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- Jul 13, 2006
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Regarding "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
Saw this on Thursday night....was blown away. Had to think on it, really absorb it and then...
Saw it again last night.
It's going to sound cliche' by now but...this really does have a place up there with the best sequels....ESB, Bride of Frankenstein, GFII, Aliens, CA:WS to name a few.
I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". It took the POTA concept and made it personal, relevant and did so with the most up-to-date contemporary film making methods of the day. Wyatt made Caesar the focus of the story and it worked on every level. I was looking forward to where he wanted to take the story next...
When I first read that Rupert Wyatt was bailing out because of...in his view...a rushed production schedule and that Fox and the producers went with that "Cloverfield" guy, I thought uh-oh..another promising re-start for a beloved franchise dashed on the way to a quick buck. I wasn't that impressed with "Cloverfield" so my expectations on what the sequel to Wyatt's wondrous entry would end up being were pretty low.
I'm more than delighted to sit down and eat that hefty helping of crow here.
Reeves was not only up to the bar, he raised it significantly. I'd read he professed to being a life-long "Planet of the Apes" fan...and it shows. It shows in the story, it shows in the style of music (Giacchino proves to be a MOST inspired choice here...seems like he did his "homework" here with some aural styling evoking Goldsmith to establishing his own distinctive sound and texture) and in the subtle shout-outs to many various settings and shots from not just the original series but to the preceding chapter in this new series. He makes some awesome choices as a film maker that give this movie a fresh, startling look. He world-builds in a most effective way, drawing us into it by making it feel real. No "we went to Apocalypse Gap for our wardrobe" costume nonsense here....the humans look like they are garbed in whatever they've always worn, not some designer-riddled distractions. The apes are natural...what light adornment they adopt (the "midwifes" or the "warpaint" of the hunt) is simply intriguing, almost ritualistic.
The look and feel of the movie is simply gorgeous (yes, it may be odd to define a lush, jungle village or an overgrown, dilapidated metropolis as gorgeous but...it is). Michael Sernsin's cinematography adds a deep lush quality that helps wed the production design and the superior effects into something real.
Speaking of the effects...everyone is at the top of their game here, from the performance capture to the sound design to the stunning production. It will be interesting to see how the industry deals with acknowledging the impressive achievements here. When one views any "behind-the-scenes" stuff from this movie, it's impossible not to be impressed with the extra amount of imagination and effort that has to go in creating these images...this movie. It's WAY past the point of slapping on a costume and some make-up and standing in a set emoting. It's an incredible amount of work and talent.
But all of that would be meaningless without the characters and the story....both of which are excellent. While on the surface, the story may just seem like a set up for a climatic battle, it's much more than that. Yes, it does seem a little more weighted towards the apes here, but the human struggle is well-represented too. It's been observed by many reviewers that there are no real "villains" here....just characters that are swept up by their own experiences and points of view. Both Caesar and Malcolm struggle to create trust for the sake of their families while Dreyfus and Koba cannot get past their scars and experiences to see another way. This is all played against a slow, rising tension that Reeves expertly weaves without resorting to "Gotcha" moments.
Now...I'm gonna comment on some specific scenes that I don't want to ruin for our friends across the pond that are still waiting for this to open....
I'm really glad this movie turned out as well as it did. It's one of those films that will hold up to repeat viewings, not only to experience the story again, but to admire and enjoy the powerful images and scenes Reeves has created.
He's left the story at an intense crossroad. This fan is very excited to see where he takes it next....
Saw this on Thursday night....was blown away. Had to think on it, really absorb it and then...
Saw it again last night.
It's going to sound cliche' by now but...this really does have a place up there with the best sequels....ESB, Bride of Frankenstein, GFII, Aliens, CA:WS to name a few.
I was pleasantly surprised how much I liked "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". It took the POTA concept and made it personal, relevant and did so with the most up-to-date contemporary film making methods of the day. Wyatt made Caesar the focus of the story and it worked on every level. I was looking forward to where he wanted to take the story next...
When I first read that Rupert Wyatt was bailing out because of...in his view...a rushed production schedule and that Fox and the producers went with that "Cloverfield" guy, I thought uh-oh..another promising re-start for a beloved franchise dashed on the way to a quick buck. I wasn't that impressed with "Cloverfield" so my expectations on what the sequel to Wyatt's wondrous entry would end up being were pretty low.
I'm more than delighted to sit down and eat that hefty helping of crow here.
Reeves was not only up to the bar, he raised it significantly. I'd read he professed to being a life-long "Planet of the Apes" fan...and it shows. It shows in the story, it shows in the style of music (Giacchino proves to be a MOST inspired choice here...seems like he did his "homework" here with some aural styling evoking Goldsmith to establishing his own distinctive sound and texture) and in the subtle shout-outs to many various settings and shots from not just the original series but to the preceding chapter in this new series. He makes some awesome choices as a film maker that give this movie a fresh, startling look. He world-builds in a most effective way, drawing us into it by making it feel real. No "we went to Apocalypse Gap for our wardrobe" costume nonsense here....the humans look like they are garbed in whatever they've always worn, not some designer-riddled distractions. The apes are natural...what light adornment they adopt (the "midwifes" or the "warpaint" of the hunt) is simply intriguing, almost ritualistic.
The look and feel of the movie is simply gorgeous (yes, it may be odd to define a lush, jungle village or an overgrown, dilapidated metropolis as gorgeous but...it is). Michael Sernsin's cinematography adds a deep lush quality that helps wed the production design and the superior effects into something real.
Speaking of the effects...everyone is at the top of their game here, from the performance capture to the sound design to the stunning production. It will be interesting to see how the industry deals with acknowledging the impressive achievements here. When one views any "behind-the-scenes" stuff from this movie, it's impossible not to be impressed with the extra amount of imagination and effort that has to go in creating these images...this movie. It's WAY past the point of slapping on a costume and some make-up and standing in a set emoting. It's an incredible amount of work and talent.
But all of that would be meaningless without the characters and the story....both of which are excellent. While on the surface, the story may just seem like a set up for a climatic battle, it's much more than that. Yes, it does seem a little more weighted towards the apes here, but the human struggle is well-represented too. It's been observed by many reviewers that there are no real "villains" here....just characters that are swept up by their own experiences and points of view. Both Caesar and Malcolm struggle to create trust for the sake of their families while Dreyfus and Koba cannot get past their scars and experiences to see another way. This is all played against a slow, rising tension that Reeves expertly weaves without resorting to "Gotcha" moments.
Now...I'm gonna comment on some specific scenes that I don't want to ruin for our friends across the pond that are still waiting for this to open....
Spoiler:One character in particular resonated with me....Maurice. From that scene in the beginning..."talking" with Caesar on the deck overlooking the forest...wondering about the humans. Maurice mentions that he only knew the bad side of humans....and as the movie progresses, Maurice takes a really cool path of enlightenment. He is the teacher of the young ones, and when Malcolm's son presents him with the book as a "thank you" gift for Maurice's act of standing up to Koba and protecting him, Maurice, the teacher, turns it into a "learning" moment for himself and has Malcolm's son share the story with him. That arc alone had so much emotion and depth...it was wonderful and one of my favorite moments in the movie.
Another was right at the end...as Caesar and Malcolm part company...it is Caesar that makes the sad-but-true observation that not only has "war already begun" but that it was apes who started it and humans would never forgive them for it. The look on Malcolm's face as he backs into the darkness...so much sadness and regret. What a powerful ending.
I'm really glad this movie turned out as well as it did. It's one of those films that will hold up to repeat viewings, not only to experience the story again, but to admire and enjoy the powerful images and scenes Reeves has created.
He's left the story at an intense crossroad. This fan is very excited to see where he takes it next....