El planeta de los simios: confrontación

Positives:

• Directing
• Andy Serkis
• Main cast
• Special effects (Specially the apes)
• Musical score
• Pacing

Negatives:

• Most of the human characters

A really great follow up that builds on what the first film set up, and still features fantastic effects, performances and action, even if they still haven't fixed some of the problems with the original. The big issue across these two films is that the human characters are very one-note and bland. Gary Oldman is the only complex human character in it - the rest just have one personality trait that is well explored, if that, and a lot of them make very stupid decisions. But on the flip side, Caesar is a fantastic character, and I really like how the apes' opinions on humans are affected directly by their experiences of them - it makes their characters a lot better. Andy Serkis is still fantastic, and the effects have aged very, very well. The action is really well shot, and has a really nice gritty feel, particularly in the second half. I will say that the first half was a tad slow for me, but I did appreciate how the film spent time building up the characters in order to go all out for the finale. The cinematography is strong and the story is well developed - those opening few minutes really pack a punch now. Overall, I wouldn't call this one of the best sequels of all time, but it is a genuinely great and recommendable film.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is at the same time a great Planet of the Apes movie and a terrific science fiction movie. The way speech is brought upon in the movie is amazing and really brings a lot of reality to something so out of the box. The tension is palpable through the whole movie and there's never a dull moment.

There are some films you go to see with low expectations and back in 2011 Rupert Wyatt's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was one of those. After the Charlton Heston classic, a long series of increasingly poor sequels and a failed Tim Burton reboot, apprehension was high. But how wrong could I be. This was 100% a 10/10 film (if I'd been doing these reviews in those days): an epic and gripping story; great performances from James Franco, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto and Harry Potter star Tom Felton; and stunningly executed special effects, with Andy Serkis's performance delivering amazing depth of feeling and emotion. (The scene where Serkis's character Caesar first speaks is one of my top 10 "most goose-bumpy" moments in cinema history).

Now, 4 years later, we have the sequel - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - which, given how much I loved the original film, I approached with a similar feeling of apprehension. But, I am delighted to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes neatly takes over in its opening titles where the closing titles of the first film left off. The so-called Simean flu has wiped out 499 of every 500 people on earth, deftly explaining why James Franco and Freida Pinto fail to reprise their roles in the sequel: in fact it would have been an unrealistic cop-out if either had done. Instead - monkey business aside - we have a brand new human cast led by Jason Clarke ("Zero Dark Thirty", "The Great Gatsby"), Keri Russell ("MI-3's" 'bomb in the head' girl) and heavy hitter Gary Oldman. These characters are trying to rebuild a new society for the survivors in San Francisco, but their desire for power (of the volts and amps variety) puts them in direct conflict with the emerging simian society deep in the redwoods. Much conflict ensues, not only between the two tribes but between the factions of the two societies.

Once again, there is a good story by original writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, joined by Mark Bomback: underneath the set-piece action sequences, the majority of the drama comes from the relationships between the characters, and especially that between Caesar (Serkis) and his estranged son played extremely well by Nick Thurston, culminating in a remarkable stand-out scene between the two in Caesar's old home that is genuinely moving. And another specific callout was Yorkshire-born Toby Kebbell playing the emotionally and mentally wounded Koba: his scenes in the human armoury - think Heath Ledger's Joker crossed with PG Tips advert - are both funny and distubing in equal measure.

Is it as good as "Rise"? No, not in my view. The first film was novel and deep, and "Dawn" is more superficial in comparison. It is also far more of an action film (or "a bit fighty" as my dear wife described it), with some standout battle scenes that are a masterpiece of special effects. If "Rise" could be compared to the original "Alien", "Dawn" is much more like "Aliens" - wham, bang, thank-you Simian.

The director this time is wunderkind Matt Reeves ("Cloverfield", "Let Me In"), directing with panache and a narrative drive that only occasionally lets up for emotional punch. The acting is good and (as flagged above) the special effects are outstanding: the production team clearly saw "I am Legend" and wanted to go one better with the San Francisco streets. And all topped off with a fine and un-obtrusive score by Michael Giacchino.

Highly recommended, and I am now looking forward to the next sequel, planned for a 2016 release.

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Humans generally have a superiority complex that makes them often consider all other forms of life as inadequate. Civilization has exemplified the mass exploitation and selfishness humans are capable of in the past, and present, on numerous occasions. The Planet of the Apes series delves on this complex. It displays the vulnerabilities of the human race and how nothing is to be underestimated.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will surely entertain. As the sequel to the last instalment, we follow Caesar in his new habitat following the human pandemic instigated by the Simian influenza. In a world where the human population is depleted and infrastructure collapsed, society is broken apart and in a fragile state. With stubborn and selfish humans, the fate of humanity does not rest in good hands.

Watching this film, I cannot say there ever was a moment of dullness nor boredom. Though, for me, there was nothing exceptional about it. The plot is one that we have come to expect and the CGI was certainly state of the art. Putting this aside, it is the story of Caesar and the strive for freedom of all that captures this movie's true essence. Empathizing with these intelligent beings no longer being the tools of humans is one to both support and fear. It is this unique mixture of elements that make Dawn of the Planet of the Apes so touching yet stimulating.

This is a movie I'd recommend all to see since it offers a perspective many contemporary films fail to produce.