Movie: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis
Rating: ****1/2
“Godzilla” did it few weeks ago, changed the perspective of a summer blockbuster. It reminded us that a summer attraction need not be always be about mass destruction, mayhem and full throttle action, and that it could also be a film with intelligence, great visual effects and an emotional core that you find in Matt Reeves’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”, which effortlessly rewriters blockbuster movie formulas. You need to watch it to believe it, to realize how realistic the film is, the apes are vis-à-vis the humans who don’t stand a chance against their simian counterparts.
Trust and co-existence – it’s on these two words Reeves has made the film, which gives us the glimpse of the human as well as evil side in the apes. It’s on the basis of trust Caesar allows humans to work in his colony, Koba to be his commander, and expects his son to follow in his footsteps. But when this trust gets broken, it’s the relationship between all of them that’s deeply affected, almost obliterating the chance of coexisting (humans and apes).
It’s a story about peacemaking and co-existing, but the peace is short-lived, broken by a few who are keen on going to war. The war is supposed to be between apes versus humans, but it’s actually within the apes and humans for survival and ownership. Caesar is at war with Koba (who betrays his own kind), while Malcolm is fighting against the surviving human race lead by Dreyfus (Oldman), who wants to kill the apes as he feels they are responsible for spreading the virus (but it was scientists from the first part who were responsible for it).
When two sides are at war, you tend to pick one, quite naturally. But Reeves ensures you don’t pick a side (but you are connected with both sides on an emotional level) and instead makes you root for characters like Caesar, Malcolm, Maurice and Rocket, who believe in peace and co-existence and therefore will go any extent to protect it. This is precisely why Maurice and Rocket don’t join forces with Koba (who leads the apes out of fear to a war against the humans), but later on reunite with Caesar to stand up against him. They believe in Caesar, trust his leadership, and he trusts their loyalty.
Reeves is just as skillful at directing the small, quiet moments between apes and humans as he is with the film’s action scenes. In a standout scene, Alexander (Malcolm’s son) sits down with an ape to read Charles Burn’s graphic novel Black Hole, a nice touch to anyone familiar with that story of a mysterious disease. In another scene, both Malcolm and Caesar realize all that they both want is to protect their families and peacefully co-exist without crossing each other’s paths. Instead of focusing on full-blown action, this sequel to “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, concentrates on strengthening relationships, uncovering the humane side of the apes and sets the stage for what appears to be a better third part in the franchise.
Thanks to the life-like CGI, apes are unbelievably realistic; their eyes so beautiful, expressive and faces reflect myriad expressions flawlessly. Serkis provides some gravitas with his performance as Caesar, the ape leader. It’s probably the first time you will find yourself rooting for an ape with high intellect and speaking ability. From the first time he uttered the ‘No’ word in the last part to the scene in the sequel, where he manages to communicate with Malcolm for the first time, Caesar has graciously aged. He now has a family – wife and two sons. He commands respect, not just from his own kind, from audiences as well, and you give him that wholeheartedly.
The apes are among the more intellectually complex characters you’re likely to spend time with this summer. A lot of care and imagination have been spent on the creation of their world and it deserves to be widely appreciated.
