Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It is also the 8th Apes film. So we have seen a lot of talking Apes at the movies. We get the return of the star of the last film back. No, not James Franco even thought he wasn't bad in the last film. Andy Serkis returns as the Motion Cap ape leader, Caesar. We also get two new characters in Jason Clarke and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). This film takes place about 8 years after the first. The terrible virus has spread all over the world and has left the world in a post apocalyptic state.

To start off we had a change in director to Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In). I love his work I think he is a very good director. That hasn't seen much light from hollywood. He is perfect as the director of this film. The pace of the film is great. It's a two hour film that flies by and is so tease that you are on the edge of your seat the whole time. The tone never feels wrong and has its darker moments when it needs it and has its lighter moments when it needs it. So director did a good job, check. Now to the story. I really liked the story of the film. It has a lot of themes that you can really read into if you want, but still has that summer blockbuster fun that we need at this time of the year. It really is a great blend and writer and Reeves do a great job at blending these two things. It also never does what you expect it to do. It takes little twists and turns to keep you guessing. So the story is good, check. Acting... Andy Serkis deserve a oscar nod or something. I mean I was rooting for him in Rise. He is even better in this. You see Caesar go thought a ton of emotions and you can see the human that is inside the CGI Ape. He is more human and performed better then some of the characters that are just straight up human in other films this year. The CGI is insanely good. Not once did I go that is a CGI Ape. I always thought they were real Apes the whole film. So the acting is good.

So Kyle what didn't you like about this film? A very little actaully. On my drive home I was trying really hard to find a problem and I just couldn't. Every time I thought I found something. I would be able to defend the problem. I think it is a great summer film. That improves on everything that Rise sets up. It is also as deep as a movie with Apes on horses can be. If you are fan of the first one or you are just looking for a really good film. Go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

RATING
3.75 out of 4 Ticket Stubs