Who would have thought a film about apes would offer one of the most in-depth and accurate perspectives "warts and all" of all the things that makes human beings tick!

Director Matt Reeves dark sequel about the epic struggle between mankind and the formidable community of intelligent apes!

Just like its predecessor the visuals continue to amaze and astound audiences worldwide! The clever and deeply impactful story surrounding the race of sentient apes was surprisingly very human and the catalyst for a profoundly emotional storyline that is so intricately detailed in depicting the apes complexity in all its blazing glory that it goes well beyond the parameters of a simple blockbuster and into the territory of a more sophisticated grand…

Ape vs Human. Ape vs Ape. Human vs Human. The evolution of society. These are some of the themes explored in Matt Reeves' Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Gorillas with guns!! 

Once again the special effects are amazing. Apes on horses. Apes going bananas. Huge explosions. Scenes straight out of the story of Julius Caesar. Apes driving tanks. Apes dancing. I'm in awe of the motion capture work. The CG and other special effects in the first 2 Ape movies simply kick ass and take names. 

Koba is what a villain should be: a mean sumbitch. He has a face only a mother could love, but the dance movies of Kevin Bacon. He's a bad boy killer, and…

In 2011, the dead & dusted franchise of Planet of the Apes was successfully resurrected by Rise of the Planet of the Apes; the origin story of the rebooted series, which turned out to be the surprise blockbuster of its year considering that there was no significant buzz at the box-office prior to its release & even the prediction from marketing pundits was never in its favour.

Three years later, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes finally surfaces amidst enormous hype & expectations as the second chapter of the rebooted franchise and continues the story of Caesar & his legion of genetically evolved apes. The plot is set in a dystopian future & takes place 10 years after the events of the first film…

As I was exiting the theater, I put my earbuds on with the intention to have a nice walk back home and listen to some music while contemplating on what I've just seen. As if the cinematic experience itself wasn't affecting enough, the first song that played further shook me to the core. Now, I have around 300 songs on my current playlist but the song that came up couldn't have been more suitable: Heaven and Hell by Black Sabbath. The lyrics corresponded so well with the movie, it was a great extension of what I've seen just minutes before.

As for the movie, it explores themes that I love, themes that fascinate and interest me, seeing how they are…

Two words keep popping up whenever I'm trying to form my opinion on this film.

Even though.

I've never been a huge fan of the Apes franchise, but Wyatt's Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a pleasant surprise with a clever script and some great visuals. And even though this sequel is a weaker film, it is still a cut above most big budget blockbusters.

Even though.

Even though Dawn has no real human characters, it manages to get away with it by fleshing out Ceasar and creating a cast of apes that look, sound and act as unique individuals. The humans hardly serve a purpose and do not evolve beyond their cardboard cutout essence. And even though…

"Home. Family. Future."

There's a popular shift occurring within the film community. Audiences are getting tired of CGI. Blockbusters are built around special effects, but nobody's doing anything new with the technology anymore. Nobody, that is, except for Matt Reeves. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes pushes the boundaries of what we think computer animation is capable of in live action films and opens a new realm of possibilities for modern cinema. Lord of the Rings had a sympathetic motion-capture performance in a supporting role? Forget that. Dawn puts the motion capture in the front seat. Main character. Begin and end on a tight close up of his face. And he's not only passable, he's the most emotionally resonant…

3rd rewatch of this GAS PACK last night.

If Caesar's arc last movie was about breaking free from oppression and finding his own home in which he can be himself, in Dawn, for me, it's all about acceptance; seeing that even your own kind can be just as bad as the "bad guy". But it's not as simple as it sounds.

The first part is represented by Koba and Dreyfus, who pretty much represents what would happen to Caesar and Malcolm if they didn't saw the good part of humanity or apes, respectively.

Koba's downfall could apply to everyone: the hatred inside him consumes him to the point of being more of a monster than someone real. Seeing Caesar trying…