Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Analysis and Review

"Apes, together...STRONG!"

The unexpected hit known as Rise of the Planet of the Apes gave way for the arrival of this film. A powerful story with a powerful character who is not even human.

Plot

It has been 10 years since the Simian Flu has wiped out most of the human race. Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes have evolved due to the side effects of the drug that created the Simian flu. They're now a flourishing community that is slowly becoming a highly intelligent species. However when the first humans in two years enter the picture, the gears of war silently begin to turn. And only Caesar and the human Malcolm (Jason Clarke) can hope to stop it.

Analysis

A story is everything. A message is everything. Both need to go hand in hand together. And when it is found in a blockbuster, that is something to truly behold. It is a common belief to think that summer blockbusters just need to be fun with style over substance. That doesn't mean that there is no substance, it just isn't what makes a blockbuster. The Planet of the Apes series is not blockbuster material. I'm talking about the original series. These were hardcore science fiction films dealing with the race issues, the dangers of nuclear weapons, inevitability of the end. It was grim yet had a slight flair of entertainment value that can veer into blockbuster territory. I still believe that the current Apes films are not really summer blockbusters. They are films, promoted as summer blockbusters that deliver enough thrills to make people believe it is a blockbuster when it really isn't. That's not to say none of the Planet of the Apes films have been blockbusters. 

Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes was a blockbuster. Because it had style and no substance. Remember what I said about blockbusters being style over substance? Well, that substance may not be important but it has to be there. Burton's film did not have substance. While it succeeds as a blockbuster in terms of box office, in terms of being intelligent it fails. Why would I want a blockbuster to be intelligent? Especially if Tim Burton was one of my favorite directors? Well, because the movie he was remaking was based on an intelligent movie. A powerful movie. The makeup effects in Burton's film were superior thanks to Rick Baker, but even great makeup can't cover up a movie with no substance. I enjoy the movie as a sci-fi B-movie throwback but since it is a remake of a smart film, one would hope that the film would live up to that intelligence. Luckily this new series begun by Rupert Wyatt and now helmed by Matt Reeeves does just that.

Review

The first thing to get out of the way is Andy Serkis. The man is ridiculously talented and deserves a lot of recognition for what he has done for not only this film but for the industry as a whole. His portrayal of Caesar is amplified not only by his performance but with the thousands of animators who dedicated their time to ensure that we can see his performance merge organically with the chimp leader. His contribution to Motion Capture and how it has grown into a legitimate acting art form cannot be ignored. It shows from how he was able to guide the other actors in this film in how to embrace the technology to become an extension of themselves rather than just a special effect. It shows especially for actor Toby Kebbell who becomes the tragic antagonist Koba in a performance that can even rival the king of motion capture. Their performances as two apes with the same ideals but different ways of going about it really is the drive of the film. There are moment when you forget this they are CGI rigged to actors but rather actual living breathing chimpanzees that can act. It truly is an amazing thing to behold.

The second thing to mention is the story and the theme of the movie. It is very rare for something to be billed as a blockbuster to have an incredible yet simplistic story that makes its theme known but never as something that is hit over the head. The theme being misinformation can lead to disaster. There is good in both apes and humans, but where there is good there is also the potential for evil. Because of that potential, sometimes it overshadows the idea of good for both sides. It is what makes the film compelling in that there is no clear cut apes are good and humans are bad. In this film both sides are to blame for what will eventually lead to one side returning to savagery and the other rising to power. 

As powerful as Caesar and Koba are along with the story that is driven by both of them, they are unfortunately the only strong well rounded characters of the movie supported by one dimensional characters. That's not to say that is a bad thing, because the human cast played by Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Gary Oldman were great with the roles they were given. They served the story naturally and Clarke's Malcolm is a great surrogate for James Franco's character in the previous film. And while there is small hints of other dimensions to their characters, in the end all of them still appear one-dimensional. Which is a shame because they were all fantastic with what they're given. Even the unknown actors who support them.

It is a shame to also say that the other apes aren't really given much to work with either. The only big name among the apes that might be known to some is actress Judy Greer who plays Caesar's wife Cornelia. She doesn't do much but her presence adds a lot to the idea of family. But one cannot deny that they are all amazing.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the best movies this summer and definitely a film that is masquerading as a blockbuster. It has heart, it has soul, it has story and it has flaws. The flaws prevent it from being the best of the summer, but there is no denying that this is definitely The Dark Knight of the rebooted Planet of the Apes series.

SCORE: 8.5/10 - HAIL CAESAR!!!

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Analysis and Review

When the Hate started coming in... and Rightfully So

The hotly anticipated sequel to the 2007 unexpected (though not really if one were to think about) smash hit goes for bigger and broader in scope. And the expectations of many were so high for the cast and crew to improve on the very fixable mistakes that were made in the first one as well as enhance what was good in the first one. Does it do that? Well...

The Plot

When Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) triggers a map to a new source of power that gets embedded in his mind, he is once again thrusted into the war between the noble Autobots and evil Decepticons. With his girlfriend, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox), and his college roommate, Leo Spitz (Ramon Rodriguez), they must trek across the globe to not only find this source of power before the Decepticons do but also hope that it may save the life of Autobot leader: Optimus Prime.

Analysis

It is actually amazing how much watching a movie on the day of release with a massive audience can make one's perception of a movie very murky. I remember it very clearly that while my group of 14 friends and I showed up really early to our screening we still wound up being stuck in the front row. It got crowded really quick, to the point where some people were willing to sit on the steps. Of course that didn't fly well for the ushers, but some refused to move.

But back to my point. I remember having an incredibly fun movie going experience watching this movie. The crow was laughing and cheering and just full of this overwhelming excitement that was intoxicating. My friends and I were caught up in all this energy that it just made the experience a thousand times more enjoyable.

However when we walked out of the theater and had dinner at the sushi establishment across the street...we never talked about whether or not we liked the movie. Which was weird because that is something we always do after seeing a movie. 

It wasn't until I bought the movie on special edition DVD (damn you blu-ray for ruining my chances of having a complete special edition DVD set) that I discovered why we didn't talk about the movie.

But it does show a lot of just how powerful the theater going experience is. Watching this movie alone is not fun. Watching this movie during matinee would not be fun either. Watching it with a crowd of people who loves this movie no matter what? That is truly something magical. 

But now that the magic doesn't follow me to home viewing, lets talk about this piece of ****.

Review

There was a lot going on in this movie. And I do mean a lot. First there is LaBeouf's Sam having to deal with college and being away from his girlfriend. Then there's the horny conspiracy theory roommate who serves one purpose in the movie: being the conspiracy theorist. Then of course the villain from the first movie is brought back to life to kill the number one reason why people want to see this movie (Optimus Prime) so that it would really tie in to another plot of the movie. Then there's the globe trotting to get to the climax and the third act of the film. Okay that doesn't sound like a lot is going on, in fact it all goes together quite nicely on paper. The problem is a good idea on paper may not look good on screen.

As I mentioned the plot seems to be about bringing Optimus Prime back to life after getting killed by a revived Megatron. Oh, is that a spoiler? Well with all out honesty the plot of the film is marketed as an ancient Decepticon wants to harvest the sun's energy....because he wants to harvest the sun's energy. The title Revenge of the Fallen suggests that the titular Fallen (the ancient Decepticon voiced by Tony Todd) wants revenge on someone. Though as the opening prologue states: the ones he wants revenge on have been dead for thousands of years. So...there really is no revenge factor. If anyone should be getting revenge it should be Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving) because he was killed in the first movie. The title would've fit perfectly if that was the case because he has indeed fallen and come back to life. But no he does not seek to kill Optimus for revenge, he seeks to kill Optimus because his master The Fallen can only be killed by someone with Prime in their name. So in a sense the character who should get revenge doesn't actually get revenge on the character who would give cause for revenge but instead does things because he was told to do so. Makes sense?

Anyway this film could've gone a lot differently had it been marketed as what it is: we need to bring Optimus Prime back to life. That is the plot of the movie. But the problem is they had to make it so complex yet at the same time so convenient that a world ending device could also be the key to bringing Optimus back to life. So many moving parts for something that should really just be straight forward. Yet that plot gets mixed in with other plots that get dragged out unnecessarily. Especially with the nonexistent presence of this new villain because although he shows off that he is powerful he doesn't really do much to justify his place in the movie. Let alone justify why his name should be in the title.

The acting was just over the top. I'm not going to name names specifically because lets face it everyone was acting over the top in this movie. Even in the emotional scenes it seemed too heightened for what it should be. The one who I was paying attention to was Isabel Lucas who plays the robot disguised as a human named Alice. The reason was mainly due to her being pointed as the next big thing, and a fine actress. Unfortunately the role she was given in this movie was not a really nice display of her acting range. Which is sad because I've seen her in The Pacific and she's great. 

And the action of seeing robots fight other robots is completely ruined by not knowing who is fighting who. A lot of new hero robots are introduced, including female robots, and a lot of new villain robots are introduced, but in the end unless one is really paying attention very very very carefully (like me) you would have no idea who is who or who is fighting what. This was a minor problem in the previous one but at least there were multiple times when the fights were clear. In this one the only fight that was clear and well done was the one with Optimus battling Megatron and two other Decepticons at the same time. Other than that one part, all the other action in the movie is terrible. And this is suppose to be coming from action auteur, Michael Bay.

I should probably talk about those two idiot robots in the movie but I'm not going to waste internet space for that.

Final Thoughts

I wish I can relive that movie theater experience of seeing this movie with a crowd of blind excited fans because the movie I remembered seeing on the big screen was not the same one I saw when I watched it at home alone. And after seeing the third one that's when it dawned on me that seeing a Transformers movie with a crowd of Transformer movie fans is the best way to see the movie. You will get lost in the energy and feel like it is the greatest movie ever! But sadly it is not.

SCORE: 4/10 - A movie to enjoy only at a midnight screening with hardcore fans of the series

For a review of the previous film, CLICK HERE
For a review of the next film, CLICK HERE

Transformers - Analysis and Review

The One that Started it All

I grew up playing with Transformers and watching the Beast Wars animated series as well as some of the G1 cartoons. So when this movie was announced back in 2007, a fond High School memory becomes solidified.

The Plot

When Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) gets a "piece of crap Camaro" as his first car, he unwillingly becomes embroiled in a secret galactic war between alien robots that can transform into vehicles. One of them being the very car that he purchased in hopes of impressing his crush, Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox). With an alien war on the verge to begin, Sam and Mikaela are thrown into a battle where the fate of the world may hang int the balance.

Analysis

You may notice from that plot synopsis that I came up with for this movie that I do not mention Optimus Prime or Megatron. Well to put it simply, they were supporting roles and the main attraction of the movie. When writing the plot synopsis for Jurassic Park I wouldn't put the T-Rex in a starring role even though he is in the movie a lot. He is the main attraction. Just as the Transformers in this movie called Transformers are the main attraction. And that's something I want to point out.

Having studied filmmaking and having a degree in it you learn a thing or two about why some movies are made the way they are. While this is the most loved of Michael Bay's Transformers franchise it still gets flack for being "not about the Transformers." Let's put it this way.

A lot of people were happy with the announcement of a live action Transformers movie only to be disappointed by the lack of Transformers as the main characters. However let me talk about my favorite scene from the sequel, Revenge of the Fallen. It is the scene where Megatron is talking to The Fallen in the Nemesis spaceship. That scene was entirely animated and photorealistic. Like many I thought why can't the whole movie be about the drama of the robots rather than the humans? You know, like the cartoons? But then that is when it hits me. If they do make a live action movie just centered on the robots then does it really still count as a live action movie? Because lets face it all the robots are animated, with the exception of Bumblebee in this film, who has once scene as a life-size practical effect animatronic. So in a sense, wouldn't it just be a photo realistic animated movie instead of a live action movie? Sure one can argue that they can have the settings be live action, but wouldn't it be more easier just to CGI everything at that point?

Where I'm getting at here is that creating photorealistic creatures and settings is hard and it costs money. I usually get mad at people who call it lazy CGI without knowing how difficult and time consuming it is to make high class CGI for big studio movies. Plus the live action elements are there so that CGI doesn't have to dominate the whole movie and most of the money funneled into making that CGI look realistic is to enhance what little scenes require them.

That's just my take on why I understand there has to be a human story from a production stand point. Of course the other one is that most people are not Transformers fans and don't care about the robots so there has to be some human element for those audiences to watch.

Review

This is the best of the original trilogy in my opinion and I will lay out why. The story is pretty much a teenage version of E.T. If E.T. is about a boy becoming friends with a lost alien, then this film is about a teenage boy becoming friends with an alien robot. And because this film is for teenage boys who want everything to be violent with explosions and hot girls or in this case just one hot girl, it needs to have all that. So yes, this is pretty much a teenage boy's dream come true. And having watched this when I was still in High School, it definitely did resonated with me. While I may not have the same taste in movies as I did then that I do now, I still find the same enjoyment I did when I was that age.

Shia LaBeouf does an excellent job as Sam Witwicky, who is a character that exists in the cartoon but not many people seem to remember that. While the character of Sam was a supporting character in the cartoon, here he is front and center as the audiences eyes into this intergalactic war. He is everything the stereotypical loser teenage boy would be in a movie and that works for his character. His comedic timing is excellent and really helps him be likable for the audience.

Megan Fox was someone I've known about before her big screen debut due to my mother watching the Kelly Ripa show Hope and Grace where she plays Ripa's niece. She does well in comedy, and since then seems to have discovered that genre is probably where she belongs. But let's get back to her performance in this film. It was just enough to convince the audience she is worth remembering. Though that is not due to her acting but more about the way director Michael Bay chose to shoot her. She's gorgeous and the camera and lighting reminds us of that fact the whole time she's on screen. The problem is she does come off as a bit shallow even though she's suppose to have this interesting development of becoming less shallow as the story goes on. Sorry, but even with that development for her character, her acting still makes her look like a shallow girl.

Of course the supporting cast does a decent job. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson are believable as well as funny as the military men who first discover the presence of alien robots. Rachel Taylor and Anthony Anderson offer some good comic relief and exposition speakers as the hackers in the movie. Jon Voight was just perfect casting to play the Secretary of Defense. And then there's John Turturro as Agent Simmons....funny secret agent...cool. In other words everyone does well with what they're suppose to do. But seeing as how I can't remember most of their names it often questions just how important they are to the plot other than exposition? Oh well, they do decent jobs.

Now lets talk about the robots. ILM deserves all the praise they get for pulling off bringing these complex robotic creatures to the big screen. The biggest boost to them is having cartoon voice legend Peter Cullen voicing the live action version of the character that made him legendary: Optimus Prime. It was his casting that got G1 fans excited, and it sure as hell made me excited. Hearing his voice come out of the gigantic robot king will send shivers down the spine of even the most harshest critic of this film. He was definitely the best part of the movie. And then there's Hugo Weaving as Optimus' famed nemesis, Megatron. Being known for playing villains, Weaving does excellent as the gigantic robot tyrant. For what little screen time the villain gets (yes that is disappointing) Weaving makes your remember Megatron.

The action in the movie is fine, though it could benefit by being a little bit more clear as to who is fighting who. This is not too much of a problem as there are only 6 Autobots (good transformers) battling 5 Decepticons (bad transformers) in the movie so it becomes clear later on. The resolution of the required final battle in the third act is lackluster but in the end it is still a good movie.

Final Thoughts

This is definitely a film worth seeing. It is not as great as I thought it was when I saw it in High School, but by no means do I think it is horrible. This is definitely the best film of the original trilogy because it feels like the most complete film. It is also the shortest of the Transformers which is why it works. It is compact and straight forward instead of drawn out. It is understandable that this may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if one were to ask what would be a cool fun sci-fi action film to watch but doesn't require too much thinking, I'd gladly point to this film. It's just a good time.

SCORE: 7.5/10 - Just a real good time and a fine toy/car commercial

For a review of the next film, CLICK HERE