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Shhhhh. Calm yourself. Breathe. Yes I have only just watched this movie.
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No! Not that one. I don't plan on ever watching that. I'd sooner watch a documentary about a museum. Oh wait. I just did. It was actually really good. It's the one with David Attenborough, where he explores the British Natural History Museum. Check it out sometime. But I digress, as per usual. So today and yesterday I watched the 2011 and 2014 reboot of the Planet of the Apes. Full disclosure, I have not seen any of the other originals, or the other reboot. Which I've heard is absolutely terrible. So I'm staying away from that one. This one on the other hand is absolutely amazing. I was planning on watching only the first and saving the second for another day. Nope. That didn't happen.
First things first, I really- oh wait. Spoilers. Throughout the whole thing. Although, I imagine you've probably already seen it. Most of the population probably has. Well at least the people who want to. Probably even some who didn't. Anyway... Rise of the Planet of the Apes, as the name implies, gives us the backstory as to how the Planet of the Apes arose. Short story short, it's pretty awesome. They take a science route as to explain the comings of these apes, and personally, I feel it worked out swimmingly. The first hour or so of the movie sort of reminded me of the Spider Man origin story: you have a lab experiment that goes wrong, the people involved in whatever happened don't tell anyone else, they then spend the next part of the movie figuring out their powers. So in this case it's a medicine that's being trialed for Alzheimer treatment, the scientist who is working on it is very passionate about it, because his father suffers from the illness. However, something goes wrong and all the apes who were being tested with the drug are put down. Except- there's always and excep -one of the apes was pregnant and her infant son's life now rests on the shoulders of said scientist. He decides to take him home and names him Caesar. And so our story begins.
I'm not going to go through the whole story line here, because, well, that's just a tad boring. Also there are plenty of other places you could go to find that information. Or, and this is a novel thought, you could watch the movie.
I need to acknowledge that Andy Serkis is absolutely fantastic in this movie, the story essentially rests on the shoulders of an ape. And he carries it like the newest Louis Vuitton clutch. Although, to be honest were we expecting anything less? He is after all gollum.
My precious. The CGI on this movie is also exceptional, with the apes actually looking like apes. Shocker. But when you look at the 2001 version they don't really resemble real apes. Which is annoying. But in these movies they do. Which is great.
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I've got to say this movie is quite a tearjerker. Actually thinking about it, arguably how his character snaps is very similar to Gollum/Smeagol's transformation. Now forgive me, I'm about to go off on another tangent. But I promise, it will make sense when I'm done. I've always sympathized with the Gollum character, mostly because I can see him change. At some point along the journey with Frodo and Sam Gollum is pushed down and he becomes Smeagol. He genuinely wants to help
Master. He does not revert to Gollum because of evil, but because he feels betrayed. I believe his downfall could have been prevented by Frodo. Do you remember the part when Frodo and Sam get captured by Faramir? A little later Faramir calls Frodo to him and shows him Smeagol playing in the sacred pond, or river or something. He then asks if Frodo knows him. They go through their whole Spiel, and at the end of the matter Frodo tells Smeagol to
trust master. Which he does, and then Smeagol is rough-handled and captured. That is the point where he reverts to Gollum. Smeagol is once more overpowered by Gollum. He feels betrayed by the only person/Hobbit he can trust. I see a very similar thing carried out in
Planet of the Apes. We see as Caesar is captured because he assaulted one of Will's neighbours. Throughout Caesar's stay in this holding place Will comes and visits him I believe two times. Both times he is there Caesar is ecstatic to see him. Both times he asks if they're going home. Both times Will has to tell him no. When Will finally figures out a way to take him home Caesar no longer wants to. Do you see the similarity? Caesar to some extent felt betrayed by Will, he didn't fully understand why Will wouldn't take him home. One of the few people in the world that Caesar trusted. That Caesar loved betrayed him. And that is when his character snaps.
I think that is the most interesting thing in the whole movie, for me at least. Caesar's reaction is so human, so familiar, it makes you feel so much more for his character. So much so that at the end of the movie I was rooting for an ape. No, not the human race of which I am a part of, but a da** dirty ape. So kudos Serkis. Another point, I actually really don't like apes. I love animals, but I've never really held much of an affinity for apes, but in this movie I quite liked them.
I believe that is all I'm going to say about the first movie. A truly excellent movie. Loved it, want to buy it on DVD now. On to
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
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I certainly did enjoy the sequel, but I must admit I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. For obvious reasons the sciencey bit of the first movie was absent from the second. Largely because most of the human race and their civilization is no longer in existence. Fun stuff. We still see the character of Caesar who is now the head of a primitive clan of apes, however, Will and all the other human characters from the last film are presumably dead. I didn't all too much mind about most of the characters being missing, but I did like the relationship between Will and Caesar, but I see why he wasn't in it. Their story arc already played out. I really liked the throw-in though of his past when Caesar brings them (some of the humans) to his old house, and looks at an old picture.
One of the things I liked the best about this movie was I kept on thinking I knew where it was going, and then I didn't... When the first humans arrived and then wanted to start up the dam again, I thought it would unfold as Avatar did. And then it didn't. It took a completely different turn on it. I can't say how much I like it when a movie does something I didn't expect of it. I don't really have all too much else to say, other than I also really enjoyed this movie. I would certainly watch it again.
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