Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This time there’s no CGI in the service of perfectly crafted emotions, honest monkey looks, and precise directorial construction of a simple plot, as Reeves sees the film's basic thrust on the exact opposite spectrum of blockbuster rules. Work with the characters is at zero, and plot predictability is at the max. As the minutes ticked by, I honestly felt so bad for every moment I guessed in advance that I wanted to turn in my movie ticket and get my money back. Fail of the year. (27/07/2014)

Such an intelligent and breathtaking narrative with awesome CGI brings me euphoria. From start to finish, a visually epic and entertaining ride that makes you inhale at the beginning and exhale at the end. Caesar is a proper good guy with all the positive qualities (I'd like to have him as a friend), and Koba on the other hand is an incredible bad ass greedy and eager for war and revenge even his appearance looks incredibly ugly and evil. For me I'm beyond satisfied, but here I was expecting it so I'm not surprised :) 95% (29/10/2014)

Dense, emotionally very rich, layered, fun and charming work with effects and "inhuman" protagonists, who take most of the space from their counterparts made of flesh and bones, which we simply don’t get to see that much (a slightly "sketched" Oldman, for example). Reeves has a more distinctive style than Wyatt, and it must be said that the use of long steady cam rides or a static camera in a few larger action sets is very refreshing, while giving the world of Planet of the Apes a prudence that goes beyond frenetic blockbusters. The tricks do not act as a self-serving tool for arousing astonishment, but rather as a deft means of characterizing characters with limited ability to express themselves verbally. In the same way, the action forms part of a compact and intertwined whole, which is characterized by surprisingly sensitive work with a detail of a monkey's face (not only a symbolically mirrored introduction and conclusion), but the film is brought down a bit by some partial clumsiness in the narrative. The film does not focus on simply entertaining, but truly strives to create a functioning universe, the possibilities of which deepen with each film. Also exciting is the way in which it "distributes" sympathy for "non-people" and makes them the bearers of our own historical dilemmas and failures (Caesar and Koba - sic! - as two faces of the revolution and the effort to create a functioning community). That's why Planet of the Apes is currently the most interesting "running" blockbuster series and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a film that stands out enough in this year's fierce competition to call it the best high-budget affair thus far. For me, it’s even a bit more convincing than the first film. [90%] (14/07/2014)

Ape not kill ape. The stunning impression from Rise of the Planet of the Apes remains unmatched, but the sequel does not embarrass the apes, quite the opposite. It is only the world of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where heroes and flawed characters exist on both sides of the barricade, that feels very real and convincingly enough that instead of offering an action-packed and dramatic spectacle, it provides a rather depressing spectacle. However, there is still plenty of room for superbly executed intense moments, which once again unsurprisingly belong to the majestic Caesar. I am slowly losing confidence in how many installments this saga can withstand, but if it really continues under the helm of Matt Reeves, my concerns will quickly disappear. (24/07/2014)

Second part of this modern trilogy about a planet that is more monkeys than humans, I actually got by accident. Nothing else was on TV, so why not give it a try. But if nothing else, at least the advertising for Hollywood is adequate. Technically fine, actually quite good at times, but I just didn't enjoy the story. During the movie, it is completely clear to you that the cooperation between monkeys and humans cannot last long. There is no tension, just functional action scenes. Even in terms of acting it doesn't captivate you, and so I ended up with three stars, a more lenient rating than the first part of this trilogy. (19/06/2020)