In 2011, the thought of rebooting Planet of the Apes seemed foolish. Then Rise of the Planet of the Apes came out, and blew audiences away. As a result, expectations were high for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the follow up to 2011’s successful venture. The results are remarkable, as Dawn offers not only a brilliant summer blockbuster, but also an emotionally powerful testimony to the nature of war and humility.
It would be easy to only view Dawn of the Planet of the Apes through the lens of previous Apes films. The references complement the new themes at work.
While for a long time science-fiction has been something of a secondary genre, the current age of effects-heavy summer blockbusters has turned sci-fi cinema into big business, with movies about aliens, robots and men in spaceships having exciting space adventures among the most hyped and publicized films of the year, with trailers, billboards, comic-con panels, tv spots and every form of advertising imaginable creating anticipation months or more in advance.
Remakes, “re-adaptations”, and “re-imaginings” have been a frequent occurrence in cinema throughout much of its history, alongside the franchise “reboot” concept that has become particularly commonplace in the last decade. 2011, however, saw a rather curious trend of remakes of films and TV shows, either formerly original concepts or previous adaptations themselves, where the original’s …
Throughout the first half of February, the Sound On Sight staff will take a look at the Academy Awards. Whether one of the major studios takes the top prize at the Academy Awards or not, they have no squawk this year. Several years ago, as you might recall, the Big Guys were getting fed up …
Want a prediction for 2012 at the movies? It’s going to look a lot like 2011. An awful lot. It’s going to be a case of, If ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Well, actually, the creative machinery in Hollywood is broke, but, as the numbers show, not broken enough to warrant fixing. So. Next year, …
With more movies in limited and general release than ever before, 2011 was a ridiculously crowded year for both casual and discerning moviegoers alike. One by-product of the glut is a refreshing lack of consensus; so many films have been championed in so many corners – while those same films get trashed in others – …
Most moviegoers can agree on one thing: there were way too many movies this year. If you’re (un)fortunate enough to live in New York, you had the opportunity to see around 600 new features come and go; the rest of us didn’t get that many fewer. That means that anyone who’s been put in …
Most moviegoers can agree on one thing: there were way too many movies this year. If you’re (un)fortunate enough to live in New York, you had the opportunity to see around 600 new features come and go; the rest of us didn’t get that many fewer. That means that anyone who’s been put in a …
The broken lift leading to the press centre was an initial augury that something was amiss. Moving for the first time from the comfy environs of the National Film Theatre to the cavernous interiors of London Docklands O2 centre, Empire magazines weekend celebration of all things movie initially got off to a rocky start. My …
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Directed by Rupert Wyatt Written by Rick Jaffa (based on the novel by Pierre Boulle) USA, 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the most unexpected blockbuster successes’ in recent memory. Inspired by the 1968 science fiction classic which sees a non-Mexican Charlton …