REVIEW: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Sequels... prequels... reboots... Movies like these are abundant nowadays that I sometimes get a little fed-up and tired of it. However, rarely there will be a film that will capture the imagination and attention of the audience. One such film is Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011). The film is meant to be a reboot and prequel of the Planet of the Apes franchise which spawned 5 films from 1968 to 1973. The franchise received a remake via director Tim Burton with the same title Planet of the Apes (2001) but was not met well with many critics and audience. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (from here will shorten to RotPotA) was well received by both critics and audiences. I personally liked it very much. A sequel to that film was released this year.

The title of the film is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The film is directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield). The cast of actors consist of Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, and Judy Greer. Writing partners Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver who scripted the previous films returns to pen the story while Mark Bomback joins the team.

Will this sequel be better than its predecessor? Do read on...

The community of apes living in the nearby jungle

SYNOPSIS:

Several years after a worldwide virus outbreak, humans are forced to survive on very limited resources from day to day. As a community in San Francisco feels the strain of living, a group of people ventures into the mountains to repair a dam that could help provide electricity. Along their venture, they encounter a group of apes and accidentally injure on of them. The group of apes is lead by Caesar whom at the end of the previous film has been let into the wilderness. To the groups surprise, Caesar (Andy Serkis) can communicate in English. As both human and ape groups try to work together and find a compromising solution to obtain resources, deceitful individuals within each group plot to see the opposing sides vanquish. It is up to the leader of the group of humans Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and Caesar to find a way to co-exist.

Andy Serkis returns in the lead role of ape leader Caesar

SCRIPT:

Solid and emotionally strong. From start to finish, each scenes evolve into more excitement as the film progresses. I found myself glued to the story line wanting to know more. The plot is not complicated and pretty straightforward. The story unravels bit by bit pretty neatly. Good characterization for lead roles. Despite this being a sequel, there is a little bit of continuation from the previous film but all is explained from the start of the film. There very good underlying moral themes in this movie. I also loved the fact that these themes parallel what we would go through in real life.

The cast of new human characters lead by Malcolm (Jason Clarke, middle)

ACTING:

Now, this is tough to evaluate. The focus of this movie is about the apes. The previous film RotPotA was highly praised for the almost realistic expressions of the apes. The same goes with this film. Their expressions were not only equal than the previous film, it was even better as now the apes have more purpose in this film. Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman performed well in this film but I couldn't say much for the rest. Praises also go to Toby Kebbell who played Koba, an antagonist ape against Caesar's protagonist.

Filming a scene with Andy Serkis on the horse and Jason Clarke on the ground

FILMING:

Excellent and revolutionary. The apes are created entirely using Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) with the assistance of motion capture from the actors. For those unfamiliar with motion capture, it is a method where the body movements and facials expressions of actors are digitized in the computer to created the necessary emotions either physically or facially. Once again, WETA Digital, the New Zealand based company responsible for the CGI did exceptionally well. This time, there are more visual effects compared to the previous film. This film may look like it is out to showcase the visual effects but what I REALLY felt is that the visual effects was more technical support in order to enhance the story. Most films with heavy CGI tend to go all out in designing extravagant stuff but not this film. I feel a visual effects should only function as an enhancement of the story and this is exactly what this film did.

Toby Kebbell (center) plays Koba, an antagonist among the apes

PACING:

A little slow in the beginning as it tries to establish some information for those who didn't watch the previous film. It picks up well in the middle and builds to a good climactic ending.

TONE (MOOD):
It is a battle between man and animal as they try reach an understanding while questioning their own personal moral values and loyalty. 

Gary Oldman plays Dreyfus, the leader of the human colony in San Francisco

DOWNSIDE:

The pacing was a little slow. If you did not watch the previous film, you might not understand.

UPSIDE:
Great visual effects and great story. There are a lot of emotional resonance that could make a strong positive impact for those watching.

L-R: Andy Serkis (Caesar). Toby Kebbell (Koba), Jason Clarke (Malcolm)

OVERALL:

A must-watch. What I really love is that the film-makers did not got all out to showcase their wonderful visual effects but more using the visual effects as a tool to enhance the story.

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RATING:
8.5 out of 10