The Batman review

 

“They think I’m hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows”

Three things to say from the outset about The Batman. Though it lasts for three hours you don’t get any sense of time dragging because everything unfolds as it needs to. Second, this is not the umpteenth re-telling of the Batman origin story so don’t imagine you’ve seen it all before. Matt Reeves' film throws new light on aspects of that story and on some familiar characters but I never got the impression this was old ground being trod once too often. Thirdly- and most importantly- there is no silly gravelly Batman voice!

WARNING- MAJOR SPOILERS AFTER THIS VERY ARTY POSTER...

 

War for the Planet of the Apes

You know how seamless the motion capture process has become when you don’t even spend time marvelling at it as people used to and instead focus straight into the film. It’s probable that this story could not have been done till now due to those advances because it is seen almost entirely from the apes point of view while the scattering of human characters enjoy relatively short focus compared to their simian rivals.  This can, at times, make the results seem slightly drawn out but this is a tense, slow burning war film that succeeds by trying new twists on a familiar tale.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Starring Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell,Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Nick Thurston, Terry Notary
Screenplay  by Mark Momback, Rick Jaffa
Directed by Matt Reeves

The second in the new sequence of Planet of the Apes films is even better than the first.

The decision to re-tell the Planet of the Apes saga has proved to be a strong one. 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes was impressive enough both in its depiction of the apes (not that the 60s/70s originals were too shoddy) and the way the narrative unfolded.  This sophomore tale is different in tone and intent but more satisfying as a complete film. Set a decade or so after its predecessor it tells the story of how Caesar, the intelligent chimp raised by a human, fares as leader of the apes now living in the forest. Those humans who survived the virus have been reduced to squirrelling a living in wrecked cities and inevitably the two groups will come into conflict.

Spoiler warning- if you haven’t seen the film yet this review reveals major plot points