Review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I liked Rise of the Planet of the Apes, like... REALLY liked it; this is no secret to those who know me or have read my review of the film here on iMDb, but Dawn is a film that holds a special place in my heart, not only because the film is spectacularly made (although that certainly does help) but also because of the circumstances in which I first experienced it which I will get to in a bit. First off, I'll start with what you will first notice about this film, the effects; the CGI in this movie is absolutely incredible, in the first scene alone we see these beautifully rendered apes, lining the trees in preparation for a hunt and the lighting is spectacular as well as the texture work on their skin, fur and depth and wetness of the eyes. They feel real, even now, and for a 7 year old movie? That's pretty impressive. I forgot to mention how this scene also happens to take place in the rain which adds another element of challenge but they pull it off superbly. I mean, you can see each individual raindrop effect each individual ape's fur! Next up on the block is the narrative, now, although admittedly nothing too special, I think considering the approach this film took with it's story, it's done as well as it can be done; I think the lack of truly original story is what drags this down from a 10 for me but I can't hold it back too much as there is only so much you can do with a post ape uprising earth, and what they do do (ha) is done to a tee. The acting is pretty top notch, I think almost every actor does a pretty solid job but the real standouts here are Andy Serkis as Caesar and Toby Kebell as Koba... wow. Possibly the best motion capture performances I've ever seen. Koba is a deeply damaged character who when we start the film, see has calmed down quite a bit now that he is living free with his own kind, away from the humans, but as the film goes on and he is reintroduced to the human threat, he breaks under the pressure and his scars reopen, it's really great stuff. Caesar continues on his natural trajectory from Rise and is now the leader of the California based ape civilisation we saw birthed in that prior movie. We see him struggle with leadership, parenthood and all things in between, it allows us to sympathise with him on another level and feel the weight of his actions as well as the consequences that surround him and having seen him grow from a baby in Rise, our emotional connection with him is already a strong one. Next, we have music. Absolutely brilliant. The soundtrack perfectly encapsulates the feeling of Planet of the Apes as a whole while also bringing it's own flair, making it feel perfect for THIS movie and the scenes that it is used in. In summary, this is a really, really good film and you should watch it, but I promised I'd tell you my first experience with it and why it means so much to me; when I was 15 me, my dad and my stepmother were all supposed to go and see the film in the IMAX together, unfortunately my dad got ill and it was cancelled. A few days later, my step-mum was supposed to be taking me to the train station, to stay with my birth mother, but unbeknownst to me, she took me to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it wasn't in IMAX but I didn't care, I got to spend some extra quality time with my step-mum and watch a bada** film before I left and it's a memory that perseveres through the many that have faded. I'm going to give Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a 9/10. Thank you for reading this LONG review and have a lovely day or night, wherever you may be.