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MovieMeditation presents...
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
133 .......................... 123
__________________________
April 30th
—— 1968 ——
Planet of the Apes
—— sci-fi ——
EXTENDED REVIEW
Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn.
Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed.
The first film I ever saw from this franchise was in fact not truly a genuine part of it, but instead a poor and bizarre struggle at a pretended reimagining, done by no other than the shadowy and shady director, Tim Burton. Luckily though, the franchise was successfully revived in 2011, and a sequel followed soon after on top of that. Both of these films I had a great time with, and I have always wanted to see where all this originated from. But I must admit though, that the questionable make-up and cheesy appearance have thrown me off for some years, even considering the fact that I really haven’t made that judgment from anything more than some photos and short video clips... Shame on me indeed, because this film was spectacular.
When the film started out, my impulsive uncertainties was already beginning to weigh in over my head, mainly because it looked just as cheap and cheesy as I had thought beforehand. The “green screen technology” of yesterday is far from impressive to look at, and the design of the spaceship in the opening looked boring and characterless from the inside, at first glance. And when the ship began to fall towards the ground, the somewhat perplexed perspective psychosis was turned up on high volume, and the director’s strange and lazy attempt at creating excitement and a feeling of dropping, was almost laughable. When our trio of characters finally became earthbound, there were some beautiful landscape shots to feast the eyes with, and you could certainly feel the mysterious atmosphere among the eternal deserted backdrop. A few interesting things happened following this, but it isn’t until half an hour in that this film makes its (titular) entrance! When the apes came racing furiously and dominantly into the picture, that is when the film became really interesting for me. This chase scene felt intense and existing and happened to be rather well shot, even despite previous complains of direction, and from there, the film pretty much got better by every minute.
At first the audience is gently introduced to this new upside down phenomenon of apes above the human race, which makes for some interesting and occasionally funny remarks and visual amusements. There are sections of dialogue touching upon hierarchy and the very purpose of a given species, which is all quite fascinating. But when the film goes all in, debating the very rights of a living creature, as well as their ideologies, viewpoints and beliefs – whether religiously or scientifically – that is when the film moves to a whole other level of genius and thought provoking filmmaking! The multi-subjected discussions of politics, and the sharp comparisons to the every day society, as well as the worrying future of it, are all brilliantly executed, and show a lot of control and confidence throughout. And still, the film isn’t shy of delivering a fun sentence here and there, or throw in some inventive visual references…
Overall this is a fantastic and groundbreaking film that equally entertains and provokes its audiences, without ever loosing sight of subject or story. This is also one of those films that – despite the admirable but rather dated special and practical effects – still stands as a timeless piece of essential cinema, that will continue to impress audiences for centuries to come. Maybe not for its visual look but undeniably for its infinite themes and generally thought provoking approach. And despite its fair share of “thematic heaviness”, this is still a fun and entertaining film on the outside, and you never feel like suffocating from any kind of forced attitude or plain point of view – every thought and every theme is elegantly wrapped in a fine package of intellectual entertainment. But I will say that it isn’t truly mandatory to dive headlong into this film to have a great time. You can also just let your eyes and ears do most of the talking, and still leave fairly satisfied. With that said though, it is arguably the finely balanced approach that makes this film work as well as it does. Hit Girl, you hit the spot with this nomination, and I’m thankful and glad to finally be apel (spelling mistake intended) to experience this glorious masterpiece for myself.
__________________________
HIS FILM DIARY 2015
total movie count ........... current day count
133 .......................... 123
__________________________
April 30th
—— 1968 ——
Planet of the Apes
—— sci-fi ——
EXTENDED REVIEW
Beware the beast Man, for he is the Devil's pawn.
Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport or lust or greed.
The first film I ever saw from this franchise was in fact not truly a genuine part of it, but instead a poor and bizarre struggle at a pretended reimagining, done by no other than the shadowy and shady director, Tim Burton. Luckily though, the franchise was successfully revived in 2011, and a sequel followed soon after on top of that. Both of these films I had a great time with, and I have always wanted to see where all this originated from. But I must admit though, that the questionable make-up and cheesy appearance have thrown me off for some years, even considering the fact that I really haven’t made that judgment from anything more than some photos and short video clips... Shame on me indeed, because this film was spectacular.
When the film started out, my impulsive uncertainties was already beginning to weigh in over my head, mainly because it looked just as cheap and cheesy as I had thought beforehand. The “green screen technology” of yesterday is far from impressive to look at, and the design of the spaceship in the opening looked boring and characterless from the inside, at first glance. And when the ship began to fall towards the ground, the somewhat perplexed perspective psychosis was turned up on high volume, and the director’s strange and lazy attempt at creating excitement and a feeling of dropping, was almost laughable. When our trio of characters finally became earthbound, there were some beautiful landscape shots to feast the eyes with, and you could certainly feel the mysterious atmosphere among the eternal deserted backdrop. A few interesting things happened following this, but it isn’t until half an hour in that this film makes its (titular) entrance! When the apes came racing furiously and dominantly into the picture, that is when the film became really interesting for me. This chase scene felt intense and existing and happened to be rather well shot, even despite previous complains of direction, and from there, the film pretty much got better by every minute.
At first the audience is gently introduced to this new upside down phenomenon of apes above the human race, which makes for some interesting and occasionally funny remarks and visual amusements. There are sections of dialogue touching upon hierarchy and the very purpose of a given species, which is all quite fascinating. But when the film goes all in, debating the very rights of a living creature, as well as their ideologies, viewpoints and beliefs – whether religiously or scientifically – that is when the film moves to a whole other level of genius and thought provoking filmmaking! The multi-subjected discussions of politics, and the sharp comparisons to the every day society, as well as the worrying future of it, are all brilliantly executed, and show a lot of control and confidence throughout. And still, the film isn’t shy of delivering a fun sentence here and there, or throw in some inventive visual references…
Overall this is a fantastic and groundbreaking film that equally entertains and provokes its audiences, without ever loosing sight of subject or story. This is also one of those films that – despite the admirable but rather dated special and practical effects – still stands as a timeless piece of essential cinema, that will continue to impress audiences for centuries to come. Maybe not for its visual look but undeniably for its infinite themes and generally thought provoking approach. And despite its fair share of “thematic heaviness”, this is still a fun and entertaining film on the outside, and you never feel like suffocating from any kind of forced attitude or plain point of view – every thought and every theme is elegantly wrapped in a fine package of intellectual entertainment. But I will say that it isn’t truly mandatory to dive headlong into this film to have a great time. You can also just let your eyes and ears do most of the talking, and still leave fairly satisfied. With that said though, it is arguably the finely balanced approach that makes this film work as well as it does. Hit Girl, you hit the spot with this nomination, and I’m thankful and glad to finally be apel (spelling mistake intended) to experience this glorious masterpiece for myself.
__________________________