The Best and Worst of Andy Serkis

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "War for the Planet of the Apes" star Andy Serkis

Films starring Andy Serkis that I've seen:
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
King Kong
Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker
The Prestige 
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Arthur Christmas 
The Adventures of Tintin
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Star Wars: The Force Awakens   

Best Performance: Lord of the Rings Franchise (2001-2003)
I'm not going to front, I think the Lord of the Rings trilogy is pretty overrated. However, Serkis' portrayal of Gollum/Smeagol is nothing short of phenomenal. Serkis' committed performance as the centuries-old Hobbit that was corrupted by the power of the titular ring help make his unstable character the most compelling and intimidating antagonist to appear in the trilogy.

Worst Performance: King Kong (2005)
King Kong marked the first time I saw Serkis appear on screen as an actual human being and within 30 seconds of him appearing on screen, I wished he'd stuck to his motion capture wheelhouse. Serkis' cringeworthy Popeye impression is one of the many reasons that Peter Jackson's King Kong remake turned out to be a catastrophic shitfest. 

Best Film: Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Sci-fi director extraordinaire J.J. Abrams pulled off one of his most impressive feats to-date by bringing great characters and the sense of spectacle back to the Star Wars franchise. While the film is more or less a remake of A New Hope, Force Awakens was the first (and to this point, only) "modern" Star Wars film that was able to successfully recreate the vibrant, fun vibe of the original trilogy.   

Worst Film: King Kong (2005) 
And here lies the start of the shocking, often embarrassing career tailspin of Peter Jackson. The former cult horror director/man behind the beloved Lord of the Rings trilogy lost his mind and flare for making films that contain any sort of entertainment value when he decided to reboot King Kong. Jackson's tedious blockbuster is heavy on dull storytelling and horrific acting, and low on anything that involves giant monster combat or keeping the audience from falling into a deep sleep. Even with the healthy amount of shit "event" films that have come out in the nearly 12 years since King Kong was released, I haven't seen another mega-budgeted spectacle fail as spectacularly as this.    
  
Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "Dunkirk" star Cillian Murphy.