In all honesty, the mere presence of chimpanzees on horseback firing machine guns is enough to make my choice for best film of 2014, but on top of that, the film is a brilliantly crafted and profound socio-political commentary on the polarizing division in America today.
It is at once beautifully simple in its storytelling and intricately complex, resisting the urge to play anyone as 100 percent right or wrong. The humans and apes alike are acting out of a desire to preserve their own survival and that of their society, and ignorance and fear from extremists on both sides keeps getting in the way. But even the extremists are portrayed with a sense of sympathy. Dawn of the Planet of The Apes does its 1960's predecessor proud, using a science fiction premise to mirror the problems facing society today. Andy Serkis gives a mesmerizing performance: if you think this all comes down to the effects, watch the special features.
Dawn is actually a loose remake of Battle for the Planet of the Apes. If Gravity and Avatar can win Oscars for Best Cinematography despite the fact that most of the work was done in post production and involved the addition of visual effects, then there is no reason that Serkis and Tobey Kebbell should not have been considered for acting nods for their work here. As far as I am concerned, not a single one of the nominees got more out of an entire an entire monologue as Kebbell did out of the words "human work."
Inspiring, disturbing, moving and exciting, Dawn has everything a great movie needs, and director Matt Reeves expertly mixes all of the ingredients until the result is nothing short of perfection. Also, there are chimpanzees on horseback firing machine guns.
Dawn of The Planet of The Apes 7" Scale Action Figure (NECA) - Series 2 Caesar with Shotgun
My friend and colleague, Tony Toscano, host of the nationally syndicated movie review show “Talking Pictures” commented that this Caesar looked too angry. I thought this was an interesting point, but when you put the shotgun in his hands, he really doesn't. The figure was made for what I like to call “the monkey changers in the temple scene,” where Caesar shows his righteous indignation at Malcolm and company because Carver has smuggled in a shotgun.
Standing at 7 inches, Caesar just rules. The detail is just superb, with subtle shading capturing every wrinkle and every hair, and it even includes the scar on Caesar's upper right breast. While there is definitely room to move and play with the figure, he's decidedly designed to be more of a display piece, and that's ok with me.
ARTICULATION: The upper body can really move, specially due to an extra swivel point right where the ribcage ends and the belly begins, which allows for authentic, ape like maneuverability. The arms are more limited, with basic joints at the shoulders that allow him to raise his arms above his head, but he's very limited in how far he can extend them to the side. The left elbow can move more than the right, which is a bit restricted because it's made for holding the shotgun.
The legs don't move very far forward or back, but then again, they really shouldn't. There are ball joints at the top of the thigh, the knees bend and the calves swivel, as do the feet, which can also arch up or down.
ACCESSORIES: The shotgun, obviously, but here's something kind of unique: he comes with two sets of hands. One set is in more of a normal chimp position, and the other set is specifically for holding the gun.
Dawn of The Planet of The Apes 7" Scale Action Figure (NECA) - Series 2 Koba with Machine Gun
Koba is a former lab animal who has every reason to distrust humans and want them driven away, even if his methods go way too far. To me, he is an almost Shakespearean tragic villain of the highest caliber, and you can feel free to disagree, but it means you're wrong.
When you compare Koba to Aldo, his closest counterpart in Battle, Koba's motivations are so much more complex, and his reasons for hating humans are so disturbingly valid in their own way. As with Caesar, the attention to detail is just glorious. Take a look specifically at Koba's eyes and back.
ARTICULATION: Pretty much the same as Caesar, except that his head is on a ball joint and has a lot more swivel action. He can do a full-on "Linda Blair", though I wouldn't recommend it, as you can tell that if you do it few times the head will get too loose and at some point it's going to fall off. Again, these guys are primarily for collecting and displaying.
ACCESSORIES: Machine gun and extra hands.
These are some of the finest figures I own, and I have a whole Planet of The Apes section in my living room. Apes together strong. If you are looking for POTA items out there lookie here.
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