I think he's very good, but I find him so attractive that I don't trust my judgment, if you know what I mean.
shareNo he is a pretty bad actor at least in this show. He has the charisma of a tree branch.
shareOh I completely agree filmtenk, I cringe whenever his mousy face is on screen.
Just the tip?
Just the tip.
Just the tip! -Sterling Archer
I'm not sure I agree that he's bad in this, but then again, he could be. Appreciate the help.
shareGo watch him in roles where he's unnattractive (which is one hell of a feat for him) Bigga Than Ben and Killing Bono and decide. Only times I haven't been distracted by his looks (and subsequently realized, yes, he can act).
shareGo watch him in roles where he's unnattractive (which is one hell of a feat for him) Bigga Than Ben and Killing Bono and decide. Only times I haven't been distracted by his looks (and subsequently realized, yes, he can act).
Full disclosure: I've been a fan for a few years now. I have "sat through" some of his earlier work and endured it (lol. And not necessarily because his portrayals weren't good, but some of the material...*shrug*) because, well, he's beautiful. I enjoyed those two performances because I could objectively say it wasn't about his looks at all in them. But I have also watched his development as an actor, and can say with confidence that this was very good. I'm happy to see work where he's both um, lovely to look at and doing a fine acting job (e.g., SOL and do check out By the Gun). I think he's put in stronger performances each time, and am really rooting for him and his career.
shareIt's on my list. I just watched Dorian Gray on Imdb (free but has commercials)
http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi2585372697?ref_=nm_rvd_vi_1
and oddly enough considering the subject matter, I didn't think he was that attractive, not like SOL. Don't get me wrong, he was gorgeous but I guess I prefer the more rugged look.
I was reading some reviews of SOL and one said
"Sam’s commitment to the colonists’ rights and, eventually, their independence is stated but barely felt. As played by Barnes, Sam mostly seems concerned with making sure that his camera angles and lighting are flattering."
Ouch. I didn't get that impression at all. Thanks for the suggestions, I'm looking forward to seeing more of his films.
He was pretty then, more grown up handsome now. As for the review, meh. I suspect some will be critical no matter what because they refuse to get past the fact that the real Sam Adams was a plain-looking guy with a gut. And frankly, I've seen some male viewers with their panties twisted severely up because the male lead has the audacity to be good looking. This will not stand! Boo hoo.
shareI certainly didn't think he was a bad actor. I think the way the character was written might be at fault. I think the writers had to cram six years and some very strong personalities into six hours, without time to go too in-depth for any one character. Therefore they all seemed a little shallow and not well developed.
shareIt was 6 hours with commercials. Only about 4.5 hours of actual show. In cases like this, I don't think they really need to develop the characters too much. The fictionalized account of the events leading to the revolution were the focus. Anyone who wants to can get all the info they want about the characters.
shareI don't think Ben is unattractive in any of his roles!! nevertheless, he is a very good actor and works very hard at his craft. People need to stop being trolls!
shareI see exactly what the OP means... I personally really adore Ben Barnes "offscreen" (I mean, in interviews and so on).
Not only is he gorgeous, he is also funny, clever, subtle, and generally extremely endearing. He seems like a very authentic, lovely person. He also seems like someone who takes things to heart and will work hard on his projects.
You can also add to this the fact that he is multi-talented (his singing is really quite impressive, especially if you look at the diversity, between the jazzy-1920s songs of Easy Virtue, the rock songs of Killing Bono, and the latest song that has been released that sounds much more like country music).
In spite of all this, I cannot say I am totally convinced by his films so far... Somehow, I don't think he has been offered a lot of interesting things to do. And to be honest, I have watched most of his movies mostly because he was in them. And while a couple of them were definitely not bad (Prince Caspian was fun, Easy Virtue was a nice comedy, Killing Bono was pretty good, and Sons of Liberty was entertaining), I cannot say any of these films were really great, in my opinion.
So, I'm not sure what to say about him as an actor, because just like you, I am distracted by his looks and by the enormous sympathy he inspires in me. Maybe I want him to be good so badly that I cannot truly appreciate him when he is.
I think that actually, he has shown some ability to diversify (for instance with accents, he's really good at this), and he can be pretty good, but I don't feel he's ever been given any really good material to work with.
Prince Caspian was a cute movie, he was perfect as the Prince, but it's not a very interesting role. He was a perfect Dorian Gray, but a lot of choices that were made for this movie (and which had nothing to do with Ben's performance) were in my opinion bad choices, and kind of ruined it (silly plot changes, emphasis on rather tasteless sex scenes, and that awful CGI moving portrait). He was very good in Killing Bono, but the film wasn't quite convincing overall. And in Easy Virtue, he plays his role very well, but the role is precisely to be a too-sweet kind of bland young man, so it kind of typecasts him (and the character is a bit like a caricature of his usual self, too).
As for his recent projects, it pains me to admit it, but The Seventh Son looked so terrible that I didn't even want to see it. I just know I would have hated it, and it would have been painful for me to watch Ben in it.
Sons of Liberty, on the other hand, looked good. And on the whole, it was entertaining, but I was still a little disappointed, especially as far as Ben's part was concerned. First, I do not think this is a very good role for him. I don't think he's at his best as a political leader, trying to impress people with big speeches. I'm also sorry to say that I agree with the critics that say he looks too young for this part. And most of all, the problem with this character was the complete lack of development. For a lead, there was clearly not enough screentime. He was not fleshed out at all. There was barely any real interaction, even the one romantic subplot was given to another guy. I found it hard to see who Sam Adams was supposed to be, or feel any emotional connection to him. I wonder if he wouldn't have been better cast as Dr Warren, as a younger, more romantic lead.
So, yeah, basically, I really think Ben deserves a good career, but so far, even though I love him, I'm still waiting for a really good film, and one that really uses his talent to its full extent. I haven't been lucky enough to see him on stage, though, and I've heard that he'd had good reviews for Birdsong.
Anyway, he is still one of my favourite famous people, it's always a delight to listen to him, and to look at him, so I can only hope he will be in more projects and that these projects will get better and better.
Actually, I'm realizing now that I found him better in the first episode of Sons of Liberty, than in the following ones.
It's as if the focus was supposed to be on him at first (and those initial scenes when he's trying to escape from the British, "These are our streets", the visit to John Adams's house, and so on, that was good stuff). But then, the more the series went on, the less you felt like he was the main character.
The more I think about it, the more I feel my misgivings have to do with the strange writing of the character, much more than Ben's performance.
He starts of as a firebrand, and although it may not be a typical register for Ben, he did well in it.
But then it seems that they forget about him. They give lots of screentime to Dr Warren, who gets the romantic subplot, and so on... And Sam gets kind of left out.
Then, he is left out of most of the fighting too. He is either on the run or trying to be a politician, which he isn't good at.
So, historically, maybe it wouldn't have worked to put him in the middle of the fighting. But the problem is, dramatically, it is not very consistent to characterize him as a firebrand, and then give him no action. Of course I get that they were precisely trying to show us his frustration at all the politics, but the focus wasn't strong enough to make it a very compelling plot. I would have taken more episodes to truly make this work.
I agree with you. I haven't watched Sons of Liberty yet, but like the OP I have this question: just how good of an actor is Ben Barnes?
I had loved Easy Virtue (it's just fun! Though it asks very little of Ben) and in particular Dorian Gray years ago. Both Oscar Wilde... and the nature of Oscar Wilde is wit above depth in my experience - so I find both very entertaining... and in fact, having read The Picture of Dorian Gray not long before I saw the film, I was really quite shocked at how... surface level the story itself is as written. It is very well done, but quite... polished and pertinent and dark... but not really emotional. More, clever - you know? It is a while since I either read book or saw film, but I really liked the film. It wasn't a good enough film to say "Wow, Ben Barnes! What an amazing actor!" And it certainly isn't a great film. But I really like it.
I'd also seen Stardust (one of my very favourite books of everness) and Narnia. But y'know, Ben is not in Stardust enough and Narnia.. just... is.
Anyway, this sets the scene, 'cause it is funny you say you didn't want to see it, but I happened to catch Seventh Son at the cinema. Not for Ben, just by chance, and I saw Ben for the first time in some time. I had no expectations of the film and actually, I enjoyed it! I wouldn't say it is good! Jeff Bridges (!! Of all people!) kept making me laugh/cringe as he does an actual Yoda voice/impression! It is so odd! And the film isn't great... It has moments so bad you shudder... yet at the same time I found it really entertaining and it has this quality to it, like a cult film I thought. I'm pretty sure if it had been made years ago, this would have been a cult film. It reminds me of some of the films considered cult from... I dunno the 80's. Like The Lost Boys or Labyrinth...? Or even like silly films like Legend... which you couldn't call good, but how entertaining! Anyone else feel this way? Anyway, Ben was in it. And I thought just as the OP... wow, Ben is SO beautiful. It is ages since I have seen him. He is distractingly beautiful. And I don't know how good of an actor he is from this, but I certainly know he isn't bad. It made me wonder, why on Earth isn't Ben a bigger name? He is so beautiful for sure and there are certainly worse actors who are more famous.... and he did the Narnia stuff... why no more from there? In my opinion, the film also made it clear how much better he is than someone like Kit Harington as he is also in the same film, and playing basically the forerunner to his character, thus easy to compare (obviously Harington has far less screentime.)
So, I got to thinking... what else has Ben done? And I've since watched Killing Bono and By the Gun. And to be honest, it has left me frustrated more than anything. Because the films just are not good enough. Certainly I see Ben has tried lots of accents. And I see he can act.... I already knew that. But I really, really want to see him be truly great in something so I can feel - yes, Ben is a great actor/has something really special... and I have no idea whether he could be or not because I just haven't seen him in any film that requires that of him. Do any exist? And if they don't, why hasn't he done anything more interesting? Has he never been offered it? I mean, he isn't the worst is all I know. I haven't even seen a film that can show he is even really good. Just nothing he's done has been good enough itself to tell in my opinion.
I hear there is a new film, Jackie and Ryan. I wonder what that's like? I wonder what he's like on stage too. I also love the novel Birdsong. I'd have loved to have seen him in that on stage! I had no idea it had happened.
Well, I didn't answer anything. But I ask: why hasn't he done more interesting roles?
Anyway, not sure why I am replying except to say that I understand. I too am not sure how good of an actor Ben is. I definitely don't think he's awful (though he has certainly been in some awful films!) But also couldn't say he's great.
To me, of the films I have seen, Dorian Gray remains Ben's most impressive role (I think - a while since I watched it)... also because the film is good too (I thought he was fine-good in Killing Bono and By the Gun but Killing Bono was just OK... not at all a good film and I found By the Gun a bad film.) But I think the consensus is that most don't even like Dorian Gray as a film, so...
In conclusion.... someone give Ben an interesting role, please! Is it just us who finds him distractingly beautiful? Is this a reason casting people are put off? Is he too beautiful? haha. ???
Anyway, I wonder what I'll think of this series. I am less excited to try after this post, but we'll see....
He is good, not great. But well enough to be a leading man in films given good direction and script.
I think he could achieve much more as an actor given the opportunity, which would help him perfect his talents. But with his last two box office films being a flop and a direct-to-dvd film with very poor ratings, which were fairly given may I add. I wouldn't expect much.
This was a step up for him, and shows he is capable. Restored my faith in him as actor.
Ben is great with films and characters such as this, delighted to watch him in period films. I think he would do great with more material such as Sons of Liberty, actually Seventh Son was also a role he should have excelled at, but it was doomed and was just well...plain awful. Bad CGI, bad dialogue, bad screen play adaptation of a book.
I think he should build upon his career with more TV roles, maybe some indies, take smaller roles in box office films and slowly step back in to lead roles, but yeah he is good and likable.
Question is how large of an audience have an interest in him? He's likable and attractive, but ppl move on rather quick, I still believe he will be see successful though.
He's already been doing quite a lot of smaller films and indie films, though.
He hadn't been in a big movie for a while, but I don't think coming back with Seventh Son was a very good choice... :(
He's not that good. Handsome?, yes, good actor?... More like a Keanu Reeves wannabe. A pity.
__________
Fire beats roses again
I find him ridiculously attractive in this....and it doesn't hurt that his character is appealing (I love a roguish rebel). Is he good? Yes, but not VERY good. This isn't a top-notch drama, just a solid, entertaining, well-crafted period series. I wouldn't say any of the others were much better.....except Rafe Spall. I know some thought his portrayal was off and/or didn't fit the character but nonetheless it might have been my favorite performance of the series.
But having not seen Ben Barnes in anything before, I can say......*swoon.*