Hollywood Movie Review- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Talking apes effectively led by a leader who commands utmost respect. Humans who seek their help to reclaim their life. Sounds familiar? Well the sage Valmiki explored a similar legendary storyline thousands of years ago,which in India till today is a revered epic called the Ramayana.The movie- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,once again explores the beautiful bond that two of the most powerful thinking species known to our Planet,shared once.The bond of solidarity between the primate and the evolved of the species, against the advent of time for the survival for the fittest is beautifully brought to life in this movie.
‘Ape do not kill Ape! Because we are not like human’. This was the belief that shaped the previous- Rise of the planet of the apes.This thought was the foundation on which Caesar founded his dream and established his empire, his Home! Rise of the planet of the apes was a brilliant film to follow and Dawn nearly manages to do full justice to that,the only minor drawback being the pace.
Caesar and his commanders consisting of  Maurice , Rocket and Koba  have established a flourishing colony in the jungles, on the outskirts of San Francisco. Ape law rules the earth there with no sign of humans whatsoever. On the other hand, the humans have been driven to near extinction due to an outbreak of a deadly virus of their own doing,to which the apes are immune.Humanity for its survival needs power, which can only be supplied by repairing a defunct power substation that lies within the area,which the apes control. Everything seems fine in Caesar’s world until the humans trespass and old grudges heat up. In a parallel to the movie Avatar,Malcolm the guy who can make the station work, is given the task of talking to the apes and reason a way out rather than start a war.
Malcom and his family go to Caesar and succeed in winning his trust.The bond between both families develop slow but steady.Everything seems to get back to normal between the two species,when things unfortunately take an ugly turn. Koba, the monkey and an influence in Caesar's close group of commanders, goes rebel. Koba, who was subject to the most brutal and torturous tests at genesis labs by Humans for commercial purposes before Caesar freed him in the prequel, just can’t get over his hate for the Human race. He despises the very sight of Humans and wants to kill them at any cost. So huge is his grudge that he even turns against his own brothers,even going to the extent of killing Caesar so that he can have his vengeance. He nearly succeeds and manipulates the apes to go to war against humans,capturing their fortress and reducing them to slaves.
How Malcom and Caesar re-establish  their bond and join forces so that evil at both sides can be rooted out, forms the crux of the climax. The movie brings to forth the basic lesson of life that evil is not restricted to a particular species. It just needs to cold heart to grow!The Ramayana thought us the same. Kaikeyi was human while Vibhishan was an Asura. But evil in the epic found its place in Kaikeyi’s heart while Vibhishan embraced goodness.
Apart from the storyline,the technology here needs a very special mention. In fact the apes have been so beautifully created using the Motion capture technology.Motion capture enables moviemakers to create realistic non-human characters.Reflective markers are attached to the key spots on the bodies of the actors that help capture the nuances of motion, which are then tracked by using a network of carefully calibrated monochrome cameras.Add high quality CG to it and what you get it absolute delight. Even for a moment you don’t think these apes are unreal.If Avatar created on similar lines had spectacular visual brilliance,this one has a deeper emotional soul. The script is impactful,treatment does feel slow at times but overall the performances are gripping.
Caesar stands out. The movie starts and ends on him. Every moment,action,emotion of his has been beautifully captured . The other performance that leaves an impact is that of the anti hero- Koba. From good old plain monkey tricks  (scenes of his interaction with the humans in the armoury) to cold & menacing moves (scenes  where he  shoots Caesar without battling an eyelid and then throws off Rocket's son for showing loyalty to Caesar), his character is well sketched. Even though the actors playing humans also do a decent job, there is no doubt that these apes steal the show here.
As the dawn finally breaks in the final scene of the movie, following Caesar’s resurrection as the undisputed leader, maybe there exists one more part to this saga, in what should ideally be a fitting end.
After seeing this movie,have a feeling that someday the epic Ramayana could also be recreated similarly. That would indeed usher in a new dawn in Film-making. Well till then,climb onto your nearest  movie seats and watch this one, because Caesar’s…indeed Home!

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