Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
(B+ or 3/4 stars)
8 yrs. after the tumultuous events of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' (from 2011), the simian flu pandemic has spread across Earth, killing most of the human population & plunging the world into a new dark age of chaos in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' (directed by Matt Reeves, Cloverfield, Let Me In). But back in San Francisco's Bay Area, genetically-enhanced Caesar (motion-captured by the brilliant Andy Serkis), his wife, Cornelia (Judy Greer), his adult son Blue Eyes, his newborn baby, his 2nd-in-command, Koba (Toby Kebbell), the wise orangutan Maurice, & the rest of his smart chimp/gorilla/ape friends have flourished; creating a well-oiled, thatched village society deep in the forest in which all apes live, work, & thrive together, abiding by rules that disallow them to kill each other.
Caesar is the clear alpha male, so when a group of unsuspecting human survivors led by engineer Malcolm (Australian actor, Jason Clarke), his artistic son (Kodi Smit-McPhee, Hugo), a pretty CDC doctor (Keri Russell), & a trigger-happy Carver (Kirk Acevedo) stumble upon the ape sanctuary while looking for a hydroelectric-powered dam, it is Caesar who yells "Go!!!" at the bewildered humans. Realizing that the dam is their one-&-only hope to regain power to the humans' colony (outskirts of San Francisco), Malcolm gathers some courage & returns to the forest to ask for the apes' permission to do his all-important research. Koba, who was once a tortured lab chimp, advises Caesar against trusting these humans, but Caesar allows Malcolm's crew to work anyway. Matters seem 'okay' for a while. But tensions steadily rise and, before you know it, tragic circumstances lead to an inevitable all-out war btwn. the humans & the apes.
I gotta say it, this movie is pretty bada**. I have my issues with it, but overall, it's a visually dazzling, intelligent sci-fi actioner that kept me pleasantly 'on edge' throughout. By focusing on the apes at the beginning & the end, the director makes it clear who has the more interesting plotlines. This film's most compelling characters are the apes, particularly Caesar & Koba -- who doesn't trust humans (still carrying physical & emotional scars of lab cruelty) and is also willing to lie, cheat, & steal to start a war with the humans. I also liked Caesar's oldest son, who becomes torn btwn. listening to his thoughtful, more idealistic father & the more straight-shooting, militant Koba. Caesar & Koba are interesting foils, & their love-hate friendship is so more heartbreaking than any of their human counterparts, idealistic Malcolm & straight-shooting Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), who thinks the apes are villains who need to be slaughtered in battle.
In the 2011 film, Caesar related to Will (James Franco) as a son figure. But in this sequel, he & human Malcolm are equals; both fathers trying to do what's best for their sons & their struggling communities. Their friendship is poignant because they represent two voices of reason standing against pure hate. 'Hate' is one of the strong themes in this film, along with civil unrest, loyalty, & co-existence in unharmonious times. Performancewise, how can you not praise Andy Serkis to the hilt? He is the master of motion-capture technology (wowing in The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, & now this franchise). Serkis & the other actors who portray simians are able to - with help of the motion-capture - convey an stunning array of human-like moods & emotions. This special effects work (mixed with the elaborate production design and aided by Michael Giacchino's melodic musical score) makes for an incredibly immersive visual & aural experience.
As for the human performances ... they're okay. They're serviceable. Jaosn Clarke has an amiable presence. Keri Russell is fine; ditto Kodi Smit-McPhee. Gary Oldman has a very powerful emotional scene where he stares at an ipad with pictures of his long-lost family on it and he breaks down. I just wish the human characters were given more to chew on. But a few other niggling issues aside (contrivances, the idea that the apes could truly understand humans speaking rapid-fire at them), I really did have a very good time with 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'. It's a suprisingly dark & violent post-apocalyptic drama (one dual death scene made me jump out of my seat), but with more substance & awe-inspiring moments than your usual Summer fare.
Caesar is the clear alpha male, so when a group of unsuspecting human survivors led by engineer Malcolm (Australian actor, Jason Clarke), his artistic son (Kodi Smit-McPhee, Hugo), a pretty CDC doctor (Keri Russell), & a trigger-happy Carver (Kirk Acevedo) stumble upon the ape sanctuary while looking for a hydroelectric-powered dam, it is Caesar who yells "Go!!!" at the bewildered humans. Realizing that the dam is their one-&-only hope to regain power to the humans' colony (outskirts of San Francisco), Malcolm gathers some courage & returns to the forest to ask for the apes' permission to do his all-important research. Koba, who was once a tortured lab chimp, advises Caesar against trusting these humans, but Caesar allows Malcolm's crew to work anyway. Matters seem 'okay' for a while. But tensions steadily rise and, before you know it, tragic circumstances lead to an inevitable all-out war btwn. the humans & the apes.
I gotta say it, this movie is pretty bada**. I have my issues with it, but overall, it's a visually dazzling, intelligent sci-fi actioner that kept me pleasantly 'on edge' throughout. By focusing on the apes at the beginning & the end, the director makes it clear who has the more interesting plotlines. This film's most compelling characters are the apes, particularly Caesar & Koba -- who doesn't trust humans (still carrying physical & emotional scars of lab cruelty) and is also willing to lie, cheat, & steal to start a war with the humans. I also liked Caesar's oldest son, who becomes torn btwn. listening to his thoughtful, more idealistic father & the more straight-shooting, militant Koba. Caesar & Koba are interesting foils, & their love-hate friendship is so more heartbreaking than any of their human counterparts, idealistic Malcolm & straight-shooting Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), who thinks the apes are villains who need to be slaughtered in battle.
In the 2011 film, Caesar related to Will (James Franco) as a son figure. But in this sequel, he & human Malcolm are equals; both fathers trying to do what's best for their sons & their struggling communities. Their friendship is poignant because they represent two voices of reason standing against pure hate. 'Hate' is one of the strong themes in this film, along with civil unrest, loyalty, & co-existence in unharmonious times. Performancewise, how can you not praise Andy Serkis to the hilt? He is the master of motion-capture technology (wowing in The Lord of the Rings, King Kong, & now this franchise). Serkis & the other actors who portray simians are able to - with help of the motion-capture - convey an stunning array of human-like moods & emotions. This special effects work (mixed with the elaborate production design and aided by Michael Giacchino's melodic musical score) makes for an incredibly immersive visual & aural experience.
As for the human performances ... they're okay. They're serviceable. Jaosn Clarke has an amiable presence. Keri Russell is fine; ditto Kodi Smit-McPhee. Gary Oldman has a very powerful emotional scene where he stares at an ipad with pictures of his long-lost family on it and he breaks down. I just wish the human characters were given more to chew on. But a few other niggling issues aside (contrivances, the idea that the apes could truly understand humans speaking rapid-fire at them), I really did have a very good time with 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'. It's a suprisingly dark & violent post-apocalyptic drama (one dual death scene made me jump out of my seat), but with more substance & awe-inspiring moments than your usual Summer fare.