Dawn of the Planet of The Apes 10/10
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke
Plot: just go see it, you don't need plot details - the less you know, the better.
It’s really difficult to describe Dawn of Apes using
just words. To put it lightly, it’s bloody massive; a cinematic spectacle that
needs to be seen on the big screen without fail. Director Matt Reeves, the man behind
Cloverfield, has created a movie unlike any other. Dawn has done
for motion capture, what Jurassic Park
did for animatronics... How can you prove this? Well, the apes in this – as you’ve
probably seen from the trailers – are unbelievably realistic.
For a first viewing, it’s all a little too much to take in. The
opening scene, which involves a mass hunting, is one of the many highlights. The
sheer pace of these scenes, which have been flawlessly assembled together, will
have your heart pumping fast and your palms sweating. Andy Serkis, who portrays
Caesar, is incredible. Serkis has been snubbed from countless award ceremonies,
with a divide between those that believe he deserves it, and those that do not.
I for one, believe that Serkis deserves at least a nomination (Toby Kebbell as Koba is also menacing and gripping to watch). Watching behind
the scenes footage, and the movie itself, there isn’t a single blip or loss of
character in his acting. After all, Serkis is playing an ape… is that
not an unbelievable undertaking that requires a hell of a lot of skill?
Not to forget Gary Oldman, who seemed to take up most of the
trailers, and pops in and out of the picture throughout. As you’d expect, his presence
on-screen is felt. As he takes on the role as leader of the humans, you really
feel the fear and the human side to him. Really though, it’s the speeches of
encouragement before the battles that are his most impressive moments. Meanwhile, the rest
of the cast aren’t particularly memorable. It’s not to take anything away from
them, as it’s the special effects, electric pace and sheer amount of ape screen
time that we notice most. There’s little time to dwell with mere humans!
I’ve likened this to Jurassic
Park already, and it can also be
linked to Avatar. Where Dawn of Apes seems to succeed over these two
though (yes, really), is in its resounding message. There’s something about this that will never feel old. Perhaps it’s the almost
post-apocalyptic feel amongst the humans, or the conflicts that will always exist
like this in the world, it just doesn’t feel like this movie will age – it’s
effectively timeless.
Finally, it’s important to note that Dawn of Apes is a
sequel. 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes had scale and it
successfully reintroduced us Apes fans back into that universe. Looking
back, it was merely that. Dawn opens
up the universe and takes us to an entirely different part of it. Not for one
moment do you doubt that this is actually happening, and it’s nice to see the
setting taken almost entirely to a forest. If you think about it, how many live-action movies have you seen, mostly in a forest and predominantly consisting of animals, and enjoyed? Exactly.
In Conclusion: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes may
well be one of the most intense, stunning and truly unbelievable cinematic
experiences you’ll ever have. Thankfully, a lot has been held back and
kept well away from the trailers, including the final thirty minutes, which is
truly incredible. The technological advancements since the first movie have come on leaps and bounds - it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen.
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