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Andy Serkis becomes the Ape Caesar in a triumphal marriage of performance and special effects |
Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Andy Serkis (Caesar), Toby Kebbell (Koba), Jason
Clarke (Malcolm), Gary Oldman (Dreyfus), Keri Russell (Ellie), Kodi Smit-McPhee
(Alexander), Kirk Acevedo (Carver), Judy Greer (Cornelia), Terry Notary
(Rocket), Karin Konoval (Maurice)
In 2011, Rise of the
Planet of the Apes was another
attempt to relaunch the money-spinning ape vs. human franchise. Unlike Tim
Burton’s disastrous 2001 effort, it took a stance that felt truly unique. Sure,
it still felt the need to reference back to the original film in places, but it
was a terrific piece of story-telling. Anticipation was high for this sequel –
and it met those expectations.
Ten years after the outbreak of a virus that has decimated
the human race, the apes have built their own community in the forests near San
Francisco, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis). A human party, led by Malcolm (Jason
Clarke), enters the forest looking to restart a hydroelectric dam to supply
power to the human’s San Francisco community. As the two communities collide,
Caesar and Malcolm must work out a truce, despite the doubts of human leader
Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) and Caesar’s lieutenant, former lab-chimp Koba (Toby
Kebbell).
Dawn is an
intelligent and visceral piece of film-making, which enrichens the first film
in the series, as well as offering a surprisingly deep analysis of human (and ape)
nature. Marry this up with some quite
astonishing special effects, and staggering work from the actors creating the
apes through motion capture, and you have a hugely rich science fiction film
that helps to cement this trilogy as the finest version of the Apes story so far. It’s also damn good
fun.
Even more than the first film, Dawn places apes front-and-centre. The film is book-ended with
close up shots of Caesar’s eyes, the determination and resolve in them
springing from very different causes. The questioning of the nature of humanity
revolves around Caesar – the leader balancing the urge to protect his own
people against a willingness to support the needs of his people’s only
potential threat. Caesar is the most humanitarian character– yet his
determination to view other apes as does himself prevents him from seeing
Koba’s treachery. It’s his own generosity that is his Achilles heel.
Andy Serkis, the Master of Motion Capture, has mastered this
art like few other actors, but his performance as Caesar is his triumph. The
degree of emotion he is able to communicate is astounding, while his
physicality is extraordinary – it’s a perfect marriage of ape traits and human
characteristics. It’s a triumph as well of special effects, but you quickly
forget this and embrace the character you are watching. Serkis gives Caesar a
deep hinterland of warmth and emotion, a desperation to protect what he has
built, touched with a hint of blindness to the reactions his dismissal of
Koba’s concerns will have on someone so damaged.
What’s interesting is that, although the film swings heavily
in favour of the Apes, it’s the humans who become the victims of aggression,
and the humans who are the most open (or desperate) to negotiation and
co-operation. A simpler film would have turned Gary Oldman’s Dreyfus into a
despotic counterpart to the traumatised Koba. Instead, Dreyfus proves
surprisingly open to negotiation, demonstrates great affection for his followers,
weeps ecstatically over finally being able to turn his tablet back on and look
at photos of his family and only resorts to drastic measures after the human
colony seems doomed.
The villain of the piece is Koba (remarkable work from Toby
Kebbell). The film, though offering many indicators of Koba’s ruthless lack of
regard for any life but his own, gives us reasons (even though these are
sometimes stated directly for his feelings and the trauma that lie underneath
them. The film doesn’t short change us on Koba’s obvious bravery in battle or
his ability to inspire troops. Koba’s inability to adjust his thinking (unlike any
other character in the film) leads to the violence. Just as Caesar’s urge to
see all apes as meeting his own standards allows violence to grow around him,
so Koba’s urge to judge all humans by the standards he has given them leads him
to sacrifice countless ape lives in a bloody attack.
These themes of divided loyalty and the damage our own urges
(for both good and evil) play out in a cracking storyline, packed to the rafters
with action, shot with a confidence and skill by Matt Reeves. Despite being a
film that always feels about larger themes, it wears this rather lightly, and
offers more than enough popcorn thrills to please any Ape action fan. Koba’s
assault on the human stronghold is both grippingly exciting, but also
unbearably tense – the film embraces the grim sacrifice and slaughter of war.
The final confrontation between Caesar and Koba is shot with a giddying,
vertigo-inducing sharpness.
The ape effects are, it goes without saying, extraordinary.
These are expressive, living, breathing characters – a brilliant meeting of
some wonderful acting and brilliant special effects. Could you imagine a few
years ago a film being anchored by a special effect ape played by motion
capture? You quickly forget that they are not ‘real’ and accept them as genuine
characters. Even more so than Rise,
Caesar and the apes are front-of-centre and this is Caesar’s story. Serkis is
of course a huge part of this – his influence and dedication to the motion
capture and ape portrayal is superb.
Dawn of the Planet of
the Apes is a terrific and thought provoking epic film, one that deepens,
darkens and enriches the previous film and leaves an audience with not only a
lot to consider but also highly thrilled. Unlike the previous film it doesn't shoe-horn in weak references to earlier films, but concentrates on telling a terrific and character-led story. It’s another terrific entry into a
series that feels like it could become one of the great science fiction
trilogies.
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