That Monkey Movie Moved Me

 

 

 

I don't have to tell you anything because you all know what this movie is and if it is the kind of thing you would enjoy. If you like Apes vs Human stories, this is a great one. Head and shoulders above the first movie which was pretty great in it's own right. This one was thrilling to watch on the screen but it also touched my heart and confirmed that humans suck. Not all of us but most of us and mostly Gary Oldman. He always plays the asshole in these kinds of films and he does it well.

 

Now where is the freakin' Oscar for this guy? I don't mean the bullshit 'special' Oscar for motion capture acting but an honest to goodness Oscar for best actor. He certainly needs to be high up on the list for this year and I hope he is remembered come nomination time. He was robbed as Gollum for Lord of the Rings.

 

 

Andy Serkis gives us a character in Caesar that combines the best of the human and the digital in one incredible visual illusion. I had no doubt that Caesar was a real creature throughout the whole of the movie. Serkis made me care so much that I actually resisted seeing this one at first because I knew the plight of the apes would be so compelling that I would side with them and would hate to see any of them in pain. But I had to be confident in Serkis and believe that he wouldn't let me down. He never had before. My faith in Hollywood Blockbusters was rewarded and it was Serkis' performance that did it for me. It elevated an already spectacular adventure into something memorable. For all it's noise, that is something that a Transformers movie will never be. This movie had heart to spare.

 

 

If you want to do some comparison. Compare Serkis' portrayal of King Kong to his role as Caesar. You can see how much his skills with motion capture acting have improved to the point where a character that doesn't really exists, lives and breaths there in front of me. I was blown away more by that part of the movie than all the great Ape fighting scenes. That says all you need to know about my love for this film. I LIVE for Ape on Ape violence and retribution.

 

 

I also have something to say about the actor who motion captured the Orangutan, Maurice. He didn't speak a word of dialogue but he was the strong heart and the center of the film. The wise old Ape who's gentle, caring wisdom has no place in a society at war. He broke my heart like every great character on film does. Broke my heart in a good way because he made me feel.

 

Then I found that Maurice was played by a FEMALE motion capture actress, Karin Konoval. Magnificent.

 

During this film I told myself several times that THIS is why I still go to the movies. Movies like this restore my faith in the Hollywood. Maybe we are entering a new generation when big movies don't have to automatically stink. Maybe they all don't have to star Johnny Depp.

 

Hell, who knew Tom Cruise could earn my love for Edge of Tomorrow. Gah, there's another great film I saw this summer. What's the record for the best summer of movies ever? I mean hit after hit after hit. I am thinking back to a summer in the mid-80s but I would need to do some research first and see what the general consensus is out there.

 

Another great blockbuster in a summer of GREAT blockbusters. Nothing has let me down this summer. Certainly not any of the big films like Captain America, Godzilla or X-Men.