Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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)

A sequel that is neither grander, nor more action-packed or more spectacular than its predecessor. It continues in a very generic manner and the conflict between the two species is portrayed quite narrowly (one city versus one clan of apes in the forest). Nevertheless, it is a decently done work with a good cast and captivating visual effects, which are beautiful and not just for the sake of it – the CGI successfully manages to evoke various types of emotions in the viewers. There are plenty of tearful scenes, but the truly moving ones make up barely fifty percent. Minimal action, but dense psychology and it certainly won't offend the intelligence of the audience. However, I consider this trend as something expected from the first installment and, despite all the positives, the second installment did not move beyond that. (07/17/2014)

The best possible sequel that Rise of the Planet of the Apes could have gotten. I probably wouldn't have noticed the change in directors (Reeves, like Wyatt, has a lot of ideas, now and then he entertains with a longer take, and the atmosphere is perfect), but Michael Giacchino composed even better music than Patrick Doyle... And Caesar in particular has changed. He's aged, he's gotten wiser and it's all perfectly evident in the first shot. As a character, he's well fleshed out, a proper hero as he should be, and so are his family members. In short, it's clear that the writers cared as much about the monkeys as (or more than) the humans, and they succeeded. Once again I was impressed by the special effects team, and the film has momentum, an idea, it gradually builds up, and the ending is bombastic. I wonder what we'll see next. I would have preferred if the third part had taken place after ten winters, not directly following the prior events and preferably without people at all. But that's just an audacious wish. (07/18/2014)

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)

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)