Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes -- Movie Review #JPMN
1,672 views · Published 31 July 2017 · 4:58 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: Movie Night · 2017 · Film & Animation
• Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014) - Excellent blockbuster, and the best "Apes", 10/10. WATCH full episodes of "Movie Night" -- http://bit.ly/JogJPMN READ my un-filmed reviews / scripts: http://bit.ly/JPMNNotFilmed FOLLOW me on Letterboxd to see what I'm watching / rating: http://bit.ly/JonLetterboxd ~~ Movie Night ~~ Your host, and film critic Jonathan Paula reviews everything from opening day releases, recent DVDs, upcoming trailers, and classics from years past. Each "Quick Review" is an excerpt from a full episode, which airs on the Jogwheel channel every week. ~~ Watch More Reviews ~~ Browse By Year ----- http://bit.ly/MNYear Browse By Rating --- http://bit.ly/MNRating Trailer Reviews ------- http://bit.ly/MNTrailers ~~ Other Channels ~~ Jogwheel (Main channel) --- http://bit.ly/Jogwheel Jon's World (2nd channel) -- http://bit.ly/JonWorld The Microwave Show --------- http://bit.ly/TMSArchive uStream Live Shows ---------- http://bit.ly/JogLive ~~ Social Media & Merch ~~ Twitter ---------------------------- http://bit.ly/JonTW Facebook ----------------------- http://bit.ly/JonFBFan Instagram ----------------------- http://bit.ly/JonInsta Patreon -------------------------- http://bit.ly/JonPatreon Letterboxd ---------------------- http://bit.ly/JonLetterboxd T-Shirts -------------------------- http://bit.ly/JogStore ~~ Credits ~~ Created by ------ Jonathan Paula Camera ---------- Panasonic HMC-150 Microphone ----- Sennheiser ME 66 Software --------- Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 Computer ------- http://bit.ly/JonPaulaPC • Jogwheel Productions © 2017 • ~~ Truncated Script ~~ An excellent pay-off. Directed by Matt Reeves, this eighth film in the surprisingly long-running "Apes" franchise, was released in July of 2014 - and is the second film in the reboot trilogy. Produced on a mammoth $235 million budget, this science fiction action film still pulled in an impressive $710 million in worldwide proceeds. Ten years after a deadly disease wiped out most of mankind, a growing community of genetically evolved apes and a band of human survivors attempt to co-exist. In other words, "Dawn" builds off the events set-up in "Rise" in wonderful and satisfying ways. Motion-capture extraordinaire, Andy Serkis returns in the lead role, as Caesar, the highly intelligent leader of the apes. Having built a community of talking, family oriented primates, Serkis is confronted with the responsibilities of diplomacy, as he advises his tribe, signing, "If we go to war, we could lose all we've built...", before finishing his thought out-loud by softly saying, "Home. Family. Future." As an entirely CGI-character, he is able to effortlessly bring an emotional and human performance to a decidedly non-human character - most of this accomplished with a furrow of his brow, or a glance from his deep green eyes. The attention to his character design is impressive, like a scene where Caesar pushes through a subway station's turnstile - while all the other apes hop over it. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it detail that illustrates his human upbringing and advanced intelligence. Commendably, this is one of the only big-budget films that uses American Sign Language (or at least, an ape-inspired variant) as one of its primary on-screen languages. "Dawn" does not shy away from using subtitles. Karin Konoval continues to exhibit emotional depth as Caesar's orange orangutan friend, while the treacherous Koba is now played by Toby Kebbell in a menacing performance. Unfortunately, no human characters from "Rise" return, but James Franco is referenced in a particularly touching scene. Instead, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Keri Russell are introduced as hopeful, but cautious humans, who have survived horrible conditions only to reluctantly be thrust into a war with their violent primate counterparts. For reasons I can't quite articulate, Oldman just doesn't seem well-suited to this part, and Russell is underutilized to a criminal extent. Clarke however impresses, imbuing his character with much needed patience and bravery. We're introduced to the growing conflict between man and ape when a scout party unwittingly sparks a dramatic stand-off, with both sides on a hair-trigger. ... Although we're left with a satisfying conclusion, some plot threads are appropriately left unresolved - setting up "War For The Planet Of The Apes" rather nicely. Covering themes of trust, community, and betrayal, this is a touching story mixed with captivating and exciting action. An excellent summer blockbuster that improves with every viewing "Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes" is the best "Apes" yet, and is worthy of my highest score. I'm re-rating this an AMAZING. ~
