Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Movie Review by Guest Blogger, Marie Gilbert

Remember how I said that my grandmom and I went to see the newest "Planet of the Apes" movie in theaters a couple of weeks ago? We decided to each review it and then post on each other's blogs because we loved it so much. Last week you saw my review, and although I had intended for hers to come out after my review of the newest TMNT movie, I decided that it would make more sense to post this first. (That, and I need some extra time to think about things before I write my TMNT review.)

So without further ado, please welcome my guest blogger, Marie Gilbert (aka Grandmom)!

Planet of the Apes

If you’re my age, you’ve probably seen the original 1968 film, Planet of the Apes, starring Charlton Heston as George Taylor the American astronaut who with his crew crash landed on a strange planet after spending thousands of years in hibernation. The film which is based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel, La Planete des Singes, introduced moviegoers to intelligent gorillas and speechless, animalistic humans.

The film’s ending, along with Taylor’s shocking realization of his true location, is seared forever in my mind and I became an instant fan. Unfortunately, I found most of the sequels to Planet of the Apes a big disappointment, but at the time I wasn’t sure why. It was only after watching the 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes and this year’s blockbuster, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that I understood what was missing from the earlier films.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

To give my thoughts on The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, I do need to mention the 2011 film The Rise of the Planet of the Apes which was directed by Rupert Wyatt and starred James Franco as Will Rodman and Andy Serkis as Caesar. The 2011 film did what all the previous films in the franchise did not do. It allowed the movie audience to become one with an intelligent species that is endangered in the real world.  Will Rodman (Franco) a scientist from the Sen-Sys Biotech Company is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a disease that his father is victim to…but we all know that the plans of mice and men often go astray.

The company does its research on chimpanzee subjects and the drug ALZ-112 makes one of the chimps, Bright Eyes, extremely intelligent, but she goes on a rampage. Due to this mishap, Will is forced to take her infant and raise it. Infant Caesar grows more intelligent each day, but he still has animal tendencies that Will Rodman must deal with. The drug may be a blessing for the primate characters of the film, but its side effect on humans is catastrophic. While the airborne disease becomes a pandemic nightmare for mankind, Caesar and his fellow intelligent chimpanzee friends escape to Muir Woods; their new home. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes changed the game plan on the franchise by telling the story from a new perspective. We began to identify with Caesar. He was the hero of the film; the survivor against man’s cruelty towards non-humans.

 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

The 2014 film directed by Matt Reeves and starring Andy Serkis as Caesar, Jason Clarke as Malcolm, Gary Oldman as Drefus and Toby Kibbell a bonobo and Caesar’s second in command, focused on the lives of the primates living in Muir Woods.  Have you’ve ever truly looked into a primate’s eyes. I do whenever I am at the zoo or when watching all the National Geographic documentaries about the dire conditions of a species, be they Chimpanzee, Bonobo or Gorilla. There is intelligence in those eyes and before we split off from our cousins millions of years ago, we were just like them and we have the DNA to prove it ranging between a 95 to 99% similarity.

In the 2014 film we see Caesar in charge of his troop of fellow primates.  They’ve not only built shelter for themselves, but they successfully hunt for food. When Drefus (Oldman) the leader of a small band of human survivors living in a section of San Francesco sends Malcolm and his team to check for a source of water power to keep their city running, they encounter Caesar’s son, Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) and Rocket’s son, Ash (Doc Shaw). Ash is injured.

The film deals with Caesar and Malcolm trying to keep peace between the two species, but mistakes are made by both sides and it’s not only the humans who thirst for supremacy; stupid choices are made by both men and beast alike.

Conclusion

Humans have this false illusion that we are above nature. It is because of this mistaken belief that our oceans are polluted; our air dirty and species around the globe go extinct at an alarming rate. We forget that the havoc we cause to nature will eventually come back to kick us in the butt. If we don’t respect nature and the other life forms that share this planet with us, then we are doomed.

When you look into the eyes of any animal, you see a comrade that has survived, like us, the evolutionary trip through time. They deserve our respect. See the movie. We are witness to an old story told through new eyes and it feels right.

~

You can find Marie Gilbert on Google + and on her blog, Gilbert Curiosities. :-)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Movie Review

Here's a back-story for you: when I was visiting my grandparents on the East Coast these past couple of weeks, we went to see the new Planet of the Apes movie in the theater (which had really nice recliner seats, by the way). When it was over, my grandmom and I were so impressed with the film that we agreed to review it and then post each other's thoughts on our blogs. My grandmom has already posted her review on her site, mine will be making an appearance there next week, and vice-versa.

That being said, here is my review of the movie.

I am among the new generation of fans for the Planet of the Apes movies. I know that there were movies made in the 1960's, but I only ever saw one of them (I have no clue which one it was). Honestly, I didn't care for it. The story wasn't really interesting, the characters were kind of bland, and the ending was unsatisfactory. That, and being a teenager with today's technology, I am used to better animation and effects than they had back then. Perhaps that was also part of the reason I disliked the older movies.

However, when the 2011 version of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was released, I really enjoyed it. I had no idea they would make a sequel, though in retrospect that was kind of obvious. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is basically the origin story of Caesar and how he came to be the character we know today. The 2011 film focuses on a human scientist named Will Rodman and a tragic accident in an experimental laboratory that leads him to adopt a baby chimp, which he names Caesar. From there the story follows Caesar's life in the lap of luxury until the day his animal instincts take over, he is introduced to other chimps for the first time, and must quickly learn his place in the animal kingdom. Ultimately, he leads a "prison break" of sorts and leads his fellow primates into the Muir Woods. When his human caretaker comes after him, he refuses to return to the life he knew and instead takes on a new future.

2014's "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" takes place about 10 years after the first movie, when the Simian Flu has wiped out millions of people worldwide, leaving only a handful of survivors left. Most remaining humans are afraid of the apes and want nothing to do with them, but necessity for power drives them to face their fears. The main human in this film is a man named Malcolm. He is willing to do whatever it takes to help the people around him as long as it means having peace with the apes. Caesar feels the same way. When the humans realize their only hope for survival lies beyond the apes' home, Malcolm and Caesar form a truce that, unfortunately, doesn't last long. Koba, one of Caesar's followers, is not too happy with the idea of having humans around all the time. He, unlike his leader, was treated terribly by the human race, and he has not forgotten. Koba challenges Caesar's authority many times before finally making a drastic move that will change the course of history on Earth forever. (No spoilers here!)

In conclusion, I only have this to say: I am easy to please when it comes to movies, but it takes a lot to really, truly impress me with one. "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" wasn't one of those films where I walked out of the theater thinking it was okay and shrugging it off as something I'd watch again with my family on DVD. This movie really got the gears in my brain churning. For days after seeing it I couldn't stop thinking about the characters, the story, the animation and effects. The entire film was mind-blowing. I give it a 9/10 rating and definitely recommend that you watch it before it leaves theaters. It's one of those movies that is just better on the big screen.

~

Marie Gilbert's review of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" will be posted here on my blog next week, after my review of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

Sonic Prologue: Film Review (+TMNT Coming Soon!)

Today is August 5. Sonic Prologue was released three days ago.

And I forgot. #worstmobianever

That being said, I am going to redeem myself by doing a full-on movie-style review of this 25 minute fan film, which is now available on YouTube and the Sonic Prologue Film Blog. Go watch it!

First I just have to say this: Sonic Prologue was a million times better than "Sonic," the fan film featuring Jaleel White. It was accurate, had good voice acting and animation, the story was one we are familiar with, and great voice casting. I mean, TheDragonSuperman as Robotnik? That had me on board from the moment it was announced.

This movie is about - wouldn't you know it? - Sonic and Tails. Specifically, it's about the day they met and the day Sonic faced his metal counterpart again before the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. All Mobians know this story. Tails spots Sonic running around, thinks he's the coolest person ever (because he is), and starts following him everywhere. Of course, Sonic notices him pretty quickly, and the rest is history. That was the basis for this film, but it went more in depth than that. For instance, when Tails was following Sonic around, it wasn't really stalker-ish creepy. It was more of a young kid longing to be like his hero and thus taking a closer look to see what he was all about and what made Sonic who he was.

The story itself is actually a flashback. At the very beginning we see modern Sonic and Tails hanging out in the Green Hill Zone and talking about how that's where they met. From there the rest of the movie is simply retelling the story, with twp more brief modern scenes thrown in before the end.

I thought this movie was really well done, considering that it was fan-made. Many fan-made things are just "eh" instead of amazing. But I think Doryan Nelson did a good job in creating this movie. He really captured the essence and humor of Sonic as well as providing good action sequences. (The Sonic vs Metal Sonic scene was extremely well done. I have watched that part so many times; it's just so good.) The soundtrack for this film is a healthy mix of tunes we are familiar with and new, original pieces. While at first it is odd to hear someone else's voice coming out of Classic Sonic (rather than the usual Jaleel White), you get used to it quickly and find it was a perfect fit for him. And of course, TheDragonSuperman does a great job as Robotnik.

Excited yet? Watch the movie here on YouTube and be sure to download the soundtrack here for FREE! And that's a wrap for my Sonic Prologue review.

But wait! There's more! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hits theaters in JUST THREE DAYS!! Finally! And um...I may have reliable intel that there's a slight chance I will see it a day early...in 3D...because that's how I roll. Haha! In either case, whether I see it Thursday or Friday, I will be posting a movie review shortly afterwards with all of my thoughts. Just a heads up: there will most likely be spoilers. Don't say I didn't warn you! Until next time, COWABUNGA!! :D