Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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. (17/07/2014)

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. (18/07/2014)

A few minutes of over-digitalized introduction suggests that the second instalment bet on a completely different horse than the first part, where digital monkeys complemented an emotionally charged and dramaturgically sensitive story about people and the place of animals in the human world (and vice versa). It was a cleanly made film in the Spielberg tradition. The second film drowns in digital effects, is action-packed and, following the current trends set by Nolan, visually dark. Which in itself might not hurt if all of its characters had a meaningful place in the story and if it didn’t provoke emotions with cheap sentiment. I really expected more from Matt Reeves than a mere flashy but empty blockbuster. (16/10/2014)

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. (15/07/2014)

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. (24/07/2014)