Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 2014
I was disappointed with the first movie in this series, but hopeful they would get better since I had already bought all three movies. This second movie happens at least a few years after the first (spoilers ahead if you haven’t seen the first!) and things haven’t gone well for the human race as they have been decimated by the simian flu created in the first movie, to the point where governments no longer exist. So maybe 99% of the population has been wiped out? Meanwhile the apes are enjoying their freedom and putting together a society in the woods of California. This is all prologue to the movie. The movie is almost a political action movie as various factions on both sides jostle for power. This is very unfortunate because it is very hard for any movie to do politics well, and sci-fi movies are even worse at it. Except they do make some good broad points about the rush to war and villifying those who disagree with you. But it seems like such a basic point and the villains are almost cardboard cutouts. The reality is with hardly any people left and the apes still a pretty small population, it is just stupid these two can’t stay out of each other’s way. So I had a hard time buying the fundamental conflict that the entire movie is based on. It took me three days to watch the movie. It got a little better as it went on, but it was a slog for me. I will say the CGI got significantly better, which is key because there are an awful lot of CGI apes they had to animate. Lastly, the ending is a bit of a letdown because it is basically just a setup for the next movie. Not a bad movie, but I am hoping things turn around in the third, but not expecting that at this point.
Written: 25 Nov 2018
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital