Motion capture: from those dead eyes to Andy Serkis, six reasons to love it

The defining aspect of a motion capture film is that, at last, it enables every character to have truly lifeless eyes. A film about a train driver who doles out creepy advice to children all day, The Polar Express led the way.

Will Spielberg's Tintin be another one-way ticket into the Uncanny Valley? Stuart Heritage doesn't care; here are his reasons to love motion capture

Dead eyes

The defining aspect of a motion capture film is that, at last, it enables every character to have truly lifeless eyes. A film about a train driver who doles out creepy advice to children all day, The Polar Express led the way.

Eerie Resemblance

Beowulf. Photograph: Allstar

Characters should look a bit – but not quite – like those playing them. Results vary: Grendel's mother in Beowulf is a good Angelina Jolie, but Tom Hanks in The Polar Express looked like a haunted pillow filled with raisins.

Robert Zemeckis

Robert Zemeckis. Photograph: Fran ois Duhamel/Sygma/Corbis

A massive motion capture convert, Robert Zemeckis has ditched live action dross like Back To The Future in favour of lots of movies with disembodied, strangely weightless characters. Now that's progress.

Andy Serkis

Andy 'Gollum' Serkis. Photograph: Absolute Film Archive

Andy Serkis was once known for small parts in Kavanagh QC. Mocap changed all that. Need someone to play a monkey? Call Serkis. Need a swamp mutant? Call Serkis. Need another monkey? You get the drill by now …

Non-graphic sex

Avatar. Photograph: Rex

Showing sex in a live action film can be a bit risky – what with all that moaning and flapping around. Avatar proved that mocap can neatly circumvent the problem by allowing aliens to just tie their hair together and vibrate it a bit. You didn't even see anything going in.

Europe goes Hollywood

Tintin. Photograph: LMK

Animated takes on European comics are notoriously bad – usually harrowingly inept claymation. But now Spielberg has done Tintin, maybe it'll be Asterix next. Or Lucky Luke. Or Príhody Malého Boha. Whoevs.

The Adventures Of Tintin is out on Wednesday

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