As technology advances, the special effects created through computers become more and more unbelievable.

t's hard to believe that the fight scenes in movies such as Spider-Man can be so exciting, or that viewers get so attached to Gollum in the Lord of the Rings movies, even though what's on the screen is essentially the result of a bunch of ones and zeros.

Despite these advances, it's still hard for filmmakers to create an entire virtual world that audiences want to see.

One of the most recent examples of this was Beowulf director Robert Zemeckis’ version of the ancient legend. The movie, aside from being a horrible retelling of the story, failed to connect to some audiences because the world that Zemeckis created was too fake.

The technique used on Beowulf involved taking the actors’ performances and animating over them, creating a frightening effect where the characters seemed to have hollow eyes and very little soul.

Last weekend, the Wachowski Brothers' Speed Racer opened to both critical and commercial failure. Although the actors in Speed Racer were still live action, the race scenes were horrible computer animation.

If I had to guess, most audiences were probably turned off by the fact that it seemed as if the races lacked the dramatic weight of Cars.

So how is it that filmmakers such as Zemeckis and the Wachowskis can't make a movie as exciting as a cartoon? Because instead of using computer effects to enhance the movie, filmmakers just used computers to fill in for their lack of storytelling.

The reason that Gollum is so compelling is not just because he's a computer creation. It's because the story of Gollum is so sad that the expressions on his face just enhance it.

None of that is evident in Beowulf, where the hero's lust for women — his supposed Achilles' heel — is something of an afterthought. It barely comes through the animation.

The more filmmakers use computers for special effects, the more amazing the special effects have become. But if the effects become the substitution for actual stories, films are in for a lot of trouble. Ethan Goldsmith is a junior video production major and a columnist for The Post. Send him an e-mail at eg973705@ohiou.edu.