“Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” Movie Review

“Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” Movie Review
(Summarized review can be read here: http://www.wljack.com/2014/07/movie-review-dawn-of-planet-of-apes.html)

Introduction

Nearly a decade has passed since the incident in “Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes”. Caesar is currently the leader of a growing nation of genetically evolved apes. They are currently threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a few years ago. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

What is the issue that brought human and apes to this brink of war?

What will happen to Caesar and his fellow apes? And how will the fate of human survivors turned out to be?

Let’s explore the planet of the apes in your nearest cinema now.

Review:

"Dawn of The Planet Of The Apes " is even better and bigger than the first movie. The first is already very good but this sequel has achieved the similar standard set in the predecessor and is even more improved in many aspects.

It is really great to see Caesar as the leader for his tribe of genetically evolved apes. Besides Caesar, we were also able to see the comeback of other apes from the first movie such as Maurice (the orangutan), Koba (the experimental apes) and etc.

The plot for this sequel is very good and often offers surprises which you do not expect coming. Nonetheless, it clearly depicts how tension could be built up between two different species and also shows us how war actually emerged.  The story-telling is very nicely done as it cleverly brings out the emotions from both sides of the species and highlights on how family really matters for both side. The atmosphere of post-outbreak of simian flu is presented realistically and it makes the audiences empathize the complication suffered by the human survivors in the film.

The pacing of the movie is also very well-balanced. There are quite a number of battle scenes with intermittent sit-back and relax moments blended with conversations which are essential for the story to proceed. Although it is a 2 hours plus movie, you won’t feel tired or bored at all even when you are just watching a chit-chat session between apes.

Characters development is also very good for both the human side and the ape side. We can see how Caesar has grown over the years and we can see the unwavering leadership in him this time around. Plus, he now has a family and there is some family conflict for him too. Besides Caesar, another ape which steals the spotlight is Koba. His hatred towards human still persisted and we can see how he spread the hate to humans among his other fellow apes. On the human side, we have a new human protagonist, Malcolm who is a very good guy and he is the first one among the survivors to place so much trust on the apes. He has quite a lot of screenplay time too and the movie has successfully made us care about him too.

For acting aspect, I personally felt that the motion actors for the apes totally deserved praises. Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell are really great in portraying Caesar and Koba. Their gestures in acting as apes are remarkable. I doubt the effect would be the same if it was performed by other motion actors. Apart from that, I think Gary Oldman has stood out with his character Dreyfus despite of his brief appearance time. His acting is very convincing and nonetheless has brought in more emotional sentiments to the movie. Jason Clarke has put up a good show as Malcolm too.

It is also very obvious that the CGI animation effect has greatly improved compared to the first one. This is evidenced by the ape‘s facial expression which are more realistic and enhanced compared to the first one. The motion capture was prominently smoother than the first one. Even the close-up capturing of Caesar’s face will convince the viewers that, “Hey, that’s a real ape right there.”

In addition, the background music and score is fascinating too. The epicness of the music can be felt and it harmonized well too with the emotions of every scene.

I really wish the movie could be longer so that we can see how the outcome is after the final scene. But of course, the movie length would be too long if the film is prolonged. Currently, the movie length is just nice but it did make me wish for a sequel to come.

What I like about the movie:

1. Better sequel compared to the already good first movie.
2. Great plot with clever storytelling.
3. Good characters development.
4. Magnificent acting.
5. Improved CGI animation.
6. Epic soundtrack.

What I dislike about the movie:

1.      The ending is baiting me and made me eagerly wished for the sequel to come soon. (which is actually a good thing too)

Verdict:
This movie deserves a 9.0/10.0!

It is the dawn of epicness! A superb movie which everyone would love!

“Highly recommended to those who love the first movie and to everyone else who are looking for a great movie-not-to-be-missed this year!” – WLJack

“It brings us a message: it's not who we are underneath, but what we do that defines us! Great movie!” – Fellow reviewer, CYY

The only people who would hate this movie are those who hate apes or those who just want some simple fun instead of a movie which can bring you thoughts about survivor and war. Of course, there are still many good movies available these past two months. But you might miss one of the best ones if you do not watch this!

Million thanks to Nuffnang for the opportunity to attend the #NNPremiereScreening of the movie!  #DawnofApes

Published by WLJack.