Reviews

Almost as good as the original 1987 film.

There are a lot of reviews accusing this movie of pushing a girl-power agenda, but i doubt any of those people actually watched the movie. The message, if any, that this movie gives is that anyone can be a good hunter if they prepare and study their prey. The fact that the protagonist is a girl has nothing to do with it. She is just good at tracking, observation and planning around the weaknesses of her opponent.

The movie itself is very visceral and brutal. R-rated. Not for the weak of constitution, there is a lot of blood and gore. But none of it feels gratuitous. It is all in-line with how you would expect an alien warrior to be.

The movie concentrates the most on it's best aspect i.e one single Predator creature hunting animals and humans, and one protagonist putting up a good fight. There is no great story to be told. Yet the protagonist gets good enough character development. You can see her journey through the movie as she continuously tracks and learns about the Predator, so that by the final confrontation, she is prepared to take it on. Same as Arnold Schwarzenegger's arc in the original Predator movie.

Themes of hunting and how a predator to someone can be a prey for someone else are explored but not too on-the-nose. The film does a good job of letting its characters and action do the storytelling.

Recommended for anyone who is hoping for a back-to-basics good Predator movie.

Episodes 4 & 8 are awesome! You can skip the rest.

All you need to know is that this episode cranks the epicness up to 11 and introduces real stakes and continuity. Just don't read up on it or anything, just go in blind, watch it without spoilers.

They did it once with Thor Ragnarok. In that movie we had the death of Odin, Hela invading and taking everyone captive, Surtur destroying Asgard, Hulk going up against Fenrir, so much epic potential. But it was turned into a comedy movie and every. Single. Character. Was turned into comic relief.

Well they did it again, on a much larger and cringier scale.

Don't use the characters if you don't want to respect them at all. There's a fine line between occasional humour and straight up fan-fiction.

Story: 5/10

Character development: 4/10

Dialogue: 3/10

Plot consistency and general common sense: 2/10

And yet i enjoyed the movie. Why? Because the above points are not why this movie is made.

Action: 10/10

Visuals / CGI: 10/10

Giant robots and giant monsters beating the shit out of each other in awesome fight sequences: 10/10

not to mention: Ellen Mclain's (GLaDOS) voice: 10/10

That's why you watch this movie. If you expected anything else, that's your problem.

Leave your brain behind. Brush aside the various glaring potholes and just enjoy some good old fashioned Jaeger-on-Kaiju action. That's what the first one was. This one is simply more of the same.

Disclaimer: This review is slightly biased to be positive since i am a fan of the games and i went into this movie wanting it to be good.

From a game-fan's perspective: This movie may not completely shake-off the curse of video game movies but it takes a big step in that direction. I'm very conflicted as i say this because if you've played the games, you will inevitably compare the movie to the games. The problem with that is that a game takes 20 hours to immerse you in the narrative while the movie only gets 2. Once again, i find myself coming out of a movie which could have immensely benefited from an extra 20 or 30 minutes of storytelling and world building. All that said, this movie is far superior to other video game adaptations we have come across so far. The movie stays as true as it can to the source material which is largely the 2013 game, which is one of the main reasons i enjoyed watching it. Every now and then you'll find yourself going "aaah" as you remember a move that you made in the game being played out expertly by Vikander on screen.

From a non-gamer movie-goer's perspective: You will no doubt get an Indiana Jones kind of feeling. Young girl chasing myths and legends on an island jungle while being chased by bad guys. It offers well-executed action set pieces, a solid if not entirely thrilling story, a good serving of emotional moments and a pinch of humour here and there. Alicia Vikander's fans will be treated to another great performance.

Pros: Starts off superbly. We get a 15-minute taste of what Lara's life was like when she was just another renegade young girl making a life for herself in London, before she went off adventuring. And this helps a lot to connect with her character, in a way games may not. The story flows seamlessly from her life from London streets to the start of her adventure, with exposure to her father's backstory coming at regular intervals. It feels authentic and helps the viewer connect with Lara (which has for so long been a problem with other video game movies).

Cons: The third act feels....cautious. The writing and screenplay could have been far more ambitious. They could have delved into the supernatural aspect a bit more. The antagonist could have been given a better ending. (As i said before, another 20 mins could have enabled his well). However they set up potential sequels quite well. The bit at the end where she dresses up like classic Lara with the 2 guns would have been very cool had it not been spoiled by the trailers. Apart from Vikander, the other performances felt mediocre. Walton Goggins was good but could have been much more menacing.

TL,DR: It's good, could have been better. Sticks close to the 2013 game, and emulates it well on screen. Story is solid if not thought provoking. Vikander does a great job. Hopefully we will get a better sequel. Definitely worth one watch at least, just for the fun of it.

Expectations to set before watching: - It's a superhero action flick, do not expect a deep thought-provoking story or moving Oscar-worthy performances (the performances are actually good though) - It's the DCEU, so it's going to be a little rushed in terms of universe building, so just go in accepting the fact that you're meeting Flash, Cyborg & Aquaman for the first time and their characters will not be developed in an ideal way - There's a lot of CGI, but there's no other way to make a movie like this

Pros: + Excellent Visuals + Well choreographed action set pieces + Not too dark and mopy like MoS or BvS + Not a stand-up comedy show like Marvel either + Excellent performance by all actors (Henry Cavill actually smiles and laughs) + Far more streamlined storytelling than BvS + Villain (Steppenwolf) although generic, still feels menacing & intimidating + Aquaman is cool now + Cool post-credits scene (you must stay till the end)

Cons: - Generic Villain (Steppenwolf) who wants to destroy the world, not given enough screen time for character development (but that's the case with every comic movie villain except maybe Hela) - Generic story, feels oversimplified, as is again usual with comic book movies; but at least its coherent this time - WB restricted the runtime to 2 hrs so you can feel it jumping the narrative every now & then; could have felt more smooth with 15-20 extra mins of runtime - Not enough backstory for the 'Mother Boxes'; someone who is not familiar with the comics may struggle to understand them as the core plot devices

No need to elaborate more on that ! This movie is basically marketing itself. I'll just say that it's just simply a no-nonsense war movie. No clever expositional dialogue, no beautiful protagonists, no elaborate plot. Just 400,000 Allied soldiers surrounded by Nazi forces on the shore of the French town of Dunkirk, trying to escape. By any means means necessary; and all the brutal realities of war that accompany it. Just a gritty narrative played out onto the screen masterfully, supported by a bone-chilling score from Hans Zimmer. Will keep you hooked till the very end.

Yes, there are 3 different perspectives, yes their timelines are intertwined and jumbled a bit. But, that's the 'Nolan' touch which makes it even more watchable.

Just go watch it !

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is remember fondly because 'Return of the King' was a cinematic masterpiece and 'The Fellowship of the Ring' was great origins story. 'The Two Towers' does not get talked about as much as the first and the third, however it plays a supremely critical role of carrying the story forward, building upon it in a meaningful way and setting up the stage for a grand finale.

That is exactly what 'Dawn of Apes' does as well.

We were treated to a realistic and masterful adaptation of a classic sci-fi franchise in 'Rise of Apes'. 'Dawn of Apes' bears the brunt of improving upon that masterpiece easily. It tells a story, both emotional and exciting about how Caesar tries hard to make a home for his new colony of intelligent Apes, knowing full well that the cruel human race wont let them live by themselves so easily. But the undoing of peace is caused as often by enemies within as by external foes.

This is a thrilling tale that begins with tolerance, attempts at peace, friendship, then betrayal from within and finally an unavoidable descent into war. It is aided along expertly by Andy Serkis who by now has to start getting at least Oscar Nominations for his work with motion capture. Because, while the special effects themselves are spectacular throughout the movie, it is ultimately Serkis's mastery of acting that breathe life into the Caesar and make us think we are witnessing a very very real character.

The performances from the other Apes, primarily Toby Kebbel as Koba, and from Jason Clarke are themselves quite excellent and keep the audiences on-edge till the very end of the movie by truly immersing the audience into an intriguing narrative. Little would you expect to be so captivated in the drama by CGI Apes! The plot itself is so well crafted, it lends credence to the violent third act, which in another movie, would have been dismissed as meaningless exaggeration.

A separate note on the CGI itself: it is so well done that you might as well believe they brought in real Apes, gave them some real brain-enhancing serum and they actually acted in front of the camera ! A true masterpiece of motion capture, led by the man himself, Andy Serkis. The other special effects used to make up a post-apocalyptic San Fransisco are equally worthy of mention. The entire world feels alive in a way that helps immerse the audience in the story.

So, to sum it up, not only does this film move the Ape trilogy forward but also offers a complete stand-alone sci-fi experience. A worthy successor to a worthy reboot!

Are humans truly the most evolved and advanced species on the planet ? What makes us so special ? Our languages, our technology, our sprawling cities ? But are we really as superior to other savage animals as we think we are ? Do we not treat other animals like savages ourselves ? Keeping them locked up in conditions so horrible we couldn't imagine subjecting other humans to ? Do we not incite conflict between ourselves instead of working together as a species ? So are we really then as special as we think we are ? What if our primate brothers, the apes, became smarter than us ? Would they be able to build a society more peaceful than ours ? What if the apes do get smarter and decide to build a society or their own? what would would happen to us then, would we be able to co-exist? Or would we incite conflict like we always do? Would we go to war no matter the cost to life and nature ? Who would win such a war ?

Fascinating questions I suppose. Would be great if we had a movie trilogy that answers all or most of these ! Oh well, we do ! Rise, Dawn & War !

And like all all trilogies, the first one, Rise of the Planet of the Ape,s serves as the gripping origin story of the central character who would go on to change the world as we know it. A mama ape who just wanted to raise her unborn child peacefully in the jungle is captured, enslaved, experimented on and finally killed. But her baby survives thanks to her sacrifice and a couple of kind men who take the baby in as their own and care for him. Such is the origin story of Caesar. From a baby ape in a human's care, to captivity by the cruel members of our species, to his daring and ingenious escape back to the jungle where he would go on to become the leader of a new species so to speak.

A gritty, realistic storyline crafted masterfully on screen that elicits excitement, joy and sadness from the viewers as we witness Caesar come into his own. A strong performance from James Franco and from Any Serkis himself, the master of motion capture. Who would have thought that a movie about a bunch of smart monkeys could be so good ! The first movie delivers everything we want from a sci- fi origin story. Great characters, scientific tropes, some cool action sequences and a solid plot to tie it all together.

A rare successful reboot that breathes new life into what was an almost dead franchise!

Opening Arguments: Till Dr Strange came out, the MCU had become rather formulaic in terms of character development and plot lines. Colourful action sequences, an ensemble of great actors and a few comical tropes thrown in here and there to make the plot lines seem clever and grounded are some factors that were causing MCU movies to become hit after hit. However, it wouldn't work forever and something had to change. And, boy, did it change with Spiderman Homecoming !! Usually i am wary to call a superhero movie 'realistic', but i will use that particular term in this movie simply because the entire movie is welded together in a seamless stream of events that play out very sensibly inside the viewers head.

Plot: 'Stay close to the ground', Stark tells Peter. And the movie does so too. The result is a very believable version of how a 15 year old boy on the cusp of becoming an Avenger, but also struggling with 'coming of age' issues would behave. Yes there are a couple of good action set pieces. But even those are portrayed so well that they seem to be stem more out of a series of events going out of hand rather than the movie setting us up for action just for the heck of it. And each act blends into the other in a fluid way that has been missing in superhero movies so far.

Acting & Characters: Absolutely full marks to Holland and Keaton. After a long long time do we get to enjoy a fully fleshed out antagonist in the MCU! When i watched the trailers i thought 'The Vulture' is going to be another mech-suit wearing bad guy drunk on power and carnage. But no. Keaton's character actually keeps developing & evolving throughout the span of the movie so well that a discerning viewer might even question whether he is really so much of a bad guy at all. And Holland, well, you can just see that he gives his heart & soul to this performance, and i am looking forward to see more of him in future MCU movies. If he is truly the central character of phase 4, then the MCU is in good hands.

Other stuff: It actually feels nice to see Peter getting used to a wicked tech-ed up suit developed by Stark which is part of why this movie feels fresh. Rather than giving 'instinct' as an excuse for all the cool stuff spiderman can do, here we are given a version of how Spidey first learns many tricks with the help of some cool Stark tech, but then also learns to look inside of himself for the best of his abilities after his suit is temporarily taken away by an angry Tony after the ferry incident depicted in the trailers.

Closing arguments: Overall, the movie offers everything: a grounded plot, great characters to sympathise with, well placed yet simplistic humour and of course, cool Spidey stuff !! Spiderman comes of age and so does the MCU itself. Previous versions haven't made it beyond 3 and 2 movies respectively. Maybe the third-time reboot's a charm ? :-)

Good lord, i get so frustrated when i see people give bad reviews to movies like this because there are 'plot holes' or the 'characters behave stupidly'. It's a movie about a giant gorilla.....a giant gorilla. The name says as much. So, if you could not wrap your head around that premise and went in expecting a 'grounded-in-reality' plot line, then you're the one being stupid.

And as far as realism and coherent storytelling go, it is still far better than Peter Jackson's version from 2005 (Sorry, Peter, love your other work i.e LotR).

At the same time it is also not good enough to warrant a 10 on IMDb from me, primarily because it ultimately lacks a certain 'wow' factor which you need to have if you're trying to reboot a franchise for the 3rd or 4th time.

So what's good about it ?

Well, it's entertaining, for sure ! You have all the regular capers that you would expect from a giant monster flick such as a 'tall-as-a-building' Kong swatting down military helicopters like they are flies, thumping his chest while roaring and a few other monsters thrown into the mix for Kong to fight (which makes for a few excellently shot set pieces in the film).

The acting ? Well, not Tom Hiddleston's best work, somehow i cant see him as an action hero, but he delivers a solid performance nonetheless. Brie Larson's character is thankfully not your typical damsel in distress that you would expect, although her character is saved from death a couple of times in the movie. However a diversion from the regular plot where Kong is supposed to kidnap the most good looking girl who eventually falls for him is a welcome one. Sam Jackson basically plays Sam Jackson who is furious at Kong for pwning his helicopter squadron and is on a 'Captain Ahab' type revenge quest; and he does it well. John C Riley's character was a pleasant surprise and they have given his character some good closure at the end.

And the plot itself ? All i'll say is that it's a basic plot, good enough for a monster movie and actually quite coherently played out on the screen. Like i said before, don't go in expecting realism from a giant monkey movie.

So what's bad about it ? Well, only that it ultimately does not have enough new material to be a ground-breaking reboot.

So, all-in-all.... Definitely worth a watch! Not only entertaining enough on it's own but also a solid start to what will hopefully go on to become a very cool 'Monster-verse'.

Oh yes, what about the 'Monster-verse' ?! Well, be sure to watch the post-credits scene :-) :-)