Caesar’s Reign Begins!!! Second installment of Apes Reboot
Terrifically Builds on 2011 Sleeper Hit.
By Brandon Porter
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| "Home...Family...Future." |
Story
In an
attempt to cure Alzheimer’s, Will Rodman, a scientist at Gen-Sys, developed a
drug called the ALZ 112. His company studied its effects on chimpanzees and in
that discovered that the drug can be passed genetically from parent to child.
One of these ape offspring was Caesar (Andy Serkis), a young male chimpanzee
who is a dear friend to Will. However, events including the development of a
more powerful drug known as the ALZ-113 and an ape uprising led Caesar to leave
Will and establish an Ape sanctuary for his fellow simians. 8 years have passed
since then and the world has taken dramatic and deadly turn. Though the ALZ-113
drug indeed increased the intelligence of the apes, it also, unknown to the
human creators until it was too late, wiped out most of humanity. Now, the
human race finds itself on the edge of extinction while Caesar and his family thrive
in their new home. On the brink of war with both species vying for global
domination, Caesar and another human must band together to bring peace to both
their races as the dawn of a new era on earth begins to ascend.
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| Caesar stands before Malcolm and his search party. |
Analysis
Rise of the Planet of the Apes became the big time sleeper
hit of 2011. The reboot garnered significant praise and brought new life to the
age old science fiction franchise. With its sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the
Apes, 20th Century Fox has the terrific opportunity to build on the
surprising momentum of its new franchise. The result: A bonafied showstopper.
Critics and fans were singing praises for the continued story of the apes. The
film garnered an outstanding 91% certified fresh rating from rotten tomatoes
from critics and an even more favorable 93% fresh rating from audiences. The
most notable sign of praise came from Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter
stating that, “Dawn is to Rise of the Planet of the Apes what The Empire
Strikes Back was to Star Wars—it's that much better." In addition to the
films critical success, the film did equally well at the box office nabbing the
#1 spot with an impressive $73,000,000 million in its first weekend. With this
new found reception to the second film, the rebooted planet of the apes franchise
now finds itself in the same boat as the rebooted Star Trek franchise, a
retelling of a story that brings new ideas and creates a new set of fans to
call their own.
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| Humans...Apes...WAR!!!! |
Review
When I
saw Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the film took me completely by surprise.
The engaging performances, solid action, and terrific storytelling made this
the truly must-see sleeper hit of 2011. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes brings
back Caesar and his fellow genetically enhanced simians as they begin their
journey to thrive in the now devastated earth where human kind is on the brink
of extinction. When I saw the film, my initial expectations were met and then
some. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a terrific sequel that builds on the
momentum of its prior installment. From the beginning, the film perfectly
recaps the events of the first film and then progresses the story. The film’s
dark and apocalyptic atmosphere blend perfectly with its tone and scale.
Performance wise, top notch all around. Andy Serkis is brilliant in his second
running as Caesar. He portrays Caesar as wiser, compassionate, and stronger
both physically and emotionally and adds even more substance to this lovable
character. There are other notable performances as well. One that stuck out to
me was Toby Kebbell’s performance as Koba. When we first met Koba in Rise, all
we knew about him is that he had been in many labs and had been abused and
tested on numerous times by scientist. This resulted in him being hostile and
quick to get even with humans. In this film, it is brought up a notch. With his
new found intelligence, we see even more layers to him. We dig even deeper into
his psyche and are show a very sad, tortured, and twisted individual who is
blinded by revenge and driven by rage. We also see he has a keen eye for
manipulation and a slick display of cunning. This make him into a compelling
and menacing antagonist. Keep in mind, we are talking about on-screen
depictions of animals who have various layers of emotion, substance, and depth.
Not just one, but all of them. The credit goes to the actors performances.
Serkis, Kebbell, and even newcomer Nick Thurston, who played Caesar’s son Blue
Eyes, all give their characters terrific depth and personality. You make
emotional connections with them and you care about them deeply. This is the
work of truly talented artists. Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, and
Kodi Smit McPhee perform well in their screen time, but the movie really puts
the humans on the back end on this film. The action in the film is solid as
well, but the movie’s true strength lies in its storytelling and performances.
No question this Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has solidified itself as one of
the year’s best films.
Rating and Final Thoughts
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Engaging performances, great action, and terrific scale make
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a shining example of how to make a sequel that
builds on what worked the first time when your first attempt took everyone by
surprise.
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Even with two terrific installments, Caesar’s story still has yet
to be completed. We will surly eagerly await the next chapter of this reborn
franchise.
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