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Post by Seeker of the Whills on Mar 24, 2024 18:14:51 GMT
The Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy was one of the better handled classic sci-fi franchises of the previous decade, and there's soon going to be a fourth film, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, apparently by the director of the Maze Runner trilogy:
I thought the first Maze Runner film was fantastic for a YA book adaptation with the Lord of the Flies premise, while the two sequels were pure generic and forgettable schlock for teenagers in the vein of something like Hunger Games, so I'm cautiously optimistic for this one. The trailer looks pretty interesting in its trajectory and development since the last film's ending. A change in directors for the series was welcome and necessary after the lackluster third film. Matt Reeves, who directed the latter two films in the trilogy but had a writing credit only on the last one, is a competent director, but a god-awful writer. The first film in the Apes trilogy, Rise, was a well-made origin story, and the sequel, Dawn, took the premise and elevated it to another level. These two films had clear themes and human characters, even if some of them were apes. The third film, War, was in turn almost a complete mess, with a nonsensical story, dumb characters and even blatant plot holes. The title promised a war, but what we got was a small skirmish at best. I had hoped that the film would develop the ape society much closer to the state seen in the classic films, which it didn't deliver. This new film seems to fulfill my wish.
Any other fans of these movies here? What do you think of them?
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Post by Ingram on Mar 25, 2024 10:09:02 GMT
Can't say I was ever partial to it, not even going all the way back to the 1968 original. Or, I do admire that first film in skeletal form, on a conceptual level, and I admire the most devoted of heady fanbase that made a place for each of the sequels that followed throughout the early '70s. But that whole series for me was always a bit mothballed and, well, talky. The 2010s reboot was certainly a work of consideration; Matt Reeves is like the more studious and better disciplined version of JJ Abrams. And yet his two sequels, while making every canny choice to secure the storylines in somber drama, were likewise taxed with themes & conflicts that for me were just kinda basic. Routine ...as far as the Apes franchise goes, anyways. Of the three I actually prefer the 2011 Rise from director Rupert Wyatt. It's comparably dopier regarding both spectacle and feels, but that's what I like about it.
In fact -- and I'm gonna get shit for this -- I think I still lean towards Burton's odd duck 2001 remake the most. It's clumsy, bereft. It suffers from a WTF ending. Still, something about the art direction, the actors "monkeying" around in real makeup/prosthetics; something about the odd, disassociating aspects of it nonetheless works for me. Can't quite put my finger on why.
I do agree about director Wes Ball having since exhibited a good technical degree of showmanship for otherworldly sci-fi panorama. He seems as well suited for the task of continuing this latest series as anyone else, if not better than any number of pretentious indie filmmakers who've since proved mediocre playing in the Marvel or Star Wars sandboxes. This newest installment, Kingdom, I hope cuts loose a bit from the glum composure of the previous films in favor of something a little more unabashed.
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Post by Somny on Mar 25, 2024 16:15:41 GMT
In fact -- and I'm gonna get shit for this -- I think I still lean towards Burton's odd duck 2001 remake the most. Not from me. I'm fairly partial to it as well for the reasons you've cited. |
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Post by stampidhd280pro on Mar 25, 2024 16:35:31 GMT
I was a fan of the original movies, as a kid back in the 90s. Especially the first three. I was like 14 when Tim Burton's movie came out. The human girl was very attractive. The one from later, with John Lithgow, was sort of different and exciting but I'm sick of reboots. I haven't seen any since then, and I'm not really invested in it as a series anymore. Though, I will probably catch up with it, someday. Did the latest entries explore the racial, religious, and political themes like the original films did?
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Post by Seeker of the Whills on Mar 25, 2024 23:12:55 GMT
Can't say I was ever partial to it, not even going all the way back to the 1968 original. Or, I do admire that first film in skeletal form, on a conceptual level, and I admire the most devoted of heady fanbase that made a place for each of the sequels that followed throughout the early '70s. But that whole series for me was always a bit mothballed and, well, talky. The 2010s reboot was certainly a work of consideration; Matt Reeves is like the more studious and better disciplined version of JJ Abrams. And yet his two sequels, while making every canny choice to secure the storylines in somber drama, were likewise taxed with themes & conflicts that for me were just kinda basic. Routine ...as far as the Apes franchise goes, anyways. Of the three I actually prefer the 2011 Rise from director Rupert Wyatt. It's comparably dopier regarding both spectacle and feels, but that's what I like about it.
In fact -- and I'm gonna get shit for this -- I think I still lean towards Burton's odd duck 2001 remake the most. It's clumsy, bereft. It suffers from a WTF ending. Still, something about the art direction, the actors "monkeying" around in real makeup/prosthetics; something about the odd, disassociating aspects of it nonetheless works for me. Can't quite put my finger on why.
I do agree about director Wes Ball having since exhibited a good technical degree of showmanship for otherworldly sci-fi panorama. He seems as well suited for the task of continuing this latest series as anyone else, if not better than any number of pretentious indie filmmakers who've since proved mediocre playing in the Marvel or Star Wars sandboxes. This newest installment, Kingdom, I hope cuts loose a bit from the glum composure of the previous films in favor of something a little more unabashed.
Y'know, I used to prefer Rise as well. I think it's easily the most human of the trilogy, while Dawn is the most epic. Really, Rise and Dawn are neck and neck for me. They're quite different in tone and style so it's hard to make up my mind. I like the character of Koba so much, as I think he's one of the great villains in blockbuster film history, that Dawn just barely gets the upper hand these days. In general, though, I'm not a fan of Reeves, especially after what he did to my favorite superhero, Batman, but I can't dismiss Dawn, because he can clearly direct a good movie when given the right script. A good writer he is not, and that is what doomed both War for the Planet of the Apes and The Batman. He's more refined than his pal JJ, for sure, but to me he comes off like a bargain bin Nolan with barely any recognizable trademarks of his own. His movies have good cinematography, they're slickly made on the surface, but the ones he has written himself have an inhuman nihilism that I don't like, and they feel like they could have been directed by any modern blockbuster director, such as Villeneuve. I haven't seen the Tim Burton Apes remake version in ages, but I remember liking it. I kind of liked the ending, even. I dig that sort of last-minute shock reveal that leaves you slightly perplexed and discombobulated. The costumes in that movie were great, though I prefer the CGI of the newer movies. I think it's so well made it's mesmerizing to look at. Wes Ball seems like a fairly promising director to take the helm of the franchise. The human characters being chased by the apes in this trailer reminds me of the first Maze Runner, which is good. That sort of oppressive feel is what made that movie so memorable. I was a fan of the original movies, as a kid back in the 90s. Especially the first three. I was like 14 when Tim Burton's movie came out. The human girl was very attractive. The one from later, with John Lithgow, was sort of different and exciting but I'm sick of reboots. I haven't seen any since then, and I'm not really invested in it as a series anymore. Though, I will probably catch up with it, someday. Did the latest entries explore the racial, religious, and political themes like the original films did? They did touch on those themes. One of the problems I had with the newest one was that I thought it went a little overboard with the messaging. It felt too obvious and at the same time confused about what it was trying to say. |
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Post by Ingram on Mar 26, 2024 19:26:44 GMT
In general, though, I'm not a fan of Reeves, especially after what he did to my favorite superhero, Batman, but I can't dismiss Dawn, because he can clearly direct a good movie when given the right script. A good writer he is not, and that is what doomed both War for the Planet of the Apes and The Batman. He's more refined than his pal JJ, for sure, but to me he comes off like a bargain bin Nolan with barely any recognizable trademarks of his own. His movies have good cinematography, they're slickly made on the surface, but the ones he has written himself have an inhuman nihilism that I don't like, and they feel like they could have been directed by any modern blockbuster director, such as Villeneuve.
Ditto. A bargain bin Nolan or Villeneuve indeed, which from me is saying something seeing as how I'm hardly an ardent fan of either of those two big names, at least not internally concerning their filmmaking styles. Reeves can handle a production well and knows how to put on airs but, yeah, is a bit hollow underneath (and don't get me started on The Batman ...ugh).
I am slightly surprised however that this latest Kingdom was afforded the budget and May 'big summer movie' release slot given both its comparably lesser known director and lack of star power, lacking even Andy Serkis for a pedigree of motion-capture performance; I would've guessed a March/Sept transitional season release. Perhaps such indicates the execs' confidence in the film. |
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