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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 3D Blu-ray Review
MOVIE REVIEW
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a 2014 sci-fi action movie that acts as the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes from 2011 which in turn acts as the prequel to the 1968 movie Planet of the Apes. After the events of Rise, a virus has broken out and left the human world in chaos. Meanwhile, the apes, living in the forests of San Francisco, are thriving and have set up their own community free of human contact while the people taking refuge in the city are struggling to survive. The humans' only hope is to go out into the forest and turn on a dam that will bring the city electricity. But that means going into ape territory, which is led by the ape protagonist of the previous movie, Caesar. The humans and apes eventually come to a mutual agreement to give the humans only enough time to complete their work in the woods and leave. But what comes next is a complex, unpredictable dynamic that puts both apes and humans in severe danger.
It's been a hot minute since I've seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes. And sadly, because it's not in 3D, I didn't feel like giving the film a watch before delving into Dawn because I knew I couldn't review it here. But from what I can remember, I thought it was a fun and thought-provoking action thriller that helped to set up the events in the 1968 original film in a creative way. And if that's still the case, than Dawn of the Planet of the Apes keeps the momentum going, and even builds it up more as the film progresses. The result is a fun, adventurous, thrilling action movie with much more intelligence and heart than you'd expect.
On one level, the film succeeds at making for an entertaining ape flick. The story itself is a clever and flows naturally from the events of Rise. The plot featuring the human characters crossing into a territory full of creatures who don't like their species is simple one. But whereas any other director would've seen this as just another forgettable blockbuster and pulled out all the cliches and made everyone disposable, Matt Reeves tells the story with vision and passion. Yes, the elements of a blockbuster are there: characters whose names you won't remember, lots of CGI effects, a third act that acts as a big spectacle, and so forth. But the film takes these elements and builds a genuinely intriguing story out of it and tells it the best way it knows how. The musical score by Michael Giacchino is on point (of course, his music is always on point. Up anyone?). The direction and camera movements all make the presence of the apes frightening, which heightens the movie's tension. And while the film, especially in the second half, has many different moving elements, Dawn manages to conclude everything in a satisfying and bombastic way.
As for the cast of characters, the only real recurring character from the last movie is Caesar, who has progressed from being a captive to being a strong leader. And he's definitely an intimidating one at that. What I find very impressive with this movie is how in spite of, or many because of, the hyperrealistic CGI, Andy Serkis can convey a surprisingly wide range of emotions as Caesar. His face doesn't change terribly much throughout the film, but there's always a degree of nuance to it that elevates it as being probably one of, if not the best, motion capture performance I've seen in a film ever. The human characters are all new, but the film builds them up to be likable and easy to invest in. A bit like Rogue One, you'll probably go the whole movie without remembering their names. But you can certainly tell their motivations and even feel for them. And the acting on display from the humans is all around very convincing and engaging.
But in my opinion, what really elevates Dawn of the Planet of the Apes from being just another one-time flick is its themes and dynamics. Throughout the film, apes and humans are seen as enemies, with the apes having the upper hand now. And true, the film does well at introducing us to how both parties are doing their best to prepare for, and even create, an attack. But Dawn shows us how conflict isn't just all black and white. Sometimes, the issues a group of people might have with another group of people don't always apply to entire general group, but instead just a few bad apples. And sometimes, those bad apples might not always be on the side you thought there were on. The movie asks us to examine who it is we trust and if maybe, people on both sides have much more in common than we think. Peace is a difficult thing to achieve, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes knows it. But the perspective the movie gives on the us vs. them mentality is honestly worth considering. And in an age when wars are all over the place, maybe taking a bit away from this film isn't the worst thing you can do.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is certainly one of the most grand and re-watchable summer blockbusters to hit theater in the last decade. It ties into the bigger story it tells very well. But even on its own, the themes and ideas and how they're tied in with the unpredictable, intense plot will keep viewers just as much thinking as they'll be on the edge of their seats. Any film that manages to do that certainly receives my recommendation. In an age where most everything is a soulless rehash of an already existing IP, Dawn once again proves that when filmmakers have something they genuinely want to say, they can take what's good about modern cinema and tell it in a way that's truly remarkable. It's very rare to see that sort of thing happen nowadays. But it still happens every now and again. And when it does, it must be treasured.
OVERALL FILM RATING: 4.5/5
3D REVIEW
2011 was a bit of a hit and miss year for 3D conversions, so I won't exactly say I wished that Rise of the Planet of the Apes got any sort of 3D treatment. But it still does make it a bit odd that of the recent Apes trilogy, only the first film in it isn't in 3D. Oh, well. But of course, we're not here to talk about the first one. We're here to talk about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and its native 3D presentation. This movie hit theaters in 2014, when 3D movies were beginning to find their footing. It was also the same year the converted 3D masterpiece Guardians of the Galaxy came out from Marvel. Still, not all 3D flicks from then were necessarily perfect. But as for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the 3D on display holds up pretty well. Is it fantastic compared to the conversions we get nowadays? Not really. But it still works when it needs to and the overall experience should still please many-a 3D fans out there.
According to Cinemablend, director Matt Reeves shot this film with 3D in mind and even used native 3D cameras. As far as native 3D films go, this one tends to be on the slightly shallower end of the spectrum. But none the less, the movie is fantastic at capturing all the little details that make up the post-pandemic world of Dawn. To let you know this film was made with 3D in mind, the first shot of the film is a tracking shot focusing on a series of orange lines coming up from and surrounding a globe, indicating how fast the pandemic has spread, all while news clips are playing in the background and can only be seen behind the continents. This shot looks average in 2D. But in 3D, it's simply mesmerizing. I think that's the best way to describe most of this film's look. It works well in 2D, but the 3D makes it more interesting to watch. And right after that, we then get an intimidating close up of Caesar's face as he stares right at us as the camera zooms out, once again using the 3D to make the film feel all the more immersive and intense.
When the camera finishes zooming out, the forest has plenty of 3D detail. Trees appear to be in their own separate space, foliage looks nice and never warped, and the apes are never in the wrong place along the z-axis. Like I said though, the 3D here is not as deep as other native 3D productions we've seen. And there are times when occasionally, the characters will take on a cardboard cutout look and two characters will look closer together than they actually are. But the advantage of shooting natively is that as flat as the image can get sometimes, nothing ever looks "wrong," unlike images in some other movies I've seen. Because of that, the film consistency maintains a decent 3D look. The good news is, most of these flat shots are reserved for talky bits and locations that are a bit more modest, such as an apartment. But when it comes to wide views in the city, ape-created set pieces, and action sequences, the depth kicks up. One of the main examples of this is a scene early on in the film when Caesar and his army of apes are hunting deer. The constant motions from the deer, apes, and even a bear at one point, keep the 3D engaging, and the depth is very good.
In the city, the structures lends themselves to a wider, and more mesmerizing, field of depth. Scenes that take place in San Francisco feature some tall buildings and great action in the third act. Even indoors, detail and depth remain intact, keeping the 3D immersive. Whether in tunnels, hallways, or roads, the camera angles allow for good composition that allows the 3D to shine. The same also rings true for scenes where our main characters are inside the dam in the woods. However, it's during the final battle on the top of a high tower when the 3D especially kick up. There are top down views, apes swinging across the structure, and an explosion which send everything shaking.
Speaking of action, there's plenty of it in here. Most of it is saved for late in the movie. But when it comes up, the 3D certainly becomes the preferred way to watch Dawn. Once again, apes moving all around the environment is mainly what makes everything fun to watch. But add guns to them, a tank, some cables, and that tall building from before, and you have yourself a 3D thrill ride. As for pop outs, there is a good amount of them, most of which involve apes, people, and pieces of the surrounding environment. But most of them are all pretty subtle and just barely protrude the screen most of the time. That doesn't mean that there aren't any fun pop outs, but they're pretty minimal, mainly because director Matt Reeves wanted to emphasize depth (which he does well). On occasion, you do get an ape falling or hurdling towards the camera, and there is even a shot in which an ape throws a gasoline can on fire towards the moviegoers. And whenever the apes communicate with each other via sign language, the subtitles also are put in front of the screen. Besides that, there really isn't much in terms of the movie striving to leave the screen.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is by no means a 3D masterpiece. There is some pretty shallow depth quite a bit of the time. And while the depth it does have makes the movie more fun to watch, it's not exactly necessary to the experience. That being said, if you keep your expectations in check, you could still end up having a fun time with this 3D flick. The apes are frightening enough in 2D. But in 3D, you'll be looking for a place to duck from them. And while 3D thrills aren't exactly in abundance with this title, there are still some good standout moments that make the 3D edition of Dawn worth your money. I'm a little on the ball on whether or not to give this film a "good" rating or a "great" rating. On one hand, I can definitely see people leaving this film saying they didn't really notice the 3D all that much. But on the other hand, there are enough places where the 3D does help improve the film over its 2D counterpart to not recommend it. I think considering all the things it does right, I'm going to give it a cautionary "great" rating. But ultimately, the choice is yours. While you won't be committing a crime by not going for the 3D version, those that do decide to go for it will probably find more to like about it than to dislike.
3D RATING: GREAT
OTHER SOURCES THAT REVIEW THIS MOVIE'S 3D:
Cinemablend's To 3D or Not Review: https://www.cinemablend.com/new/3D-Or-3D-Buy-Right-Dawn-Planet-Apes-Ticket-43808.html
High-Def Digest's Review: https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/13391/dawnoftheplanetoftheapes3d.html
Tommy Boy 3D's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPUlGKxE_QQ
FINAL THOUGHTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is quite the surprise. Unlike most big-budget action movies where the action and spectacle is at the expense of deep themes and unpredictable dynamics between characters, Dawn marries both of them together and creates an action flick a cut above most common blockbusters, and most normal movies in general really. I wouldn't suggest going into it without having watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, otherwise you might be lost on what's going on. But for most casual moviegoers, this is a masterfully done piece of modern entertainment that we deserve more of. Should you go for the 3D Blu-ray? Well, the question has a bit of an odd answer. Yes, the shallowness of the movie in places will probably turn many-a common 3D moviegoers away. But there isn't enough of it, I think, to justify writing this one off as a mediocre 3D presentation. It's still very immersive, engaging, and even at times, thrilling. I guess it all comes down to personal preference. As for me, I like the 3D version of Dawn and it will be my definitive way to watch it. As for you? Well, that depends on you look for in a 3D movie. If you want fluid action sequences and neat camera composition, this one might be worth your time. But if you want consistent and intense depth, maybe give this title a bit more consideration before making a purchase.
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