Friday, July 11, 2014

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Dawn of a Franchise

The 2014 follow up to 2011's smash hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes has just hit theaters and with raised expectations due to Rise's success, it has some big ape shoes to fill. That said, boy does Dawn of the Planet of the Apes deliver. Roughly 8 years after the events of the first film, there has been peace for a small civilization of humans living in San Francisco, along with the apes from the first film who have made a civilization of their own. However these two did not know that the other race even still existed. So when the humans cross paths with the apes when searching for a dam to supply power back to San Francisco, things get hectic. At times the film feels like The Dark Knight Rises or even Gladiator, yet it never feels like it is trying to be those films. There is a clear cut vision from director Matt Reeves (Let Me In), and it the movie feels very uncluttered and focused, delivering multiple themes yet focusing on one concise event. I cannot stress how fantastic that is from Reeves. Plot aside, the visuals are stunning although at some points it's easy to tell that they took dome money away from a couple of shots. Albeit, Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings Series) does deserve some recognition for his performance as Caesar, he will most likely not get nominated for Best Actor. Along with Serkis, there is a somewhat limited but definitely great performance from Gary Oldman (Dark Knight Series) and even Toby Kebbell (War Horse) as Koba. Something that truly caught my attention was the cinematography and overall camera work. There are two shots in particular that have been revolving around in my head, some of the most unique and fresh camera work I have ever seen. Along with that, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the most unique and original films/sequels I have ever seen.
8.5/10

MUST SEE!

No comments:

Post a Comment