I partially agree with you, but I think your perception is more valid for some of the clips than others. I agree that the fixed shots, such as the younger indian soldier, are kind of dead, less compelling, and draw attention to the mouth. In contrast, that first clip isn't bad. I'm just getting started with this new branch, and I'm already learning a lot about how to "lean into" what's working with the lipsync, which will make a big difference. Once I've got a bit of experience with what works better and worse, I can create scenes specifically meant to work well with it, unlike these scenes which were fabricated before I installed the new tech.
Dead eyes are a problem in a lot of animation, and the dark haired girl and indian guy near the end are prime examples. I do actually have some tech that helps enhance eyes specifically, but I did not use it in this reel.
While nothing is perfect yet, what I do have now is the ability to tell stories, to render scripts into animated films. The quality and finesse can be increased iteratively, now that the system is working. Anyway, time to make this movie!
As far as my eyes going straight to the mouth, I'm not having that issue, but what I do stare at constantly is every tiny rotoscope error, every little flicker of an edge. I've already spent weeks getting that more solid, but it really needs to be 100% perfect at all times.