Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Ten winters have passed since the events in part one and apes haven’t seen humans for a good few years. But the idyll that Caesar build in the jungle away from the city is to come to an end when man enters his territory. Slow building of relationships and introduction of heroes prove to be worth it in the more warring second half. When Koba gets to work with his gun. The ape gang led by Andy Serkis comes across more realistically than last time and so we should say a few words about the excellent acting performances. Kebbell’s Koba is awesome. The human rabble is concentrated around Clarke’s family and even though they fade a little beside their ape brothers, they are still really fine. I was surprised about Gary Oldman’s appearance. He isn’t given much room. Excellent narration from Reeves on a conversational level, but he’s also at home in warring situations. The attacks by the apes and one-to-one combat are original and powerful (especially the scene with the armored transporter and the rotating turmoil of battle) with precise special effect sequences. The ruins of San Francisco is a feast for the eyes too. I’m happy. Apes do not kill apes. (07/24/2014)

This time there’s no CGI in the service of perfectly crafted emotions, honest monkey looks, and precise directorial construction of a simple plot, as Reeves sees the film's basic thrust on the exact opposite spectrum of blockbuster rules. Work with the characters is at zero, and plot predictability is at the max. As the minutes ticked by, I honestly felt so bad for every moment I guessed in advance that I wanted to turn in my movie ticket and get my money back. Fail of the year. (07/27/2014)

Ape not kill ape. The stunning impression from Rise of the Planet of the Apes remains unmatched, but the sequel does not embarrass the apes, quite the opposite. It is only the world of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where heroes and flawed characters exist on both sides of the barricade, that feels very real and convincingly enough that instead of offering an action-packed and dramatic spectacle, it provides a rather depressing spectacle. However, there is still plenty of room for superbly executed intense moments, which once again unsurprisingly belong to the majestic Caesar. I am slowly losing confidence in how many installments this saga can withstand, but if it really continues under the helm of Matt Reeves, my concerns will quickly disappear. (07/24/2014)

People. Apes. Hominids. Mammals. Scum. Everybody. Speak. Lots. CGI. Lots. Blockbuster. Thought. Seemingly. Superficial. Black and white. Too simple. Half-assed. First. Better. Suspense. Subliminal. Silence. Storm. Sequel. Different. Very. Overtone. Current. Inevitability. Pretend. Worse. No. Better. Different... And as a bonus to the short-spoken speech of animals, you get the origin of the shrew legal loophole in the apish lawbook committed on Rambo the Ape. (07/15/2014)

I’m enjoying the development that the trilogy is going through so far, both in form and content. From an emotional human blockbuster with a distinctive auteur story to a bleak post-apocalyptic vision shrouded in dark colours and an insistent sense of impending conflict. The story itself is admittedly more or less generic and, with its clearly defined ideas and roughly sketched characters, it’s accessible even to the least perceptive patient of a Polio ward, but the experience stemming from the unearthly CGI and the gradual escalation of the seemingly controllable situation is nevertheless extremely engaging and, thanks to the atmospheric charge, this time the considerably more violent action scenes are as intense (albeit in a different, cheaper sense) as in the first film. Evil and good may have been clearly defined since from the moment they enter the stage, but their motivations remain so strong, logical and fateful that they far outweigh the unsurprising consequences of their actions... The visuals are truly fantastic, there are lots over-the-top sequences, and the scene of the year.. An incredibly very strong 4*. (07/28/2014)