Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

So I finally got to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

SPOILER FREE

That was very good. This is one of the rare blockbusters that outshines the original and lives up to the expectations of the first movie and surpasses them. The original Planet of the Apes from 1968 is a classic and the plot twist at the end still holds up to this day. The sequels after that one were not so good, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes breathed new life into this series for the newer generation. I really liked it. It had brains and the climax was just breathtaking. Going into this one, I knew it was going to be good but I was very impressed with the approach they went with it. This is the Empire Strikes Back of the Planet of the Apes series, and shows you the progression of the Apes after the spread of the virus and where Ceasar is at now. It was darker, more action packed, and more of a human drama, showing the chaos that the virus created. Speaking of which, Andy Serkis did an incredible job in this movie. You really liked Ceasar as a leader and the moments where he interacts with the humans carried with it a powerful message. I feel Andy is a very underrated actor who doesn't quite get his due from the award ceremonies. This guy played Gollum in Lord of the Rings and King Kong, that right there shows you how incredible he can be as an actor. Gary Oldman always does a great job and shows you a human leader whose experienced pain at the hands at the apes, and is only doing what he feels right for the better of humanity. His performance was brilliant and sympathetic. The best moments from this movie come from the second half and the climax, with the first half establishing the story and characters from where we left off at the end of Rise. One of my favorite moments from that film was the Golden Gate Bridge sequence. It's near impossible for me to not think about that movie when thinking about that bridge.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the years best movies hands down, and better than the average summer blockbuster. It carries with it a level of intelligence and wonder in the mist of the excitement. The moments where the apes communicate to each other is fantastic and risky given that the only characters in those scenes were just them. I really became engulfed in their whole society and in some areas I found myself rooting for them. If there's one flaw I found with the movie, it was that certain characters could've used more elaboration and development. The movie moved at a pretty good fast pace but I wouldn't have mind if they slowed it down a bit more to flesh out more of the plot. If you haven't seen this film yet, I recommend buying a ticket at the theater and allowing yourself to be blown away by whats on the screen. Thumbs up.

                                                                                                                                         8.5/10

P.S. One more thing, Koba was AMAZING.