclusion fully together.

    Link to Variety review

  • Andy Serkis in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

    Role: Gollum / Sméagol
    Film: “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002)

    Director: Peter Jackson
    Producers    : Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Barrie M. Osborne
    Distributor: New Line Cinema

    The scene that proves it: “Gollum and Sméagol conversation.”

    Andy Serkis invented and then reinvented the game with his performance as the diabolical and mischievous Gollum (a.k.a. Sméagol) in the second part of Peter Jackson’s fantasy trilogy. While some see “The Lord of the Rings” as one single film, others (like myself) see it as three separate entities, all with the merits and flaws on their individual outings. Serkis’ turn in “The Two Towers” is his best outing as the franchise, adding the fearful elements of the story and acting as the wedge between Frodo and Sam (Elijah Wood and Sean Astin). As the dual-personality has audible conflicts with himself and what actions he should take next, Serkis can give some semblance of hope that our little, oddly lovable victim to the ring could make a turn to the light by film’s end.

    Unfortunately, with a finger and a bed of lava, “The Return of the King” answers that definitive question.

    Link to Variety review

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