Rated PG-13
130 minutes
Directed by Matt Reeves
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a summer blockbuster. It's going to make buckets of money. It has action and a bit of humor. It's about 2 hours, as seems to be the case with all of these type of movies. It has the components of the average blockbuster, but it takes them and uses them smartly to elevate the material. It's because of this that DOTPOTA is a welcome addition to the better than average summer blockbuster club.
DOTPOTA is a really fun distraction from life in general. It starts out great, with a beautiful sequence chronicling the decline of humanity. It goes up from there, with great stuff like a POV from a tank, a subtle homage to westerns via clothes and production design, and a humorous sequence where two humans get played for fools by Koba (Toby Kebbel). Malcolm (Jason Clarke), a survivor who CONSTANTLY needs to speak to Caesar (Andy Serkis), is a compelling human lead, and a strong counterpoint to Caesar, the complex and wise ape who has Michael Bluth values of family. Ellie (Keri Russell) isn't given much to do in this film other than be a supportive wife and an occasional plot device, but it's Keri Russell, so the character is a positive.
A character who isn't a positive is the obligatory unreasonable idiot character played by a guy who's apparently on The Walking Dead. He's so annoying and irrational that you just want him dead. He shouldn't even be there, because the reason that's given for him to be in the action is immediately thrown out the window. I also didn't like that there was an ultimate ape fight at the end, considering what shape one of the characters is in. Finally, Caesar's son, Blue Eyes, is problematic, flipping back and forth between one side or another, not being able to make up his mind.
The scenes and the care from director Matt Reeves is what makes this movie above-average. There's plenty of flaws, but for every flaw, there are so many positives, from Andy Serkis to the production design to strong action to a surprisingly not villainous Gary Oldman to a gifted visual effects team. There's so much to just cling on to with this film. So go out and see it, so that you can find even more stuff to cling on from this movie. Recommended.
3.5/5
B
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