Recollection Reflection Review: 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'

I've reviewed Rise of the Planet of the Apes and am now revisiting Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to coincide with this weekend's release of War for the Planet of the Apes. I'm aware this review's a little late but I've had a busy weekend and only just got around to writing this review. I hope to have my review of War for the Planet of the Apes online ASAP.

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

Recollection- 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Review

Reflection- This section of my review is probably going to be a little boring considering my opinion of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hasn't changed much in the last three years. I remember thoroughly enjoying Dawn of the Planet of the Apes the first time around and that hasn't really shifted at all.

Review- In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it's been ten years since the Simian flu outbreak. Mankind has seemingly been wiped out by the disease while Caesar's established a thriving ape colony in the Muir Woods just outside San Fransisco. When a band of human survivors emerge desperate to gain access to hydroelectric dam that can provide power to their encampment, Caesar must grapple with the decision to remain isolated from humanity in order protect his people or work alongside the humans in hopes of co-existing peacefully.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes saw a change in direction as Rupert Wyatt handed off the blockbuster baton to Matt Reeves. Reeves along with screenwriters Mark Bomba, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver are then afforded the opportunity to thrust the viewer into a post-apocalyptic world that constantly swings the pendulum of being hopeful and hopeless. There are optimistic occasions where it seems ape and man can live alongside one another that are only contrasted by the horrors of warfare between two species.

Reeves and cinematographer Michael Seresin extenuate this disparity by capturing the natural beauty of California's prolific locales in the film's quieter, peaceful moments and shooting intense action sequences primarily in a dingy, disparaged urban environment. It really speaks wonders that Reeves and his technical crew were able to stage something as outrageous as primates wielding machine guns while riding horses and make it seem plausible. 

The Weta vfx artists also significantly stepped up their game as I still am unable to distinguish the motion-capture apes as being digital developments. The visual effects are undoubtedly an incredible achievement for the company that continually pushes the boundaries of technology in film. And I've got to give Michael Giacchino props for another sensational score full of captivating compositions.

In the acting department, Andy Serkis once again delivers a commanding performance via motion capture. Serkis is afforded an opportunity to intrinsically explore Caesar's responsibilities as a leader and father so Serkis imbues Caesar with the confidence, wisdom, and dedication that naturally accompanies said roles. Serkis is even backed by an exceptional primate posse including the likes of  Nick Thurston, Terry Notary, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, and Larramie Doc Shaw as Blue Eyes, Rocket, Maurice, Cornelia, and Ash respectively. 

However Toby Kebbell challenges Serkis for the position of ruling motion-capture acting as his rampant, rage-induced primate Koba unleashes hell upon the humans and fellow apes. Kebbell gathers enough menace and intellect to portray Koba as a fearsome, undermining antagonist with understandable intentions, however radical those ideologies may be. It's precisely the quarrel between Caesar and Koba that evokes so many feuding philosophies found in history and cinema such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. or Mufasa and Scar. 

On the human side of things, Jason Clarke takes up a trusting demeanor as Malcolm and the progression from unease to upmost confidence in Caesar is a fascinating journey. Meanwhile, Gary Oldman's one of the most reliable supporting actors around these days and he makes the most of his time onscreen with grit and gusto. Elsewhere, Keri Russell and Kodi Smitt-McPhee each offer some sufficient impressions for their allotted screen time as Ellie and Alexander.

In conclusion, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes succeeds at something only a scarce number of sequels ever accomplish. It significantly surpasses a fantastic first film and improves upon absolutely every aspect of the predeceasing chapter with an exhibition of technical mastery rarely seen in today's blockbuster franchises.

Film Assessment: A+

Top 10 movies of 2014 (Revisited)

So as I was making my Top 10 list for the Top 10 Movies of 2015 a thought came across my mind to revisit my 2014 list and update it now that I've seen many of the films that I missed out on watching last year showing what the placements were initially and the updated list.

Top 10 movies of 2014

Honorable Mentions: Interstellar, The LEGO Movie, How To Train Your Dragon 2, Fury,  Gone Girl, and Big Hero 6.

[Previously] Honorable Mentions: The LEGO Movie, 22 Jump Street, The Maze Runner, The Judge, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

10. American Sniper
[Previously] 10. How To Train Your Dragon 2

9. Whiplash
[Previously] 9. Fury

8. Snowpiercer
[Previously] 8. Interstellar

7. Live. Die. Repeat.
[Previously] 7. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

6. The Grand Budapest Hotel
[Previously] 6. Unbroken

5. X-Men Days of Future Past
[Previously] 5. Big Hero 6

4. Guardians of the Galaxy
[Previously] 4. X-Men Days of Future Past

3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes[Previously] 3. Guardians of the Galaxy

2. Captain America The Winter Soldier
[Previously] 2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

1. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance)
[Previously] 1. Captain America The Winter Soldier

Top 10 movies of 2014

This is my list of the top 10 movies of 2014 purely in my opinion, feel free to comment below with your own list down below. I actually started this blog back in February and each of the movies on my list I have reviewed so I will list the movie along with a link to my review of the film in case you want to check it out. Do keep in mind I haven't seen every film this year so it may not include some films you really enjoyed that I just haven't seen yet.

**Careful as there may be spoilers for some of the films on this list**

 Top 10 Movies of 2014

Honorable Mentions: The LEGO Movie, 22 Jump Street, The Maze Runner, The Judge, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

10. How To Train Your Dragon 2'

I felt this film was deserving of it's spot on my top 10 because it was one of the animated movies that was fun and had a lot of heart in it. It was one of the few sequels released this year that was better than it's predecessor.

9. Fury

This film made it on the list because I enjoyed the performances  from the ensemble cast and the interesting take on World War II that we haven't seen before. This film explored World War II through the perspectives of tank operators which we haven't seen before in a film. It also had some cool tank fight sequences and I think the director did a great job as well and I can't wait to see his take on the upcoming Suicide Squad film.

8. Interstellar

This film made my list mainly because it has a lot of heart due to the relationship between Cooper (Mathew McConahey) and his daughter Murphey. It probably had one of the most heart warming scenes of the year when they are reunited towards the end of the film. I also loved the visual effects in the film and wasn't too bothered by the crazy ending, which most people criticize.  

7. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

This film made it on my list because it's the final journey to Middle-Earth and this film had the best action sequences out of The Hobbit trilogy and while the story may not have been as strong as Desolation of Smaug, the ensemble cast and visual effects were probably better than ever before. 

6. Unbroken

This film slipped into my list at the last minute because I loved the story and journey of Louis Zamperini, where he rose from being a persecuted immigrant to a track star to an olympian to a soldier to then have to struggle with survival at sea to then be forced into a Japanese internment camp. I felt it was a very strong film and did this true story justice. 

5. Big Hero 6

'Big Hero 6' made my list because it was very heartfelt, had engaging characters, and was a fun film. The reason this film beat The LEGO Movie is because I liked the strong underlying emotional arc for Hiro in the film which I don't think The LEGO Movie really had. It beat How To Train Your Dragon 2 because while I loved both film's emotional stories I thought this one was more fun and a more enjoyable cinematic experience. This film even had the power to make me cry in one scene which few of the films ranked beneath it were actually able to do. 

4. X-Men Days of Future Past

This film is high on my list due to the amazing visual effects, outstanding ensemble cast, and intriguing storyline. This one film managed to resolve every issue with the scrambled continuity of the previous X-Men movies in one film, bring back all of the actors from the trilogy and the new actors and put them into one film and even provided the best scene of the year with a character everyone thought seemed ridiculous prior to seeing the film. I am talking about the Quicksilver scene, which was amazing! 

3. Guardians of the Galaxy

The reason this film is so high on my list is because it was the most fun experience I had in a movie theater all year. I thought this was a great enjoyable cinematic experience that you can watch over and over again. I have seen this movie 8 times and I am still not tired of it. This film was able to make me feel a wide range of emotions from sadness in the beginning to excitement, joy, etc. This film was able to make a walking tree that can only say three words and a talking raccoon loveable. The only reason this film is beneath the next two is because I did feel that the villain Ronan the Accuser was very weak and underdeveloped but aside from that I see nothing else flawed with the film.

2. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This film had an interesting storyline with a great message about finding home. Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell both gave amazing motion capture performances as the protagonist and antagonist Cesar and Koba. I loved this movie and it didn't make number one because while I will admit Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the better movie, my number 1 was more enjoyable to me.

1. Captain America The Winter Soldier

This film is my number one for many reasons. I felt this film no doubt has the best stunt work, and action scenes from any Marvel movie to date, it had some great performances, and was able to mix the political thriller and comic book movie genres with success. It also had one of the biggest plot twists that impacted the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe revealing that S.H.I.E.L.D. was compromised by Hydra. In the epic climactic fight there is one very powerful scene that still makes me cry every time I watch it where Steve tells Bucky he is not going to fight him, Bucky then attakc him saying, "You're my mission" and Steve says, "Then finish it. 'Cause I'm with you to the end of the line". Overall, this is my favorite of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films narrowly beating The Avengers and I feel it earned it's spot on both of these lists because it has some very powerful underlying emotional scenes, some amazing action scenes and stunts, as well as an interesting narrative.

'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Review

Nominated for: Best Visual Effects.

I went to go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes today and I really enjoyed it! It was one of the best movies I have seen all year! It has a great message of finding home and reveals the conflict that exists between humans can also exist between apes. Andy Serkis did a phenomenal job of motion capturing for Cesaer and the other apes. The human actors were great too but Cesaer and Koba stood out the most. The storyline is great and the movie ends with potential for another prequel sequel. Overall a great film that I highly recommend you go see!