A stunning sequel to the Rise of the planet of the apes keeps you on edge throughout whilst challenging your loyalty to our own species. The high quality of the animation and special effects makes you somehow forget the absurdity of seeing apes on horseback but points out how dangerous they would be if they were to become intelligent. The strength, speed and agility of the apes sets them way ahead of us.
It opens just where it left off in the last film just to recap what happened. We see red lines criss crossing on a globe signifying the journey of a man made virus all over the world with overlapping news reports narrating the story so far, featuring violence and chaos in keeping with the apocalyptic scenario. In case you didn't see the last film, humans were treating apes like lab rats in search of a cure for Alzheimer’s. The antidote in early stages made apes intelligent but had a detrimental effect on humans when exposed to it creating a contagious virus known as ALZ-113 which was now wiping out our species significantly.
A decade later apes, led by Caesar, (Andy Serkis) had settled and were evolving with their new found intelligence in the Muir woodlands near San Francisco. Apes from the previous film Rocket,(Terry Notary) Maurice the Orang-utan, (Karin Konoval) and Koba (Tony Kebell) are all part of this new generation. Still primitive and innocent in many ways some of the apes could talk but many used sign language and there were subtitles enhancing the credibility of the story and our empathy for them. While it isn't essential to have seen the previous film, prior knowledge of Caesar’s back story will certainly add texture and dimension to the sequel.
Meanwhile some groups of humans had survived due to their immunity to the killer flu. The film focuses on a group in the San Francisco area led by Dreyfus, (Gary Oldman) who are trying to regain power sources in order to communicate with other possible survivors around the world. (Man’s need for technology is highlighted as a weakness.) A small group of people led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) go out to search for an old hydro electric dam in the domain of the Apes. When the two species find out about the existence of each other it invokes fear which eventually unfolds into violence and death.
The story is intertwined with peacemakers on both sides which gives rise to division amongst the tribes. However, unexpected twists occur but I shan't give any more away.
Although the story is essentially a science fiction fantasy, it flirts with the reality of intelligent being’s fear driven lust for power that inevitably leads to war. It portrays the hopelessness of the passive and peaceful mind.
The performances of the cast were powerful particularly the apes. The effects were stunning and had me jumping out of my skin at times. Although much of the violence and fight scenes were extreme it was proportionate to the story. I look forward to the next one and look out for Blue Eyes (Caesar’s Son) played by (Nick Thurston). His soulful expression evokes the empathy we do feel for the species that will eventually overthrow our own.
It opens just where it left off in the last film just to recap what happened. We see red lines criss crossing on a globe signifying the journey of a man made virus all over the world with overlapping news reports narrating the story so far, featuring violence and chaos in keeping with the apocalyptic scenario. In case you didn't see the last film, humans were treating apes like lab rats in search of a cure for Alzheimer’s. The antidote in early stages made apes intelligent but had a detrimental effect on humans when exposed to it creating a contagious virus known as ALZ-113 which was now wiping out our species significantly.
A decade later apes, led by Caesar, (Andy Serkis) had settled and were evolving with their new found intelligence in the Muir woodlands near San Francisco. Apes from the previous film Rocket,(Terry Notary) Maurice the Orang-utan, (Karin Konoval) and Koba (Tony Kebell) are all part of this new generation. Still primitive and innocent in many ways some of the apes could talk but many used sign language and there were subtitles enhancing the credibility of the story and our empathy for them. While it isn't essential to have seen the previous film, prior knowledge of Caesar’s back story will certainly add texture and dimension to the sequel.
Meanwhile some groups of humans had survived due to their immunity to the killer flu. The film focuses on a group in the San Francisco area led by Dreyfus, (Gary Oldman) who are trying to regain power sources in order to communicate with other possible survivors around the world. (Man’s need for technology is highlighted as a weakness.) A small group of people led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) go out to search for an old hydro electric dam in the domain of the Apes. When the two species find out about the existence of each other it invokes fear which eventually unfolds into violence and death.
The story is intertwined with peacemakers on both sides which gives rise to division amongst the tribes. However, unexpected twists occur but I shan't give any more away.
Although the story is essentially a science fiction fantasy, it flirts with the reality of intelligent being’s fear driven lust for power that inevitably leads to war. It portrays the hopelessness of the passive and peaceful mind.
The performances of the cast were powerful particularly the apes. The effects were stunning and had me jumping out of my skin at times. Although much of the violence and fight scenes were extreme it was proportionate to the story. I look forward to the next one and look out for Blue Eyes (Caesar’s Son) played by (Nick Thurston). His soulful expression evokes the empathy we do feel for the species that will eventually overthrow our own.
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