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| "Apes together STRONG!" |
For those who are not in the know, the Planet of the Apes underwent a reboot just three short years ago with the solid Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Meant as a possible prequel to the original Charlton Heston flick, it won viewers over with its solid cast of characters and emotionally charged narrative. While that film wasn't exactly perfect, it was one of the best films of 2011, and it did more than enough right in my eyes to justify it getting a proper sequel.
I've gotta say that this is a downright phenomenal piece. That was my knee-jerk reaction upon exiting the theater. After taking some time to put some thought into it I think that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes may in fact be the best movie of this year for me, and I'm not even that big of a fan when it comes to this franchise. Essentially I got everything that I could have wanted out of watching this and then some. One sign that a movie is truly good in my mind is if you can find yourself talking about it/reflecting on it for hours on end. This is a telltale indicator that the work in question has some degree of significant staying power. It's that resonating with the viewer I think so many stories out there fail to achieve, and to put things into perspective I watched this movie Sunday. Here I am, a full three days later, still gushing on about it.
Set ten years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Caesar has taken to leading his fellow apes that live with him in the Muir Woods outside of San Francisco. A chance encounter with a small group of human survivors en route to activate an old hydro-electric dam within Caesar's territory strikes up a volatile situation for both sides. Neither faction trusts the other, but both strive for peace and the chance to thrive in the harsh aftermath of a world ending viral outbreak. Can the two races see past their own prejudices to coexist?
One of the best aspects of the narrative is its more intricate approach to the core conflict. Although a huge battle does break out between the two factions, this isn't about a grand scale war between man and ape. Instead the writers opt to tell a far more smaller and subdued tale about trust, fear, and ultimately legacy. With the world devastated at the film's opening, one of the scariest topics this plot addresses isn't whether or not humanity is gone, but more so what we leave behind for those who will one day replace us. In so many ways Dawn makes the subtle commentary that all humanity may have as its legacy is our penchant for violence and hate. Framing the situation between the few remaining humans and local ape clan as having both good and bad people on their respective sides creates a magnificent area of grey. It isn't until we're well into the movie's third act that we finally get someone resembling a proper villain in the story, and even then, you feel like you can understand the character's motivations in such a way that you almost can't call the character a villain outright.
The acting here is topnotch to say the least. Everyone is expertly cast, be it from the human characters to the actors motion capturing the apes, it's all fantastic. Due to the script's far more character focused nature, getting these roles right is a make or break deal, and I honestly don't think anyone else playing these parts would have been nearly as effective. Regardless of how small someone's performance may be, every named character feels important in some way. For instance, while Gary Oldman's Dreyfus doesn't seem to have a huge role to play in the immediate conflict, he is important to the story as a whole come the climax. The same goes for other characters like the apes Maurice, and Caesar's son Blue Eyes. Of course the most notable role goes to none other than Andy Serkis as Caesar. To be frank, this character is the reason why Rise worked so well, and why everyone is coming to see Dawn. Andy Serkis completely tears it up here with a performance that has more range to it than perhaps all of his previous roles combined. There is a distinctly nuanced yet extremely subtle way with which Serkis brings Caesar to life that words I feel almost fail to describe. His work here must really be seen to be believed.
In regards to the special effects, they're absolutely amazing. The apes have never looked more lifelike than they do here, and it's hard for me to imagine them ever exceeding this. Plenty of close up shots on the ape's faces look damn near real. Coupling the gorgeous rendering with the spectacular motion capture performances creates easily one of the most believable Hollywood illusions to come along in years. It's only during the climax that the CGI becomes ever so slightly apparent, but by that point I don't think anyone in the audience really cares, because they're more than likely captivated by the awesome stunt work that the climax offers. The cinematography is also something to note, with copious amounts of splendid camera work that emphasize the characters, the sets, and the action flawlessly. No shaky-cam here folks, this is nothing but movie making magic at its best, and is easily up there with the likes of more current films such as Gravity or Godzilla in terms of visual storytelling execution. Also we get to see an ape riding horse back while duel wielding heavy machine guns!
Michael Giacchino's score is equally impressive to the rest of the film. I can honestly say that Mr. Giacchino has come a long way since his early days as a videogame composer, and this may be one of the best achievements of his career. While the music is noticeably low-key throughout most of the story it creates a great deal of tension all the same. You can almost feel every note getting ready to drop into a bombastic tirade of brass and strings that doesn't finally come to a head until the climactic third act. Giacchino does a marvelous job making everything match up to the action on screen, and once the orchestra kicks into high gear the music almost takes center stage.
Overall Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an awesome work of science fiction from beginning to end. Prior knowledge of Rise of the Planet of the Apes isn't even necessary to get full enjoyment out of this bad boy, but will enhance the experience. I can only hope that the next installment can be just as impressive as this one without a doubt is. At practically no point did I ever find myself bored, or wondering when the movie was going to finally be over. The pacing is pitch perfect, the acting is stellar, and the special effects are immaculate. The only real flaw that I can think of is that when the credits roll, you don't want it to be over, as there does feel like there is so much story to be told. You want to see more, you want to know exactly what will happen going forward into this story line. If you're currently on the fence about seeing this one, trust me when I say that this is easily one of the best movies of not only the summer, but possibly of the year!
One of the best aspects of the narrative is its more intricate approach to the core conflict. Although a huge battle does break out between the two factions, this isn't about a grand scale war between man and ape. Instead the writers opt to tell a far more smaller and subdued tale about trust, fear, and ultimately legacy. With the world devastated at the film's opening, one of the scariest topics this plot addresses isn't whether or not humanity is gone, but more so what we leave behind for those who will one day replace us. In so many ways Dawn makes the subtle commentary that all humanity may have as its legacy is our penchant for violence and hate. Framing the situation between the few remaining humans and local ape clan as having both good and bad people on their respective sides creates a magnificent area of grey. It isn't until we're well into the movie's third act that we finally get someone resembling a proper villain in the story, and even then, you feel like you can understand the character's motivations in such a way that you almost can't call the character a villain outright.
The acting here is topnotch to say the least. Everyone is expertly cast, be it from the human characters to the actors motion capturing the apes, it's all fantastic. Due to the script's far more character focused nature, getting these roles right is a make or break deal, and I honestly don't think anyone else playing these parts would have been nearly as effective. Regardless of how small someone's performance may be, every named character feels important in some way. For instance, while Gary Oldman's Dreyfus doesn't seem to have a huge role to play in the immediate conflict, he is important to the story as a whole come the climax. The same goes for other characters like the apes Maurice, and Caesar's son Blue Eyes. Of course the most notable role goes to none other than Andy Serkis as Caesar. To be frank, this character is the reason why Rise worked so well, and why everyone is coming to see Dawn. Andy Serkis completely tears it up here with a performance that has more range to it than perhaps all of his previous roles combined. There is a distinctly nuanced yet extremely subtle way with which Serkis brings Caesar to life that words I feel almost fail to describe. His work here must really be seen to be believed.
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| Apes have never looked more real or badass! |
Michael Giacchino's score is equally impressive to the rest of the film. I can honestly say that Mr. Giacchino has come a long way since his early days as a videogame composer, and this may be one of the best achievements of his career. While the music is noticeably low-key throughout most of the story it creates a great deal of tension all the same. You can almost feel every note getting ready to drop into a bombastic tirade of brass and strings that doesn't finally come to a head until the climactic third act. Giacchino does a marvelous job making everything match up to the action on screen, and once the orchestra kicks into high gear the music almost takes center stage.
Overall Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an awesome work of science fiction from beginning to end. Prior knowledge of Rise of the Planet of the Apes isn't even necessary to get full enjoyment out of this bad boy, but will enhance the experience. I can only hope that the next installment can be just as impressive as this one without a doubt is. At practically no point did I ever find myself bored, or wondering when the movie was going to finally be over. The pacing is pitch perfect, the acting is stellar, and the special effects are immaculate. The only real flaw that I can think of is that when the credits roll, you don't want it to be over, as there does feel like there is so much story to be told. You want to see more, you want to know exactly what will happen going forward into this story line. If you're currently on the fence about seeing this one, trust me when I say that this is easily one of the best movies of not only the summer, but possibly of the year!
Positive Factors
- Excellent followup to the solid Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
- Topnotch storytelling that opts for a more subtle character driven drama rather than something big and loud.
- Fantastic performances from every actor. Each character feels important to the overall plot.
- Andy Serkis' incredible performance as Caesar is enough reason to watch this movie.
- Absolutely gorgeous CGI. The apes almost look real, and the sets are equally impressive.
- Perfect cinematography frames and follows the action. No shaky-cam to be found here folks.
- Music is low-key but very effective throughout the experience. The third act picks up in a big way though.
- Movie becomes totally awesome when we see an ape riding a horse while duel wielding machine guns!
Negative Factors
- By the time the credits roll you feel like there is still so much more story left to tell.
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