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War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
The final part of the 2010 version of the Planet of the apes films (after both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), with Andy Serkis again portraying the noble Ape leader Caesar, and with this film set (I believe) roughly 15 years after the viral outbreak that occurred during Rise of the ...

Acting as a prequel of sorts to the Charlton Heston originals, this one - while perhaps a bit slow paced - also shows how mankind loses the ability to speak, starting their journey towards becoming the dumb brutes of that Heston original.

I have to say, however, that the title is a bit misleading (unless it's referring to Caesar's inner war?): perhaps "Skirmish for the Planet of the Apes" would be more apt … ?
  
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
2011 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Caesar. Home.
A surprisingly good prequel/re-imagining/reboot of the seminal Charlton Heston starring sci-fi flick, with this being set in more contemporary time and with it tracing the origins of the smart Apes/the beginning of the decline of man.

Basically, don't mess with nature.

I have to say, the end credits - tracing the virus - also hits differently now (in 2023) than it did on release (in 2011), after the world has been through a global pandemic.

Anyway, Andy Serkis interpretation of Caesar is really the star of the show, with able support from his surrogate 'father' Will Rodman (James Franco), the scientist who first developed a drug that he hopes will cure Alzheimer's but which leads to super intelligence in the chimps exposed to it.
  
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Fred (860 KP) rated Black Panther (2018) in Movies

May 3, 2018 (Updated Jul 12, 2018)  
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
The actors. The effects. The Korea scene. (0 more)
Not enough Black Panther. Not enough humor. Boring. (0 more)
I found myself many times during the movie wondering if there was ever going to be anything superhero-like in this superhero movie. I understand this is an origin story, but at some point, it needs to move along. It just dragged on too long. Could have been an hour long. There was also too much with the fighting that wasn't Panther. The girls were kicking more ass than Black Panther himself. It was ridiculous. Negatives aside, the acting was really good by everyone, with a great performance by Andy Serkis, of course. The Korea chase scene was fantastic. It's too bad there weren't more scenes like it. The battle scene at the end was very predictable. Bottom line is I did like it. I thought the story was well enough, but should have moved along at a better pace.
  
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Special effects (1 more)
Woody Harrelson
Slow paced (1 more)
The title is a little misleading
Not bad, but nothing special
I'll start off by admitting that my personal views probably affected my view of this film, as I'm really not fond of apes. However I did think the first 2 films were good, but nothing to write home about, and I'm afraid the third film fits in to this category too.

Yes the special effects are amazing, Andy Serkis is brilliant as Caesar and Woody Harrelson is great as a bad guy, if a little underused. My issue with the film is that it's title is misleading - the "war" isn't really the kind of war I was expecting. It's also very slow paced and despite a run time of just over 2 hours, it felt much longer. There was also a few silly plot holes and conveniences made to further the story which didn't quite work. Personally I think Dawn was a much better film as it more evenly balanced the ape and human aspects.
  
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Bird (1700 KP) Jul 27, 2017

Love the 'really not fond of apes' line! ? (KP on way)

Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Over rated and disappointing
Way too much hype for a distinctly below average/bad film. Civil War is by far the better Marvel film. Black Panther (character) was great in a supporting role but he has zero on-screen charisma and fails to carry a film solo. I struggle to see how anybody was entertained by those awful challenge fight scenes and that ludicrous end battle. it was not a good movie. It looked cheap, the characters had no development. It played like low-rent TV show with unnbearably cheesy & clunky dialogue, boring unoriginal fights and god-awful CGI. I didn’t care about the fate of Wakanda because I wasn’t allowed to care for any of the characters in the film. The only consolation was the comic relief provided by Letitia Wright and Andy Serkis. For all the records it smashed and the praise it received, it wasn’t even the best Marvel film of the last 6 months. Thor Ragnarok was a lot more entertaining, genuine and had actual heart.
  
Black Panther (2018)
Black Panther (2018)
2018 | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
I'm only giving this movie a 9, because I've honestly seen the same story line in dozens of movies. AND, I felt like the previews gave way too much away.
But, although the story was predictable, it was still very well done. The afro-futurism was so amazing, the costumes were so good, and I loved that they brought in all sorts of different cultures on the continent to Wakanda.
The cast did a brilliant job, and I loved that the warriors were women.
Now, Killmonger: Micheal B Jordan did a fantastic job with the villain. This villain was one of the better ones in the MCU, in a sea of generic villains (Loki excluded). Killmonger (as well as Loki) was a sympathetic (IMO) villain, there was a reason for his fall into villainy, being a product of his circumstances. You understood where he was coming from, and damn, his last line was intense.
Now: Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis. I had a major Hobbit flashback when Ross went to Klaue, I was half-hoping they were fixin to have a riddle-off.
  
Mowgli (2018)
Mowgli (2018)
2018 | Adventure, Drama, Family
When humans encroach on the jungle they get too close to the animals that call the jungle home. It’s inevitable that they clash. When Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), a tiger who has no regard for the rules of the jungle, slaughters a group of humans only a child survives. A black panther, Bagheera (Christian Bale), saves the boy, Mowgli (Rohan Chand), and takes him to live with a group of wolves. There he is raised by his mother, Nisha (Naomie Harris), and tried to become part of the pack by Baloo (Andy Serkis), a black bear. Mowgli must train with Baloo to become a member of the pack. As he trains he sees that man expand. With this expansion the man brings back Shere Khan. He kills many of the cows and leaves them for the humans to find. This makes the humans enlist a hunter, Lockwood (Matthew Rhys), to kill the tiger. Also Bagheera believes that sending Mowgli to the humans will keep him safe. Mowgli, just a young boy, must now try and bridge the animal world he knows in the jungle and the human world.

This is a live action retelling of the novel by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book. Actor/Director Andy Serkis creates a beautiful story with really well done CGI. The visuals are really well done and by far the best part of the film. The cast, which also includes Cate Blanchett, Eddie Marsan, Tom Hollander, etc. make the animals they voice come to life. This take on the famous story is familiar but also changed ever so slightly from previous versions that it keeps it interesting. Young actor Rohan Chand does a decent job of carrying most of the live acting portions of the film.

The film really made me feel nostalgic at times. The film does take a little darker look at the old classic and would say it is for a little more mature audiences than the 1967 cartoon or 2016 live action, both The Jungle Book, takes on this story. The visuals are really good but the story does miss at times. I really thought that the climax really had a slow build but then really finished quickly. There was definitely room for improvement there but overall it was a pleasant movie experience. The theater viewing was visually really good and I am sure it would be a decent home experience with the Netflix release.