Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dir: Matt Reeves
2014
***
If Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a remake of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, then Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a remake of Battle of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a much better film than Battle of the Planet of the Apes but only just. If you're going to remake a film then it should be much better, apart from a bigger budget and better special effects, Dawn is a lot like Battle in that there is an awful lot of riding around on horses around the woods and a little bit of fighting and not much else. The civil rights message is loud and clear however and is handled intelligently and effectively. The Apes look impressive, while the first films were a triumph of make-up artistry, the new films are pioneering the art of motion capture and are lead by, as far as I'm concerned, the only person who truly understands its purpose and its possibilities; Andy Serkis. Special effects aside, I wasn't that impressed overall, I like the Planet of the Apes films but I don't think this added much to the franchise but it is easy viewing. Apart from the great effects and brilliant motion capture, the reason I've rated it relatively highly is because of Toby Kebbell's Koba. Koba is one of 2014's greatest villeins by a country mile, the scene in which he acts like a silly monkey (for want of a better description) is worth watching the film for alone. The transformation from performing Bonobo to vicious killer is terrifying and thrilling in equal measure. It's a clever film to a certain point but unwelcome schmaltz creeps in.