Yes I know, a little late to the party. My husband, our son and I went to see it together, really just for our son because my husband wasn’t all that excited to see it, primarily because of the memories he had from the made for t.v movie series featuring Charleston Heston. I vaguely remember watching the made for t.v movie series, I remember Charleston Heston yelling and crying at the buried Statue of Liberty “something, something”, I am not sure if he said “Damn you” or if that came at somewhere else in the movie. I remember Roddy McDowell’s character, I liked him, he was a nice ape and there was a pretty girl who couldn’t speak, I think that most humans couldn’t speak for some reason, and besides seeing apes on horseback, that is all that I remember.
I thought that the movie was excellent as did our son. My husband definitely liked it much more than what he remembered from the t.v series. The special effects were outstanding, our son said more than once. I have to say that seeing the apes as an army with the front line on horseback was awe inspiring; the wave of sheer power and strength that emanates from the potential sheer physicality of the apes is incredible. In the real world an ape is pound for pound at least three times stronger than a human so in the movie when they are also equipped with speech and in certain individual cases revenge, it was fearsome.
Cesar of course we remember from the first movie, and he still embodies the beautiful beginnings that he knew with James Franco; his experience and knowledge of love and happiness informs his world view. Diametrically opposed to his experience is his second in command’s experience which unfortunately dominates the second half of the movie. Koba was one of the first that Cesar liberated from the laboratory and Koba’s experience with the human world was only filled with torture and pain, therefore his world view is radically different from Cesar and therein lies the drama.
I was quickly reminded of an interview that I saw with Jane Goodall in which she speaks of her experiences living amongst the apes and when she had her heartbroken for the first time. It happened when she realized that in effect that they really aren’t that different from us, they can be cruel, mean, ferocious and bullies. She had elevated the apes onto a pedestal and really we are very much like them both in the good and the bad. We mustn’t judge in general and in toto; each individual deserves their own merit and circumspection.
It was definitely one heck of a ride and I loved every different aspect of the journey.
laurieanichols 