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Review: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Balances CGI and Emotion

by | Mar 26, 2015 | Arts and Entertainment

By Chad Alexander

Note: “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is now available on Blu-Ray/DVD.

A sequel of a remake of a beloved series — what is not to love? “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is the sequel to 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” which is a reboot (or prequel) of “Planet of the Apes,” for those late to party or who have lost track with Hollywood’s myriad remakes/requels/reimaginings. “Dawn” does a fantastic job of building on the previous film, despite some flaws.

Acting
Andy Serkis is the reason to watch “Dawn.” He plays the main protagonist ape, Caesar, from the previous film. Caesar has moved on from humanity, and for ten years he has led apes into a culture of peace and understanding. He tries his best to prevent the all-out war of the apes and humans.

Koba, played by Toby Kebbell, does an excellent job of being the flawed antagonist of the film. Koba is raw hate against the humans; an unbridled rage from the way he was treated by being forced in a cage. The most powerful scene is when Caesar and Koba are debating about humans working in the power plant nearby the ape city. Koba points out each scar on his body saying, “Human work. Human work. Human work.”

Sound
Michael Gianchino’s score shines. It is fun to see that he took cues from the classic “Planet of the Apes” with the drums, but he put his own spin on the original Jerry Goldsmith score. The approaches of the apes are always fun, and Michael injects tear-jerking notes into the film’s more poignant scenes.

The guttural voices of the actors also stand out as being believable. It isn’t overly poetic like some of the apes from the original films, nor is it comedic. The voices are natural, emitted from a very deep emotional core.

Cinematography
Most of the film relies on either close-ups of the apes or sweeping “pan and tilt” shots to depict an epic showdown of the apes attacking the human stronghold. Nothing is overly special about the shots, but it does well to invoke an intended emotion. I will say that much of the movement by the apes lead by Caesar made the shots more of a fluid, one shot take.

The CGI here does its job. It isn’t intrusive or flashy, like some films. Some of the apes even resemble humans. However, the CGI lacks the realistic take of “Rise.” Now that the apes can walk upright and speak like a human, something about their movements seems off, like it is unnatural. Some of the apes’ faces also resemble more of a human than an ape. It isn’t enough to detract from the film’s enjoyment, but it is a minor gripe with the CGI as a whole.

Sets/Locations
The details put into the ape city make the film stand out as some of the best set work from 2014. The intricate spiraling towers of timber and tree trunks make the city seem like an oxymoron: simple and grand. There’s a trench leading to the city, scattered with discarded timber and limbs. It makes for a very tense encounter between one human and the ape colony. The human city is also impressive; almost resembling an assortment of several cultures at once, a cacophony of a fragile peace.

Overall
Overall, I liked the film just as much as its predecessor. The amount of character-building in the film is evident, and there are reasons to root for both sides of the conflict. It’s not a film that will leave a lasting impression, but it deserves more praise than it was given.

Read Chad’s other review’s.

Chad Alexander is a mild-mannered government contractor by day and a pretty normal sleeper by night. He has been dedicated to freelance writing for the last decade — writing scripts, short stories, and blogging in his spare time. He reads constantly, plays board games in his spare time, and enjoys a fine 20 oz of Cherry Coke whenever he’s feeling dangerous.

Editor’s Note: The views expressed by contributing writer’s are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of Fredericksburg.Today.

What did you think of the film? Tell us in the comments.

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