Karen: Last week, a trailer came out for the next film in the new Planet of the Apes series. 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' occupies roughly the same place that 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' did, in that human society has been overthrown and humans and apes are in a struggle for control of the planet. But beyond that, there appear to be very few similarities. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Karen: Personally, I enjoyed the first film ('Rise of the Planet of the Apes') and I like that these films are going their own way, really using the original films more as inspiration but not directly copying them. Although I have to admit, I do miss the old men-in-make-up look. I have a real fondness for Roddy McDowell doing his chimp-shuffle.
Doug: I agree with everything you said. I've been an Apes fan since I was but a waif. When the original five films were on television that was "can't miss TV". Then it was the television show. And the Megos. And trading cards. On and on. If I have one big regret in my comic reading/collecting life, it's that I didn't ever buy the B&W magazine.
I know this trailer is short, but it gives us the basic premise, and like Karen said above it has some of the flavor of Battle but with its own flair. Maybe this is a "grim and gritty" update, but so far it seems to be working for me.
Doug: I agree with everything you said. I've been an Apes fan since I was but a waif. When the original five films were on television that was "can't miss TV". Then it was the television show. And the Megos. And trading cards. On and on. If I have one big regret in my comic reading/collecting life, it's that I didn't ever buy the B&W magazine.
I know this trailer is short, but it gives us the basic premise, and like Karen said above it has some of the flavor of Battle but with its own flair. Maybe this is a "grim and gritty" update, but so far it seems to be working for me.
Karen: Planet of the Apes, or POTA as it's affectionately known, is a subject near and dear to both Doug and me. We've had a number of posts on it here at BAB. Here's a few of them:
I like the 1st movie with Charlton Heston. The rest just weren't very good, or at least weren't my taste. Never seen the TV show as far as I can recall. Never seen the toys or comic books. As for the new movies, I saw part of the Marky Mark one on TV. It was awful. The comercials for the last one and the newest one don't hold any appeal for me. Just not my thing,I guess.
ReplyDeleteIs there some explanation as to how a tiny number of apes could possibly be a threat against over 6 billion humans? Seriously, there just aren't very many apes out there to begin with.
I liked the first installment, as well, and like Karen I appreciate the fact that they're charting their own course for this new series of films. Though I must agree with the reasoning of your friend and mine at Blog Into Mystery: "Wouldn’t something dawn before it could rise? Don’t they have them backwards?" :)
ReplyDeleteI'm fond of the first movie, the whole thing with the Forbidden Zone, the scarecrows, the apes hunting the humans... I liked how they took their time with the reveal, they had the astronauts wandering through the desert for a while, the slow build up. Thought that was really effective. And then the archaeological dig, the ending of course- it all just works. Wasn't as enthusiastic about later installments, but that first one... good stuff.
ReplyDeleteNot super enthused about these new ones, for whatever reason. They just don't grab me I guess. Maybe it's the setting- I liked that the old one was set in the future and it was almost like exploring a different world.
Will have to go check out those other POTA posts...
I love 'em.
ReplyDeleteI am all apes all the time!
I just want Red Ghost and his Super-Apes to show up in a Marvel movie.
Matt, in the new films a virus that that the apes are immune to ravages the world's population, and as the humans are dying they start warring which leads to more deaths while the ape population with their new intelligence, keeps growing.
ReplyDeleteIt's safe to say that Karen and I will never discuss the Tim Burton Apes film in the same breath as the other now-7 other films, the TV series, the cartoon, the Megos, etc. While Burton had some elements that were visually intriguing, it was overall a "miss".
ReplyDeleteI thought Rise was very well done, "logical", and fits right in with the 1960s-70s films. I am really looking forward to the second installment.
Doug
Rise was a good film. Didn't like the Burton film, big disappointment. Hard to tell from this trailer, but I'll give the new one a shot.
ReplyDeleteI actually kind of like the Burton film. It's nothing spectacular, but watchable. I see it as kind of a POTA 'Elseworlds.'
ReplyDeleteAnd Osvaldo, I'm so with you on Red Ghost and his apes appearing in a Marvel movie. It wouldn't have bothered me at all if, for example, they were slated to be the bad guys in the next Avengers movie.
I've just stuck with the original POTA franchise, especially the first film (James Gregory's scenes were great in the 2nd flick..), and the live-action television series which disappointed some as it basically grafted the concept to your standard, early '70s 'chase show', but I enjoyed the great acting by Roddy, David McNaughton, and Mark Lenard.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had any desire to see any gaps filled by new movies.
Edo - Red Ghost and his Super-Apes would have to be in an FF or Spidery movie to work best - or maybe they'll show up in the Luke Cage netflix show.
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly, I never got a lot out of prequels and 'hole-filling'. They typically disappoint and don't add much to the mythos, 'cept thin it out and remove what richer ideas we had in our imagination to begin with.
ReplyDeleteClone Wars, Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Star Wars prequels, Enterprise, you name it.
The only exception I can recall is the current Trek franchise, but while it's fun adventure, I could have done without it. I didn't see it adding much to the mythos of Trek as I imagined it 40yrs ago watching the first-run reruns.