Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes


Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
With War for the Planet of the Apes coming this summer, it’s only natural that fox pull out the two prequels and give them the 4K do over. It was pretty much a done deal and I have been expecting these to pop up for months. Given time with the discs and viewing them back to back actually gives us a slightly more cohesive storyline rather than viewing them years apart in cinemas. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a decidedly more action driven storyline, driving more political and ape subtext into the film rather than the emotional human element that was Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Things get lost in the scuffle (as they usually do), but the film is a worthy successor to the surprise smash hit of Rise.

It’s been 10 years since Caesar (Andy Serkis) escaped into the wilds around San Francisco. Humanity has driven itself to the brink of extinction thanks to a virus created to cure Alzheimer’s (ironic considering that’s how Caesar became who he is), and is desperately in search of a life line. The city of San Francisco is a haven for the surviving humans in the area, and they are looking at a quick decline after all sources of power have been depleted. Now, headed up by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), the rogue human survivors have to trek into the wilderness around San Francisco to see if they can get an old Hydro Power planet online and supply limited power to the city once again. However, they run into the unexpected. Apes, HUNDREDS of apes, with Caesar and the physically and emotionally scarred Koba (Toby Kebbell) leading the way.

The apes have lived in relative peace for 10 years, and with the intrusion of the humans, Koba wants to slaughter them so as to keep their secret. However, Caesar is not willing to kill the humans for sake of bloodlust. Instead he allows them to continue their work on the dam in exchange for peace. Furious at the decision, Koba sulks in the corner, all the while planning a subtle takeover, wherein he will rule the apes and bring his vengeance down on the paltry human survivors in the town of San Francisco. Caesar barely escapes the coup with his life, and with the help of Malcolm and his wife Ellie (Keri Russell) does whatever he can do to stop a war that is all but inevitable.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a movie that took me completely by surprise a few years back. I initially skipped the theatrical run (and the subsequent Blu-ray) simply because it looked like a cash-in on a beloved classic series (well, the first couple were beloved, some of the sequels were pretty cheesy). Lo and behold Rise ended up being an amazing film that looked like a solid prequel to the Charlton Heston ones (although it’s been confirmed that this new series isn’t a series of prequels tying into the original, but more of a reimagining using the same base elements), so I had pretty good expectations going into Dawn. In this case I would say that both films are on par with each other, but for completely different reasons. In Rise there was a lot of focus on the relationship between Caesar and Will Rodman’s character (James Franco) and the resulting drama that unfolds with the creation of a super intelligent ape. This time a lot more focus is spent on the Apes culture and their hierarchy with internal politics. One review I read claimed it was “The Godfather with apes, in regards to their story in the film, and in some ways, I agree. The conflict between Koba and Caesar is amazingly detailed, with complex chains of command and wonderful culture.

On the other hand, the human story tends to get shuffled off into the background most of the time, with “stories” of the past to tell what actually happened to them. Malcolm and Ellie are the two most fleshed out beings in the group, although Gary Oldman gets enough to get his main intent across. I find it a little strange how the new creators are trying to have us sympathize with BOTH cultures. Unlike the original 5 films, we spent a yo-yo like experience between films, first rooting for the humans to beat the apes, and then cheering as the apes were abused by their human oppressors in subsequent films. The new iteration takes a more realistic approach at the conflict, with both sides being both sympathetic and despicable depending on the person/ape in the spotlight. Caesar is a wonderfully acted character by Andy Serkis (the man is a god at CGI overlay and digital motion capture) and the incredible CGI only helps sell the realism of a manlike ape more than anything.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language




Video:

While Rise was filmed on 35mm film and given a 2.39:1 scope ratio, Dawn was given the taller 1.85:1 aspect ratio and was filmed on digital cameras. That being said, the two don’t look remarkably different in terms of grading. There are more cool blues and glossy finishes in Dawn, but the real difference comes from the added height of the 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The open forests outside of San Francisco and the massive height of the apes when dealing with the humans looks that much more visceral that way. Colors are amazing, popping right off the screen with some amazing use of HDR 10 on display. The film supposedly was mastered in 2K (and there’s no evidence of Fox going back and remastering for these releases), which tends to allow some softness in the uptick in quality. That’s not to say that there is no difference. Far from it indeed. There is a distinct uptick in the visual details and not just from the colors due to HDR. Facial details are incredibly well defined, and the contras levels are sharper. Watch the white levels on Caesar’s body paint, or the bright levels of the sun. Black levels are deep and inky and the few instances on the Blu-ray where banding occurred was mitigated in the switch to 2160p.







Audio:

Fox has decided to transfer over the same 7.1 DTS-HD MA track from the Blu-ray, which is a very slight disappointment as this would have been the perfect opportunity for Fox to remaster the home audio track with the Atmos mix from the theater. Still, I have very little room to complain as Atmos doesn’t magically make a poor track amazing, or make a great track obsolete by nature. And this 7.1 DTS-HD MA track is no slouch at ALL. Rough, aggressive, powerful, and full of vibrant energy from beginning to end, it just permeates the sound stage with active surround use (listen to the little sounds in the forest, ranging from the crunch of twigs underfoot, to the chirping of the birds overhead, to the rustling of the apes leaping from branch to branch). Dialog is strong and well supported in the front of the room, while the LFE is punishingly brutal during the battle sequences, or the trip to the dam. About as perfect as you can get for a 7.1 track.






Extras:

• Audio Commentary by Matt Reeves (ported over to 4K disc as well)
• Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Matt Reeves
• Journey to Dawn
• Andy Serkis: Rediscovering Caesar
• Humans and Apes: The Cast of Dawn
• The World of Dawn
• The Ape Community
• Move Like an Ape: An Artist s Artist's Medium
• Weta and Dawn
• The Fight for a New Dawn
• Four Galleries

Final Score: ​

While Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprise hit, Matt Reeves takes the directing wheel and delivers an equally entertaining follow up film. While there is more of a focus on the conflict and action that the series is gearing up for, Reeves keeps a solid handle on the interpersonal relationships that really make up these films. There are some heavy-handed attempts at portraying the human race as having a propensity for violence, but he balances it out with a very even-handed approach to giving blame to BOTH sets of species. The 4K tech specs are very solid, with a nice uptick in quality on the video front (although I was a little saddened to not see the theatrical Atmos mix on the 4K disc. A definite missed opportunity). With the extras being the same from the Blu-ray to the 4K the video encode is going to be the deciding factor for those who want to upgrade. While it’s using a 2K master, the difference between Blu-ray and 4K is definitely noticeable, and not in just a tiny way. The upgrade IS appreciable, so if you have the equipment I wouldn’t hesitate to pick this one up (either of them really). Definitely recommended
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Technical Specifications:

Starring: Andy Serkis, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Written by: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 7.1, French, German, Spanish, Italian DTS 5.1, Spanish DD 5.1
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 130 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 13th, 2017

Recommendation: Highly Recommended

 

[Todd Anderson]

So nit pick time: It drives me batty when a film like this isn't shot in cinemascope. Why wouldn't they opt for that? It wasn't released in 3D commercially (was it?)...

 

[Michael Scott]

basically it was director's choice from what I could gather from the extras. Each director is comfortable shooting their own way and Reeves chose 1.85 for some reason. And yes, it was released in 3D in the theaters

 

[Todd Anderson]

A lot (if not all) commercially released 3D films are 1.85, correct?

 

[Todd Anderson]

It just seems like an action movie (especially a movie like this one) benefits visually from the wider shot...

 

[Michael Scott]

it varies, I've seen plenty of 3D films in 2.39:1, but a lot like to use the 1.85:1 aspect ratio I've noticed

 

[Todd Anderson]

I was just poking around the net to see if I could find any info on this... and found this quote from James Cameron:

"For Avatar we’re shooting in a 16:9 ratio, we’re extracting a cinemascope ratio from that for 2D theatrical exhibition, and for 3D theatrical exhibition we will do, in the theaters that can, we’ll be in the 16:9 format and the theaters that can’t we’ll be in the scope format. Because I actually think that the extra screen height really works well in 3D. It really pulls you through the screen. So I’m actually going back on years of kind of eschewing the kind of 1.85 format, now saying 1.85 – or actually, it’s 1.78:1 – actually works really well in 3D. But only in 3D. I still like the scope ratio compositionally for flat projection."

Makes me wonder if most directors do this? 2.35 for 2D... 1.85 for 3D... and since 3D movie typically find their way to disc, maybe movie houses just release 1.85 for 2D and 3D at home?

Here's the challenge (and I'm not sure I can answer this... maybe you can), but is there a 3D Blu-ray released flick that presents a 3D version in 2.35:1?

 

[Sonnie Parker]

Agree... this would have been much better in the wider aspect ratio.

I like Gary Oldman... but I am not a fan of Andy Serkis. The movie was okay for me, but for some reason I am not caring if I see it again.

 

[Michael Scott]

Here's the challenge (and I'm not sure I can answer this... maybe you can), but is there a 3D Blu-ray released flick that presents a 3D version in 2.35:1?

xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them
Assassin's Creed
Rogue One
King Kong Skull Island will come in 2.39:1

etc etc

 

[Todd Anderson]

The actual 3D versions of those films are cinemascope on BD?

 

[Michael Scott]

yup

 

[Todd Anderson]

Well... there goes my entire day, Mike.

 

[Michael Scott]

lol

 

[Jon Liu]

I really liked this movie, even more than Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I somehow felt more connected to the human characters, even Gary Oldman's character than I did with Rise.

I might pass on these releases. While this seems like a worthy video upgrade over the SDR presentation, I thought the 3D was very well done for this film. So the 3D for this movie still is my preferred way to watch it.

 

[typ44q]

I have this already on 1080p bluray and as much as I enjoyed the movie I think I will hold off on the 4K double dip at least until the inevitable box set comes out after the third movie is released.