Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

It might be somewhat redundant to say that I've always been a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I'm pretty sure that every self-respecting male who was born in the '80s at least knew the four turtles and probably loved them. As for me, I practically memorized the movies, owned toys of each character in many variations, played several versions of the video games depending on which system I was using, and regularly pretended to be my favorite turtle (either Donny or Mikey) while playing with my older brother (either Leo or Raph) and sister (a somewhat disgruntled April O'Neal). With all that being said, I wasn't immediately won over by the idea of a slick Hollywood reboot of one of my favorite childhood franchises. To me, the definitive version of the turtles is probably the beloved cartoon series that ran during the late '80s and early '90s, though I have very formative memories of the live action movies as well. However, despite a lack-luster teaser trailer, I tried to keep an open mind when viewing this film. I had a feeling it wasn't going to be great, but I did at least hope for some nostalgic joy out of the experience if nothing else.

April O'Neal is a put-upon journalist, relegated to reporting fluff pieces despite her dreams of finally breaking a big, important story. With a recent upswing in crime (led by the mysterious Foot clan), April snoops around the docks as the clandestine group attempts to steal materials from a shipping container. Rather than reporting on the robbery, however, April witnesses a vigilante completely overpower the dangerous gang single-handedly, leaving an ancient Japanese symbol scrawled on the side of one of the containers. Without much hard evidence to back up her fantastical story, she decides to sneak up on the Foot clan as they take hostages in the subway, hoping to see the vigilantes in action long enough to snap a photo. However, they arrive and disappear in a flash, and it's only after she follows them to the roof that she finally lays eyes on the heroes - who turn out to be four mutated turtles with highly developed martial arts skills. With her career hanging in the balance, April tries to decide whether to report her findings and endanger the anthropomorphized reptiles, or to fight along side them against a dark and mysterious figure known as the Shredder.

The intro to this movie was more or less what I expected, with April's first appearance coming well before the titular heroes in a half-shell. One of the big concerns I had about this film going in was Megan Fox's portrayal of the turtle-friendly reporter. Having seen her (which is about as close to a compliment I can give her) in the Transformers films, I had a feeling she wasn't exactly the best decision for the role. Indeed, there are several times throughout the movie that I literally cringed at her line-readings and facial expressions. However, she mostly satisfies her quotient here as the most she's really asked to do is stand around and look pretty. I don't know why we spend so much time on her character - particularly since it doesn't pay off in any way - but I suppose it could have been worse. At least the script didn't require her to do any real acting.

I know there have been a lot of complaints surrounded the new designs of the turtles. I can't tell you how many angry comments or articles I've read about the decision the animators made when it came to their updated look. For me, I honestly didn't have that big of a problem with it. It takes a few minutes to acclimate to their new appearance, but I kind of liked the updated gear they wore and the more "realistic" features of the turtles. The worst part was definitely their nostrils, but I was able to get over that fairly quickly. If the design doesn't mimic the previous incarnations too much, don't let that persuade you that the animators aren't turtle fans. There are a few direct call backs to the previous films, and one shot in particular was taken straight out of the cartoon's opening sequence. These little nods to the previous incarnations of the ninja turtles definitely took me back, and I appreciated the effort taken to honor what came before in some way.

What I didn't necessarily like about the turtles this time around was their personalities. Maybe it's just my familiarity with the previous versions of each of the characters, but I found their connection to pop culture to be a little forced and even pandering at times (especially with Mikey). I would have liked it better if the turtles were a little behind the times. To me it would make more sense for them to be scrounging old VHS tapes from the '80s in their sewer, thus creating a built-in comedic element as well as giving us characters that were a little more consistent with what we've seen before. Having just seen Guardians of the Galaxy do this exact thing so effectively, I feel it was a missed opportunity for this movie not to bring in more of that '80s nostalgia.

With a reboot like this you're obviously going to get new origins for the characters, otherwise it would just be a remake of the 1990 film (which it pretty much is, if you think about it). The good news is that the new backstory for the turtles was actually kind of clever, and I think it might even make a little more sense than the original version. Before I compliment this screenplay too much, however, let me also add that it's pretty much a direct rip-off of The Amazing Spider-Man with plot points from the original TMNT film sprinkled in as filler. Shredder's plot is almost exactly the same as the Lizard's, the turtles' origin is almost exactly the same as Spider-Man's, and there's even a moment that the top of a building crashes down (which is in the trailer) that's exactly the same as what we saw in Spider-Man. It's incredibly lazy screenwriting, and I found myself wishing they could go back in time and write another draft of the script before principal photography began.

This movie is about 65% action and 35% thread-bare plot. The action can be pretty entertaining at times, if not a little overwhelming on the senses, but the story is so pedestrian it's seriously infuriating to sit through. A lot of that can probably be pinned on the fairly inexperienced director, but I have to think this is more of a script-based problem. There are so many characters that shouldn't have even been in this movie (Will Arnett and William Fichtner, I'm looking at you), and many others that don't get enough development for us to even care about them. I even wish we could have spent more time with the Shredder, as the shadowy style in which he was filmed made him seem kind of mysterious. The mere fact that we spend so much time with April at the beginning and don't even see any resolution to her story arc is perhaps the most incriminating evidence against this script.

Overall, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a pretty mediocre movie. There are parts I enjoyed (primarily the fight scenes with the turtles) and a whole lot that I was disappointed by that I won't discuss in order to avoid spoilers. Luckily this is a very short movie, clocking in at less than 2 hours and making it far easier to stomach as a result. Mostly, I'm irritated by the potential this film could have had. It wouldn't have taken much more effort to make this film work, but as it is there's nothing I can really endorse about it. Kids might find some enjoyment here, and I honestly don't think it's entirely bad. Still, all this film deserves is a generous two and a half stars.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014) is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

**What did you think of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Do you think it's a worthy update or did they miss the mark? Let me know in the comments below!**

FlashBack Friday: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Welcome back to FlashBack Friday! Yes, it's been a few weeks since I reviewed The Last Crusade. There have been a few new releases that have taken up a lot of my writing time. Plus, if I'm to be perfectly honest, I wasn't exactly looking forward to setting aside two hours to watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull again. Not that I've hated this movie. In fact, my history with this film is a little weird, as I've seen it only twice before now and had fairly different experiences each time I've watched it. The first time was at a dollar theater in 2008, and I remember being more or less okay with the film as a whole, though I thought the ending was a little confusing. It probably didn't help that the trailer for The Dark Knight that played before the movie, making me wish I'd seen that instead. Still, I remember feeling pretty positive about the experience, though I knew it wasn't as good as the previous films in the series. Over the years it seemed like people became more and more bitter about this movie, some equating it to The Phantom Menace in it's mistreatment of the beloved character. This passionate backlash actually made me curious to see it again, so I rented it one weekend when my wife was visiting family in 2011. I was a little surprised to find it passably entertaining, though my negative feelings about the ending had intensified dramatically. Well, oddly enough I'm maintaining my trend of seeing this film every three years, and yet again my viewing experience this time couldn't have been more different.

Perhaps my tastes have changed over the years, or maybe I've just become a lot more analytical. Either way, I knew I was in for a long, gruelling experience the moment this film began. Unlike the classic, foreboding intros we got in the previous films (well, the good ones anyway), we begin with an Elvis Presley song announcing to the world that this adventure is taking place in the 1950's. This alone wouldn't necessarily bother me too much, however just like with Temple of Doom this musical scene of teenagers racing their convertible against a humvee (or the '50s equivalent) full of Soviet soldiers goes on way too long and adds absolutely nothing to the story. With Raiders and Last Crusade, the introductory scenes are pivotal, getting right to the point and establishing characters and relationships that actually draw us into the story that follows. In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, they use the first half-hour of the film to set up things that never come up again.

Before I get too far into my complaints, I do want to point out that I actually kind of like how Indiana Jones is taken back to the warehouse where the Ark of the Covenant was stored. That vast city of mysterious wooden crates that we saw at the end of Raiders was definitely something I wanted to explore in a future movie. The problem is that we see hardly anything that would make the long-awaited visit even worth our time. If all we're coming to this intriguing location for is to find some alien skull that ultimately has nothing to do with the actual alien skull that everyone's really seeking, then I would've rather had this be some random warehouse or underground facility that has no ties to the previous films. A better alternative might have been to take us to a nuclear waste disposal area of some kind, which would more organically tie in to those Russia vs. USA themes Spielberg's half-heartedly trying to force-feed the audience.

Despite the nonsensical nature of the setting, this scene is chalk-full of inconsistencies and technical errors. Never mind the fact that the crystal skull is only magnetic when the screenwriters want it to be, or that an army of Russian soldiers (and a back-stabbing colleague) can't seem to hit an aged Indiana Jones with a single bullet to save their lives. I was actually happy to see some moments of amazing stunt-work, with Indy jumping off the rafters, swinging on a chain and kicking a Russian through a sheet of glass in one continuous shot. But there are other times when the laws of physics are simply thrown out the window. The scenes that tend to work best in these movies are the actual in-camera special effects and stunts. What's truly unfortunate is that Spielberg and Lucas decided to smear digital effects over almost every action set piece in the film.

Everyone knows about Indy's miraculous (and ludicrous) escape from the nuclear blast. It's infamous with fans of the series, who casually refer to ridiculous coincidences in other films that result in the hero's salvation from insurmountable odds as "nuking the fridge". It is an unbelievably stupid moment, and one that Spielberg takes full blame for including. I won't harp on too much more about it, as it's the story that makes me more frustrated than the implausible cop outs that are taken to get Indiana Jones out of tough spots. For example, after Indy is brought back to some U.S. base and scrubbed down, he's interrogated by FBI agents who claim that he's some kind of suspect for treason thanks to his involvement with the double-crossing Mac. Indy is then fired from his teaching position as a result of their investigation, and then is lectured by the dean of the college about the heightened paranoia of the U.S. government. Thank goodness we got all that set up about the political climate of the period, because it's really going to come in handy when the story takes us to South American jungles in search of an alien temple... oh, wait...

Then, the story feels the need to force in a long-lost son (played by the controversial Shia LeBeouf) so that Indy doesn't have to do anything cool for the rest of the movie. By that I'm not saying that Mutt's swinging through the jungle like Tarzan is cool, but Indy just seems to sit back and let other people do the interesting stuff. While I still like Harrison Ford in this film, the screenwriters really give him nothing worth doing the entire movie. They get out of every difficult situation by simply pointing the crystal skull at whatever is stopping them, and even the clues to finding the hidden temple are being spoon-fed to him by the brain-addled Oxley. I really wish they had cut out at least half of the supporting cast and had this be more of an Indiana Jones film than an imbalanced ensemble of people we don't care about.

Ultimately, the themes this movie sets up in the first act go absolutely nowhere. The FBI agents are never seen again, there's no resolution to the Russian/American tension, and most of the back-story Indy tells us sounds infinitely more interesting than the actual adventure we were given. Instead, they give us almost an hour of the characters driving through a CGI jungle, fighting off giant killer ants, swinging with monkeys, and surviving three impossibly high waterfalls without so much as a scratch. Even the concluding epiphany after the UFO finally disappears into another dimension doesn't have anything to do with the previous two hours of footage. "Knowledge was their treasure." So, is that some kind of vague tie-in to Mutt dropping out of college...? When was treasuring up knowledge ever set up or even mentioned in this entire movie? I mean, sure the Russians wanted knowledge, but look where that got them.

To wrap this rant up, I just was to say that there actually are a few things to like here (Harrison Ford's performance, the occasional Indiana Jones theme, some nice call-backs to the other movies, and a few decent action scenes), but unfortunately this ends up being a completely garbled mess of a movie. I don't know if Ford has another film in him, but I do hope they pull something together to make up for whatever happened here. Maybe if they keep it focused more on Indy, try not to point out how old he's getting at every opportunity, and rely more on old-school practical effects, they can have a better chance at restoring some of the magic to this series - or at least send Indy off with some dignity. I didn't think it was going to get worse than Temple of Doom, but Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (which is a terrible title, incidentally) is the absolute pits of the Indiana Jones series. My lingering affection for the character is going to result in a higher score than it probably deserves, but I've decided to give this movie two stars.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is rated PG-13 for adventure violence and scary images

**What do you think of Indy's fourth movie? Do you think it's total trash or do you find yourself defending it to your friends? Let me know in the comments below!**

Guardians of the Galaxy

Believe it or not, this is actually a really good movie. I feel I have to say that right off the bat because from the trailers and other promotional material it's easy to assume that this is some kind of half-baked attempt to cash in on the Marvel brand without any real effort. If that's how you're feeling let me tell you right now, you have nothing to worry about with this movie. It's not some farcical placeholder until the better films in the series are released. This is the real deal, and though I had this one ranked high on my most anticipated list of 2014, I'm just as pleasantly surprised as everyone else who's seen Guardians of the Galaxy. This was easily Disney's biggest risk with the Marvel franchise, and possibly of any film they've ever released. Even comic book fans have to do a little research to remember who this rag-tag band of misfits is, and the studio has invested upwards of $170 million in this property. Luckily, they've had such success with the previous films that they must have felt they could afford a bomb. Even more luckily is that Guardians not only surpasses expectations, but it may be one of the best Marvel films to date.

Peter Quill was abducted from Earth as a child in the year 1988, taking nothing with him but his backpack and his Walkman into the far reaches of space. Twenty-six years later, Quill travels to a hostile planet in his attempt to retrieve a mysterious orb for an enormous reward. Before he can get away with the relic, however, he's intercepted by a group of Kree warriors, led by the cybernetically-enhanced Korath. Quill barely manages to escape and heads to the planet Xandar to claim his reward. But before he can do so his benefactor suddenly backs out of the deal, claiming that a dangerous being called Ronan is also after the valuable antiquity. What neither of them realize is that the orb contains a powerful object that could bring about the galaxy's ultimate destruction in the wrong hands.

I don't want to go too much further into the plot, because it's actually kind of complicated in a very clever way. James Gunn was a somewhat unusual choice to write and direct this movie, as his credits are more or less limited to quirky, low-budget fare. However, with the angle they've chosen to approach this obscure property he's actually one of the only directors I can think of who could have pulled it off. One thing that will probably be mentioned by anyone who sees this movie is that it's freaking hilarious. I have to say that it bugs me when each person in a movie has the exact same snarky sense of humor (like Iron Man 3, and even The Avengers to a certain extent). In Guardians of the Galaxy, however, every character has a distinct personality and contributes to the overall humor of the group. Sometimes the comedy can be a little forced in films like this, but Gunn has a knack for inserting the comedic moments in scenes that desperately need them in order to maintain a consistent tone. Much of that tone is set by the music, primarily consisting of oldie hits that most people already enjoy. This kind of thing can sometimes get on my nerves, but here there's actually a story reason for the music being in this film, and it gives us a constant connection with our lead character.

This story is really well told, especially when considering the more light-hearted approach they've taken with it. There are serious moments, courtesy of the incredibly frightening Ronan and the looming presence of the mad titan Thanos, but Gunn does a great job of keeping this movie perfectly balanced. Each of the guardians are given a pretty strong character arc, especially the leader of the group, Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord, though no one really calls him that). Most of the film is devoted to telling his story, and the emotional journey the character takes is really satisfying to see. It definitely helps that Chris Pratt is perfectly cast to bring an instant likeability and relatability to this lesser-known character. His every movement, either when dodging laser blasts or breaking out some retro '80s dance moves, Pratt completely nails this performance. His presence may be one of the best things about the film, and definitely helps get people invested in the conflict who might not otherwise care about a distant, intergalactic conflict.

I really enjoyed all of the guardians, from Groot's sweet, simple demeanor, to Drax's overly proper and serious personality, they each bring something different to the table that really complement the other members of the team. Having said that, one of the huge scene-stealers is also the smallest - Rocket Racoon. Voiced by an unrecognizable Bradley Cooper, Rocket is a gruff, short-tempered creature with a troubled past and an affinity for assembling extremely dangerous weaponry. His interplay with Quill and especially his Han Solo-like ability to communicate with the otherwise incomprehensible Groot make him an incredibly enjoyable character to watch, regardless of his CGI animal form.

That brings me to another thing I should probably mention. I'm usually a big proponent of 2D for theatrical viewings, but for this film I actually think the 3D might bring some extra visual flare that the 2D version may have lacked. All of the CGI was extremely convincing and I still really enjoyed it in 2D, I just think the action scenes might have popped a little more with the extra layer of 3D. Again, this isn't something I typically recommend, but I think it might actually be worth a look in that format.

Bottom line, Guardians of the Galaxy is probably the funnest (and funniest) movie of the year. You'll be quoting this film for days after seeing it, and it provides an intriguing look at some of the rarely-seen corners of the Marvel universe. Stay after the credits (of course), but if you don't understand what you saw then simply look up the first movie that Marvel has ever produced. That should give you some interesting backstory on what probably seems like a pretty off-the-wall stinger to most movie-goers. This film wasn't without its flaws, but I still think it's one of the better Marvel films to date, and definitely the most risky one so far. I give Guardians of the Galaxy a very solid three and a half stars. Go see it!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language

**Are you excited for Guardians of the Galaxy? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!**

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

It has taken me a long time to catch up on Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, especially since I thought about seeing this film when it first came out in theaters. I feel like I'm a fan of this Tom Clancy-inspired series, partially because my parents used to watch Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger all the time when I was growing up. Surprisingly, I haven't watched a single movie with Jack Ryan in it from start to finish, so all of the positive feelings I have of the series were absorbed completely through osmosis. Anyone who's read my FlashBack Friday series of reviews where I revisited the Indiana Jones franchise (don't worry, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is coming) knows how big of a fan I am of Harrison Ford. Perhaps I had fond feelings toward those previous films because of his involvement as well, but it wasn't enough to get me out to theaters for this film. I finally saw this film on RedBox with modest expectations given the generally positive buzz I've heard since its release.

Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) was a student at the London School of Economics when everyone on campus swarmed around the TV to watch the devastating news of the 9/11 attacks on New York City. Following this world-changing event, Ryan enlists in the US Military, becoming a marine and sustaining a serious injury to his spine when his helicopter is shot down. After a lengthy recovery and courtship with his nurse Cathy (Keira Knightley), Ryan is approached by CIA official Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) about becoming an analyst with his division to monitor Wall Street transactions for any signs of terrorism. Ten years pass and Ryan is engaged to Cathy, though he still can't reveal his true occupation until they are married. When trillions of dollars within a Russian organization disappears, however, Ryan feels the need to investigate the situation in person to ensure national security. Cathy is initially suspicious of this sudden business trip, and things really start to heat up when Ryan's personal bodyguard attempts to murder him in his hotel room.

This movie's been out for a while, but I'm going to go ahead and stop my plot summary at that point to avoid spoiling it for people (like me) that haven't gotten around to seeing this one yet. When I first heard about this project I was actually a little skeptical. Chris Pine is a great actor and I've really enjoyed his work in the Star Trek series, but there comes a point where I feel like they should give some of these parts to actors who aren't already recognized for another iconic role. True, it worked for Harrison Ford, but he's the exception. Surprisingly, I actually thought Pine did a pretty good job with this role. It's different than a lot of people might be expecting, as he's not a Jason Bourne or James Bond type of agent who's used to field work and can take care of themselves in a fight. He's an analyst, more accustomed to running financial reports than engaging in covert operations. True, he does have experience with hand-to-hand combat after his time as a Marine, but we don't feel quite as confident that he's going to make it out of dangerous situations as we do with other "super spies". It adds an extra layer of tension that I wasn't expecting and makes him a little more relatable as well.

The story, as timely and interesting as it is, ends up being a little convoluted as the plot unfolds. That's actually another reason I didn't want to write an entire plot summary. There are lots of intricacies involved in these kinds of stories, and while I'm glad the screenwriters didn't oversimplify it, I wish they had found a way to streamline some of these scenarios to make it less complicated. Part of that may be attributed to the directing. Kenneth Branagh made a name for himself by adapting the plays of William Shakespeare to the screen, though he's probably most well-known now for his directing the first Thor film in 2011. This is his first foray into the action/thriller genre, and it kind of shows in his reliance on familiar tropes of other spy movies. There's nothing ground-breaking or particularly novel about this Tom Clancy adaptation, as the Bourne and Bond franchises have already beaten Jack Ryan to the punch.

Some of the acting from Kevin Costner could have been better, and I wasn't entirely convinced by Keira Knightley's American accent. But other than that, I was fairly impressed with the performances in this film. Pine does a credible job as the title character, but the standout was easily Branagh himself, portraying a villainous and calculating Russian tycoon. He's slimy, but there's also an inherent charm about him that makes him even more dangerous. Branagh acts in almost all of the films he directs, and he's always good in them. This particular part could have ruined the entire film if it wasn't done right, but he absolutely nails it.

Overall, this movie wasn't one of the best of the year, but it was far better than it should have been given its January release date. While it's a little too complicated at times and some of the acting is a little shotty, I think most people will enjoy watching this movie at home without having to pay theater ticket prices. This is a solid origin story for the character of Jack Ryan, and I hope they feel confident enough to give us future films with this cast. I give Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit three stars.

JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and intense action, and brief strong language

**What did you think of Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (if you can still remember that far back)? Do you think it warrants a sequel or do you want them to leave this character in the past? Leave me a comment and let me know!**

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

As most people can probably agree, 2011's reboot of the seemingly buried sci-fi franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was a surprisingly great movie. I included it on my top ten list of the year and have seen it several times since it came out on DVD/Blu Ray. So when I heard there was going to be a sequel to that film, I couldn't have been more excited. Though I didn't review them, I went back and watched the original Planet of the Apes from the 1960's and even the 2001 reboot of the same name by Tim Burton. Needless to say one of those films is much better than the other (hopefully you know which one I mean), and Rise was an impressive reimagining of that original movie while also serving as a faithful origin story of sorts. Then when the trailers came out and early buzz began to spread about how good this movie was, I started to wonder whether this might somehow surpass the previous film in quality. I subsequently went into the press screening with fairly high expectations.

It's been years since the simian flu claimed its first victim. Since then the virus has spread across the entire world, taking millions of lives and sending the human race into chaos and devastating conflict. During that time Caesar and his fellow apes have built a home in the forests of Northern California, establishing a colony of sorts and even teaching his new family how to read, write, and occasionally speak. Their relatively peaceful lifestyle is disrupted, however, when a small group of humans bump into the tribe. They are swiftly banished by an angered Caesar for their panic-driven gunshot to the shoulder of one of his friends, but not before the ape leader impresses some of the travelers with his advanced intelligence. The group of humans head back to their own village of survivors to inform their leader of what they witnessed. In desperate need of the power provided by a deserted dam on the land claimed by Caesar's tribe, the humans must decide whether to attack the intelligent primates or try to find another source of power and risk being attacked themselves.

First off, I should probably mention that this is not going to be a fun popcorn movie that you can turn off your brain and enjoy. This is a challenging, intense, and emotional experience that you kind of need to gear yourself up for a little bit. It's a far more dramatic and thematic story than I think a lot of people might be prepared for, though the trailers do a pretty good job of establishing the tone of this film. Many critics are equating this chapter of the story to other successful yet dark sequels like The Empire Strikes Back and The Dark Knight. While it may not be as fun as either of those two movies are at times, it is just as deep and complex (and slightly more unnerving). It's a very adult-centered film, and will definitely be disquieting for a lot of younger viewers with its content. Easily one of the darker blockbuster films in recent memory, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I might even say that it would be a disservice to the themes this movie chooses to tackle if it wasn't done in a serious and dare I say "gritty" way. 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is full of intricacies that I'm sure will reward multiple viewings, from the interplay between the humans and the apes, to the respective relationships within their separate civilizations. There are parts of this film that feel Shakespearean (which is fitting given the lead character's name), and the familial conflict as well as the fight for control among Caesar's clan rings true on a historical level. It also does something that could be construed as risky by focusing so much attention on the apes in the beginning, but director Matt Reeves understands that it's essential for the audience to care about all of its characters for us to be fully involved in their plight. In fact, we care so much about the apes that we're all transported into Caesar's shoes as he's pulled between two different and often conflicting worlds. The film does a tremendous job of fleshing out those themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the sacrifices that must be made to accomplish order. There's a real power struggle in this film that's expertly portrayed and constructed, both within the families of each side of the battle as well as between the leaders themselves.

While the ambitions of this film are truly commendable, it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying if the emotions weren't developed as fully as they are. The script is designed to engender our sympathies for both parties on a fairly equal level, giving every moment of action an additional dose of tension that most summer films can't hope to achieve. We as an audience don't want any of the characters to come into harms way, so when they inevitably do it becomes truly suspenseful and even frightening. My wife made the comment that this feels like a war movie, and the reason it works so well is because we really do care about the characters involved in this war.

What's crazy about our empathy for the apes isn't that they're a different species, but that they're entirely computer-generated (with the immeasurable help of motion capture artists like Andy Serkis). Rise of the Planet of the Apes had fairly good CGI creatures for the time, though there are some scenes where they don't quite hold up. In Dawn I forget that I'm looking at a visual effect half the time I'm watching these apes, so perfectly are the emotions of the actors portrayed and realized in their simian form. Serkis in particular delivers a brilliant performance with the movements, facial expressions, and even the voice of Caesar. His acting choices are perfect, and the emotion he brings to the film is impossible to describe. You seriously have to see this for yourself to understand how incredibly realized these characters are.

Another aspect that brings emotions into this film is the score, which is something I routinely comment on in these reviews. The soundtrack for this movie is composed by one of my favorites in Michael Giacchino who is most well-known for his musical scores for films like Up and Star Trek, as well as TV's Lost. He not only brings in the tender emotions like we've come to expect, but with nods to the original Planet of the Apes and even 2001: A Space Odyssey he layers the film with unease and sometimes dread at all the right moments. Though parts of the score remind me inescapably of his composition for Super 8, this is a really good score that works very well with the amazing visuals presented on screen.

There's a lot of artistry to this film, and subtle visual queues and parallels that I only realized after reflecting on the movie afterwards. It's obvious that a great deal of care and effort went into Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and I really want to see this one again to really appreciate all the layers in this story. The only question that remains for me is when the sequel will be released. The movie ends with a clear direction for a follow-up, and if it's half as good as this film then I know it's going to be great. I certainly couldn't have predicted how much I would love this movie, and I would go so far as to say that it blew all the previous Apes films out of the water (yes, even Rise of the Planet of the Apes).

This film will certainly be talked about come awards season, though it's yet to be seen whether just for the obvious technical categories or if Serkis and possibly the film itself will also receive some well-deserved recognition. For my money, this is easily one of the best (if not the best) films of the year. If you're not too intimidated by serious, dramatic sci-fi with some spectacular visual effects and gripping action scenes, then I whole-heartedly recommend this movie. I give Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a solid four stars.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language

**Are you excited to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes? If you have seen it, what did you think? Let me know in the comments section below!**