Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

[Alatar]

After the superb (and totally underrated) Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I'm really looking forward to this one!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y8PeR6vpcs

[Smaug's voice]

Oh yes!
RPA was indeed an excellent film, and sadly underrated.
I think after TABA, this is the only film I am looking forward to next year.
And I expect this to be a lot better than RPA (which I loved).

And it's a pretty good trailer. Seems interesting.

[Smaug's voice]

I didn't know till now, but Gary Oldman is in the cast as well.
Now I'm officially excited for this!
(Though I have no idea about Jason Clarke's (the human lead) work. Is he a good actor? )

[Passdagas the Brown]

With an 82% rating at rotten tomatoes, I'm not sure Rise of the Planet of the Apes can be characterized as underrated...

I thought it was a fun movie that made some genuine, though broad, attempts at capturing something deeper. An 82% rating seems about right. Maybe a little high. IMO, Desolation of Smaug, despite its faults, is a better and more original film - and it ended up with a score in the 70s.

[Smaug's voice]

With an 82% rating at rotten tomatoes, I'm not sure Rise of the Planet of the Apes can be characterized as underrated...

I think RPA is largely underrated among the general public. Critic-reviews didn't help I would guess.

I thought it was a fun movie that made some genuine, though broad, attempts at capturing something deeper. An 82% rating seems about right. Maybe a little high. IMO, Desolation of Smaug, despite its faults, is a better and more original film - and it ended up with a score in the 70s.

Really? I didn't feel like it was trying to tell anything too deep or philosophical. It just felt like a fresh Scifi-thriller blend with a plain story.
And I thought it was pretty sensible and original, especially when compared to the other films in this genre. (aside from the love-angle, which felt forced)
I would vote it the best in this genre since the release of Jurassic Park.

I agree, I would rate DOS higher. Probably at 85 or so, but 82 seems right for this.

Plus, I have to say. While Gollum is Serkis' most entertaining role, Caesar is Serkis' best performance. It takes a lot to capture emotions with that kind of silent acting.

[Passdagas the Brown]

Like I said, I think 82% was a generally appropriate score (that's the critic rating, just to clarify). I can't measure how underrated it was among the general public, though. It seems to have made a decent amount of cash, if that's any indication. I suppose I don't understand where the "underrated" perception comes from, as it seems to have done well both critically and commercially (I may be wrong about the latter, I guess).

[Alatar]

My perception was that it went by pretty much ignored. Never heard much about it in the press, despite the massive fuss that was made over Tim Burton's infinitely inferior reboot.

[Smaug's voice]

^ Just what Al said. And I don't know on the broader reception but none of my friends or colleagues , online or RL have seen the film.

[Passdagas the Brown]

My perception was that it went by pretty much ignored. Never heard much about it in the press, despite the massive fuss that was made over Tim Burton's infinitely inferior reboot.

That's a good point. Though the reason for the fuss over Burton's likely had more to do with the fact that it was the first reboot of the original classic. I think RotPA suffers for being a reboot that followed pretty soon after Burton's reboot, and that this took some wind out of its sails.

But apart from there seeming to be not enough public fanfare for it, the critics generated like it (far more than they liked Burton's mess) and audiences seemed to have paid for it. So to me, it got a pretty good reception, given thw difficult context of following the Burton disaster.

[Smaug's voice]

I think the next film will be a good indication.
Given, the film is good, then the ticket-sales would show how many people saw RoPA and liked it. To some extent.

[Smaug's voice]

It has premiered and the 14 of the first 15 reviews of it are glowing positives.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dawn_of ... _the_apes/

The final trailer looked extremely impressive. I saw that one in the theatre (attached to How to train your Dragon 2) and it certainly looks like it is potentially one of the best films of the year.
What's more, critics are saying it isn't only good entertainment, it is also a great movie.

And especially this comment got me excited:

In the annals of sequels, Dawn is to Rise of the Planet of the Apes what The Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars -- it's that much better.

[Alatar]

Well, that was simply superb. Go see it.

[Smaug's voice]

Well, this was great.
Probably the best "Apes" after the 1968 original, and at some rare moments betters even that.

Pros:

-All the apes form the heart of the story. Serkis is even better here than in "Rise". But it was Kebbel's Koba who seemed to be the main attraction. One of the best blockbuster villains in the recent times - and even then, I won't classify him as a pure villain. I do sympathize with his motivations and a lot he did was more logical and practical than what Caesar did.
-As expected, the CG was breathtaking. The same goes for cinematography, which was just top-notch.In those aspects, it is this year's Gravity.
-It was a deep film, the effect of a degraded society on a civilization which is only at it's infancy and it's loss of innocence. A commentary on war and peace. (the sharp contrast this film so frequently uses between peaceful and violent scenes)
-Anyway, if you're just in for an action-thriller, this won't be disappointing as well.

Cons:

-The humans were flat. I thought the film spent more time fleshing out the humans than they should have, in the end, having not much effect on the film after all.
-I expected more from Gary Oldman's character. He isn't there that much, sadly.
-The score was a bit of a downer as well. At times it was brilliant, but not throughout.
-The ending may feel a bit cliched with collapsing towers and all.

But, it's a definite go-go!

[Passdagas the Brown]

Koba = Josef Stalin's nickname. Interesting decision there.

[Smaug's voice]

Well,I don't think there was anything Stalin-esque about him except for some traits which all dictators (RL or fiction) share.

[Passdagas the Brown]

I didn't think so either, but I believe the association was deliberate.

[Smaug's voice]

Could be.

Forgot to add above:
I loved the first 20 minutes. Very "2001".
And the first and last shot of the film are same - a close-up of Caesar's eyes. (a wilder look in the first shot and a wiser look in the last)

[Passdagas the Brown]

I also thought the first hour or so was excellent. The ending was underwhelming, comparatively speaking, but I enjoyed this movie. Much moreso than the original, which felt like a straight-to-DVD film for me.

[Smaug's voice]

I also thought the first hour or so was excellent. The ending was underwhelming, comparatively speaking, but I enjoyed this movie. Much moreso than the original, which felt like a straight-to-DVD film for me.

By "original" you mean the 1968 film?
Agreed on the first sentence anyway.

[Passdagas the Brown]

No, I mean the first film of the reboot "Rise of the Planet of the Apes."

Does anyone else think there are too many "the"s in movie titles these days?