Directed by:
Matt ReevesCinematography:
Michael SeresinComposer:
Michael GiacchinoCast:
Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Judy Greer, Nick Thurston, Terry Notary, Jon Eyez (more)VOD (4)
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With Ceasar (Andy Serkis), the hyper-intelligent ape produced by human experimentation, now the leader of a growing band of cognisant simians, a fragile truce prevails between the apes and humans. Many consider the outbreak of war to only be a matter of time, however, since the human population has been vastly reduced by a devastating virus and their role as the dominant species on Earth is in question. As the tension ratchets up, it may only take a single spark to trigger an explosive war that will pit the humans against the apes in an all-out battle for survival. (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
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Reviews (14)
The best possible sequel that Rise of the Planet of the Apes could have gotten. I probably wouldn't have noticed the change in directors (Reeves, like Wyatt, has a lot of ideas, now and then he entertains with a longer take, and the atmosphere is perfect), but Michael Giacchino composed even better music than Patrick Doyle... And Caesar in particular has changed. He's aged, he's gotten wiser and it's all perfectly evident in the first shot. As a character, he's well fleshed out, a proper hero as he should be, and so are his family members. In short, it's clear that the writers cared as much about the monkeys as (or more than) the humans, and they succeeded. Once again I was impressed by the special effects team, and the film has momentum, an idea, it gradually builds up, and the ending is bombastic. I wonder what we'll see next. I would have preferred if the third part had taken place after ten winters, not directly following the prior events and preferably without people at all. But that's just an audacious wish.
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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%]
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A few minutes of over-digitalized introduction suggests that the second instalment bet on a completely different horse than the first part, where digital monkeys complemented an emotionally charged and dramaturgically sensitive story about people and the place of animals in the human world (and vice versa). It was a cleanly made film in the Spielberg tradition. The second film drowns in digital effects, is action-packed and, following the current trends set by Nolan, visually dark. Which in itself might not hurt if all of its characters had a meaningful place in the story and if it didn’t provoke emotions with cheap sentiment. I really expected more from Matt Reeves than a mere flashy but empty blockbuster.
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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.
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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%
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Gallery (125)
Photo © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.
![Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/158/525/158525973_2907a9.jpg)
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