Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Director: Matt Reeves
Talent: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke
Release Date: 18th July 2014
This ape extravaganza begins with a brief recap of the last five years, in which a virus has virtually eliminated mankind. Caesar, noble chimp genius, is now the benevolent leader of a thriving, ape-only community in a lush San Francisco forest. Soon their peaceful existence is shattered by the intrusion of a band of human survivors immune to the virus and seeking a power source to help rebuild civilisation, no matter what the ape cost may be.
This is a great film. The narrative is more defined than that of its somewhat shapeless predecessor, with less attention paid to the boring humans (although I missed the presence of a senile John Lithgow merrily banging away on his piano). Lip service is paid to their interior lives, with Gary Oldman barking out a few sobs at pictures of his dead loved ones on an iPad, but the apes are the stars of the show. The battle scenes are thrilling and absurd, the highlight being an army of rebel chimps riding horses through an ocean of fire while shooting machineguns from either hand. Five brainy apes out of five.
Words: Megan Nolan
For more cinema coverage this month, check out our reviews of:
Hector and the Search for Happiness, The Rover, Pudsey The Dog: The Movie, Boyhood, The Grand Seduction, Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon, Grand Central, Finding Vivian Maier, Joe
