Cinema Reviews

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes Review

14th Jul 2014

The re-launch of the Apes series reaches new heights in this next instalment – continuing the tragedy of the ending of the first film whilst keeping its dramatic feet firmly planet on the ground.

It is going to be no surprise to anyone that Andy Serkis puts in yet another tremendous mo-cop performance. Audiences will be pleased that the technology has taken yet another step forward in this regard as well. But what will thrill them is how respectful the script is to the story elements, but mainly to the characters. The human characters will be the most thinly veiled, but given great actors to work in these roles they really help when it comes to building any sympathy for us as a species. The apes though are truly something else to behold, and the character interaction given here is nothing short of inspiring.

Matt reeves though is due a huge amount of the credit for balancing this all and for directing the show with some flair. His name is one to watch for future big budget films – and we wouldn’t at all be surprised if Disney come calling on his door. He has done sterling work as a director and delivered a film that entertains on all the right levels.

There really isn’t much to complain about. Sure one of the human bad guys is a bit of a joke. You question why he was even allowed to come along considering his view points. But you question more why we are not given more time with Gary Oldman’s leader. True he does very good work with the scenes he is handed, but ultimately it is a role that should have been expanded upon.

In the end it all comes hammering down to being all about the apes and their approach to peacetime. This is the master stroke of the script to not rely too heavily upon us humans being the cause of our own demise and horrid future, but this being more about what the apes themselves do – even if they are but a reflection of us.

Prepare to be wowed by the digital trickery, the performances and the sense of tension that arises naturally from the performances.

With a little tightening of the mid-section this would be all out 5 star glory. But with a couple of those character niggles and a little bit of lax-time in the mid section the film drops a couple of points. But this is high-end 4 stars.