10 Best Motion Capture Performances

8. Benedict Cumberbatch As Smaug (The Hobbit Trilogy)

Hobbit Gollum Serkis
New Line Cinema

The Hobbit Trilogy was an unworthy successor (or predecessor?) to the groundbreaking Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was bloated, uninspired and uncomfortable to look at due to the choice to film it in 48 frames per second; giving the film an ugly sheen that lacked the tangibility and realism of what came before.

That said, arguably one of the trilogy's redeeming features was the giant dragon Smaug, wonderfully played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Aside from Martin Freeman's Bilbo, Smaug seemed to be the one character given any kind of effort and thought to realize. The VFX used to bring Smaug to life was cutting-edge but Cumberbatch really brought his A-game to the film.

He imbued Smaug with a booming voice that was the right blend of regal and hammy, and his dynamic facial expressions were flawlessly translated to Smaug's own visage. What really elevated Smaug though, was his sense of pride and greed, traits that Cumberbatch perfectly encapsulated. The dragon saw himself above everything else and was fiercely protective of his belongings; qualities that are seen throughout the Middle Earth saga.

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