MOVIE REVIEW: "DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES" (2014).

“DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES” (2014) MOVIE REVIEW

In context and form, the latest "APES" installment is one helluva of a great film to boot, for its human and beast elements.

You can sense and feel the input of blood and tears indulged by the cast and crew members in a joint-effort to harness artistic perfection for this movie.

Unfortunately, the media presentation was shown in the standard cinematic format.

Had the press members been treated to the 3D version, it would have been so much more gripping.

It is an absolute wonderment to appraise the menacing apes fighting for dear life in the battlefield to protect their fort against the human mercenaries with machine guns.

“DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES” is a well-detailed remarkable film. It is not just a work of art, as much as it is entertaining.

This is a ground breaking project packaged with brilliant visual effects by the post production department, capturing and intensifying every emotional delivery.

Apes, like humans, have profound feelings, both good and bad.

Most scenes are emo-sensitively charged to keep the audience enraptured.

Film director MATT REEVES has successfully given us a top-notched entertainment.

The Nutshell content:

 A nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar (brilliantly voiced by ANDY SERKIS) find their jungle existence threatened by a band of human survivors who caused the destructive “simian flu” virus to be unleashed a decade earlier.

While mankind has suffered as a result, and most people died over the past decade, the apes on  the other hand have flourished. They now reside in the forests north of San Francisco, an ape city surrounded by lush woods and waterfalls.

Then out of the blue a small gang of human survivors appear to disrupt the peace.

Initially the humans and apes agree to an interim peace, but this truce is short-lived, as both sides will not compromise.

Now all hell break lose for both humans and beasts in a challenge to determine who’s the Earth’s dominant power.

Aside the heartbreaking vocal performance of  SERKIS that forms the crux of the plot, the rest of the ensemble cast specially JASON CLARKE (as Malcolm), GARY OLDMAN and KERI RUSSELL deliver powerful performances.

It is amazing  for us to enjoy a sadistic scene (for example) of an angry ape riding into a storm of bullets with a machine gun toting in each hand. Both we love the massacre.

The imagery of the apes is painstakingly rendered to give facial expressions heart and  soul.

You can be brought to tears when you feel  the power of love as you witness tender moments shared with CAESAR and his injured wife CORNELIA (JUDY GREER).

The dynamic between the screen characters  CAESAR (ape) and MALCOLM (hero) is obvious.

The two share a common goal, as Malcolm is also trying to protect his family (a son, Kodi Smit-McPhee, wife, Keri Russell) and his people.

The desired truce comes from a shared understanding that they are working and sharing the same vision — for family, for community, for the future.

Closing Credits:

It’s a fascinating film, staged with passion and skill that stands as one of the best of the year. 

A must-see!

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

Local Distributor: 20th Century Fox Malaysia