Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis
Release Date: July 11, 2014
When Rise of the Planet of the Apes
came out back in 2011, I must admit, I didn't think it was going to be a
hit. After all, reboots for the most part do tend to disappoint here
and there. But Rupert Wyatt, James Franco and the rest of the cast
completely shocked me with the film they put out and I firmly believed
that Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one the best reboots to a franchise ever. Just when Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
was set to release, Wyatt left the project due to the rushed production schedule. RED
LIGHT! The man I have just praised for directing one of the best reboots
in a franchise's history is now leaving it? Time to expect a bad cliché sequel.
But the replacement that was chosen was the right choice, Matt Reeves.
His last two films Cloverfield and Let Me In were
good enough (both received a grade at minimum of 75% on the Tomatometer
on Rotten Tomatoes) to make me regain confidence in the franchise. But
will Reeves' impressive resume continue the successive rebirth of the Planet of the Apes trilogy?
A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) is
threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus
unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves
short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will
determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.
The
opening scene gives you a great taste of what you're about to experience. There are nearly no words spoken between the apes but you have a
good sense of what the relationship is between them as they partake
in an animal hunt. Reeves and the screenwriters does an amazing job
defining every relationship and how the humans and apes feel about each
other. In the first film, the relationship between human and primate is
what draws our attention but in this film it demands it by making it
more engaging than ever. We are given Caesar, who wants to trust the
humans due to the relationship he had with Will Rodman (James Franco) in the first film and we are given Koba (Toby Kebbell)
who wants nothing to do with them due to being subjected to animal
testing. That alone creates another interesting relationship between the
two primates as they go through their own trust battles. The opening
scene was impressive and very enjoyable but the other two fight scenes
in the film tops it and will have your eyes wide open throughout each.
As
for the visuals, it’s hard not to be impressed with
the lifelike CGI apes but the WETA team brought it up an extra notch with the effects being better. But it was not only the visuals that made
the apes so amazing but the actors who played the roles. Serkis and
Kebbell's commitment to the roles were truly amazing, especially in the
second half of the film when Koba becomes more aggressive and violent.
The combination of the two makes everything about the apes flawless and
secretly makes you wish that the WETA team made the horses CGI as well
for the next film.
As the primates impressed, unfortunately the human
actors did not follow suit but on their behalf it is not totally their
fault. Perfect example was the usage of Dreyfus (Gary Oldman),
he is gone for huge chunks for the film. Which makes you wonder, why
cast such a talented actor if you aren't going to use him as much as
you can?
Overall, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has everything you want in a film: great visuals, acting and story.
If there was anything I would have changed about the film it would be the length
of the final battle scene and the usage of some of the human actors, but
even then I should remember that the film isn't called "Dawn of the Planet of the Humans" for a reason. I highly recommend you see this film when it hit theaters as you will truly not be disappointed.
Labels: 2014, Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Full Movie, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Matt Reeves, Movie Review
