Part of the problem is that the acting cannot be divorced from the direction and instruction the actor receives. The two are intrinsically linked because, obviously, they have a HUGE impact on the final result (see Casper's remarks about "Tominospeak"). Some of why the generic 'I don't like the voice acting' complaints grate on me is specifically because they could just be complaining about the direction they went in rather than the actual acting. And of course, the casting itself is a whole 'nother ball of wax (though great actors can make any role work even when they're playing something completely against type).
And then there's the script itself. Trying to act "naturally" when you're using a dialect that's so alien from your own that it may as well be another language is not even remotely an easy task. You might not even have a conception for what a 'natural' sound for that particular character would be, because they don't exist and no living individual exists who speaks like that.
On the other hand, maybe I just have really low standards. Growing up, I listened to a lot of wooden acting and LOADS of kids who just... couldn't... read out loud worth a damn. Pausing every other word, over or underenunciating, not even being able to project even the slightest amount of emotion... it's pretty funny in retrospect how much better-read I was than pretty much everyone else. Funny... and pretty sad, for that matter. That experience colors my perceptions and I now consider pretty much anything that isn't blatantly over-acted or completely awful to be adequate, and anything that sounds even a little bit natural to be 'good'.
All that being said, great acting still definitely gets a rise out of me. But I don't expect it, and frankly, no one should, because it requires extraordinary circumstances with extraordinary people and an extraordinary story with an equally extraordinary script. Too many mitigating factors for that to happen more often than once in a blue moon. As long as things aren't grating or boring me to tears, I'm happy enough.
And then there's the script itself. Trying to act "naturally" when you're using a dialect that's so alien from your own that it may as well be another language is not even remotely an easy task. You might not even have a conception for what a 'natural' sound for that particular character would be, because they don't exist and no living individual exists who speaks like that.
On the other hand, maybe I just have really low standards. Growing up, I listened to a lot of wooden acting and LOADS of kids who just... couldn't... read out loud worth a damn. Pausing every other word, over or underenunciating, not even being able to project even the slightest amount of emotion... it's pretty funny in retrospect how much better-read I was than pretty much everyone else. Funny... and pretty sad, for that matter. That experience colors my perceptions and I now consider pretty much anything that isn't blatantly over-acted or completely awful to be adequate, and anything that sounds even a little bit natural to be 'good'.
All that being said, great acting still definitely gets a rise out of me. But I don't expect it, and frankly, no one should, because it requires extraordinary circumstances with extraordinary people and an extraordinary story with an equally extraordinary script. Too many mitigating factors for that to happen more often than once in a blue moon. As long as things aren't grating or boring me to tears, I'm happy enough.
