re: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Thoughts with Spoilers; Fricking fantastic)

I thought it was good but a tad overrated. Shouldn't have a 91% on RT. I think it should be in the high 70s low 80s personally.

If anything I think it's being underrated

The scene where Malcolm slips into the shadows...damn

Great villain

Great action

Great performances

Tense throughout

Great characters who behave logically

Character development

Plenty of subtext (subtle and non subtle but not beating you over the head)

Iconic images

Great musical score

Perfect run time

Incredible but sensible special effects

Diverse special effects (the art of the soundstage, makeup, costume...it is not just a cgi shitfest)

Characters faced with difficult choices with serious consequences

Never takes the easy way out (Caesar doesn't just let koba fall, he directly murders him and Caesar telling Malcolm war is inevitable and moving forward...it doesn't wrap it up in a bow)

Guns - a lot of people said this was a message on gun control, but like the entire movie it's very gray and lets you make up your own mind while still maintaining social relevance)

The comparisons to empire are legit (someone else said this and it's spot on)
1. Better than a worthy original in every way
2. Maintains the tension throughout
3. (Mine) darker tone but doesn't feel forced or get carried away

IF I had to say something negative about it, it has a bit of a lessened sense of adventure than empire (which is a perfect movie in my opinion) and lacks romance (which there is no room for anyway)

I think it's better than TDK (another underrated but slightly flawed movie) or any science fiction movie made in the last 30 years.

Best movie in a long long time unless you just love oscar bait. It blends serious filmmaking with the summer blockbuster perfectly