Saturday, May 16, 2015

Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of Planet of the Apes: The Art of the Films Review





 Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of Planet of the Apes: The Art of the Films by Sharon Gosling and Adam Newell is an oversized book that is a wondrous look at the incredible amount of work that went into making these two movies that have renewed interest in an iconic science fiction series. The title is a little odd to me, as this is not the order of words on the cover or the title page, but the gist of the message is the same. There are beautiful photos of the process that is required to achieve the stunning effects of the movie, as well as explanations for how certain things evolved. One gets to see the various actors and some of the lengths they went to in order to achieve realism and an excellent flow, and the drawings and pictures of the behind-the-scenes intensity draws one into the excitement of making a movie on this scale.


I have watched both films prior to reading this book and now I need to go back and see them again with even greater appreciation for the sheer amount of hard work and talent that went into choosing things that develop great significance, such as the window in Will’s home that Caesar views the outside world through, or the conference table at the laboratory complex. It is amazing to see the talent that allowed the actors to evoke the simians they are portraying and daunting to see how much work went into making these films. I think that this book does a great job of showing that these two movies are definitely a homage to the original series but have also integrated the spectacular advances that have been made since, and it gives one an educational look at the thought-provoking understory and artistry and magic that culminated in these two movies.


© Night Owl Reviews 

I received a copy of this title in return for an honest review. 

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