Max Rambles has thrown down the Worthington-hating gauntlet, and I am ready to pick it up. Someone has to defend our cement-mugged hero, so here goes.
I TOLERATE SAM WORTHINGTON
Why do people hate Sam Worthington for the sins of his directors (and screenwriters?) He's a competent actor, who had the misfortune of being saddled with some of the worst dialogue committed to screen since Lucas stopped making prequels. Take his work in Terminator, particularly the Lifetime Terminators for Women scene by the campfire. You could try replacing him with any great actor from past to present, Olivier to Day Lewis and even they would look ridiculous trying to emote with a former Lakers girl snuggled in their armpit.
Or Avatar. He's so barely on screen with his real face, that hating on him in the movie is kind of like hating on the various voice actors in Disney movies. Now, I don't remember much of the movie because I was too busy fighting Imax and 3D-derived nausea to follow the plot (such as it was,) but I remember being impressed by Worthington's earlier scenes conveying wonder at being able to float weightlessly in space and bitterness at being earth and chair-bound the rest of the time. It even broke through the thin veneer of CGI that covered everything in that movie.
I haven't seen Clash of the Titans yet, because I just don't have the constitution for another 3D "experience." But it seems like he's the least of that movie's problems, considering the supposedly god-awful 3D conversion it has suffered. At least he's no Harry Hamlin. Thanks to his bricklaying background, Worthington at least looks like he can lift a sword. And thanks to his buzz cut, I'm not concerned he's rent a small tear in the ozone layer, like a certain Hamlin bouffant.
I find Worthington to be a good compromise between the 'roided-up dude stars of yesteryear and the current crop of baby-faced actors I'm supposed to take seriously as men of action. I am a 5"1-inch person who loses daily battles against jar lids, but I still think I can take on Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Possibly at the same time. I'm not so eager to cross Sam Worthington though. In short, he's Bruce Willis with a soul graft.
Even if your personal feelings differ though, I think we can all agree that judging based on three movies that, shall we say, offer little material for the actor's craft is a little harsh. Let him appear in something that wasn't filmed in front of the green screen and let's see what he can do. If not that, maybe we can least find him an action film that hasn't had a lobotomy, so we can see whether he's the next Harrison Ford - or just another Mark Hamill.
3 comments:
I'd be more defensive towards your blatant attack if your conclusion wasn't so equivocatory. Tolerable? That's less a rejection than a more measured reiteration. I won't argue that he's more painfully mediocre than outright awful, it's just the fact that he keeps getting such major roles and flooding the public consciousness that bothers me. It's illogical and perplexing. If I were a robot his career would make my head explode.
To be honest I think Kat made the best point when she and I discussed this over dinner: don't hate on Sam Worthington, give serious props to his agent.
I totally saw "Clash of the Titans" with Andrew. Both of us refused to see it in 3-D, so that worked out well. The movie was pretty awful, but I went in wanting to turn my brain off, and the movie did just that. Good job "Clash of the Titans".
Max is right. Sam Worthington is not a good actor. In fact, he's terrible. He literally sucks the life out of every scene, of every film he's in. I'm also perplexed how someone that came out of nowhere, that few people know, keeps getting such huge roles. His agent is certainly earning his keep.
But let's be honest. This is Hollywood, the industry that continue to pump out sequels to shit. I look at some of the films these buffoons green light and I scratch my head in disbelief.
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