Skip to main content

Planet of the Apes Series: Storytelling

Recently, I went on a little film marathon watching all of the 2010's Planet of the Apes movies in succession. These films were really interesting and I would love to share my thoughts about them. Starting off, The Planet of the Apes series is a trilogy of science fiction movies that explores the idea of intelligent apes taking over the planet and becoming the dominant species. The movies in the series are Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), and War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). Now I will give a brief synopsis of each movie. Rise of the Planet of the Apes follows the story of Caesar, a chimpanzee who is born with increased intelligence due to a genetically engineered virus. Caesar is taken in by a scientist named Will Rodman and raised alongside humans, but when he is mistreated and taken away from his family, he leads a revolution of apes against humans finally giving apes their own freedom. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place a decade after the events of the first movie, with the apes having established their own society in the woods. When a group of humans stumble upon their territory, tensions rise between the two species, leading to a war that will determine the fate of the planet, started by one of Caesar's right hand men. War for the Planet of the Apes: The movie takes place several years after the events of the second movie, with the apes now facing a new threat from a human military faction led by a ruthless colonel. Caesar, now the leader of the apes, must lead his people in a battle for survival against the humans, while also dealing with his own personal demons and the betrayals of his own kind. This movie ends with Caesar sacrificing his life to win the war against the humans. Throughout the series, the story explores themes of family, loyalty, survival, and the consequences of scientific experimentation. It also examines the concept of what it means to be human and the consequences of our actions on the world around us.

The Planet of the Apes trilogy utilizes a variety of storytelling techniques to create a compelling and emotionally resonant narrative. A few examples are character development, themes and motifs, and the suspense used. This series places a strong emphasis on character development, especially with Caesar, the main protagonist. Over the course of the three films, we see him grow from a naive and idealistic young chimp into a wise and compassionate leader who must grapple with the weight of responsibility and the consequences of his actions. The series also incorporates recurring themes and motifs throughout all three films, such as the idea of family and community, the dangers of playing God with science, and the struggle for survival in a world that is rapidly changing. These themes help to tie the films together thematically and give them a sense of continuity. The Planet of the Apes movies also feature intense action sequences and suspenseful set pieces, particularly in the second and third films. These scenes help to keep the audience engaged and invested in the story, while also heightening the stakes and creating a sense of tension and danger. Overall, the storytelling techniques used in the Planet of the Apes trilogy help to create a rich and immersive narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rear Window: Best Shots/Angles

     Rear Window, which is about a photographer named L.B. Jeffries that recently got injured trying to get  a good shot on a racetrack. He ended up getting hit by one of the race cars and it put him in a wheel chair for several weeks. While he was stuck in his apartment due to his injury, he would constantly look out his window at the neighboring apartments and see what was happening within his neighbor's life. He suddenly noticed something very suspicious when one of his neighbor's wives went missing. This neighbor was named Lars Thorwald and Lars was constantly doing suspicious activity such as leaving his apartment multiple times a day with a suitcase. L.B Jeffries then tried to convince his girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, and his detective friend, Thomas Doyle, that Lars had murdered his wife and was trying to dispose of her body. The detective was very doubtful at first but once Lisa Fremont snuck into Lars' apartment and found evidence of the crime, Dt. Thomas Doyle...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Wolf of Wall Street: Auteurs

     One of my favorite movies of all time is The Wolf of Wall Street directed by Scorsese, who is one of the greatest auteurs of the film era. Scorsese has directed other many popular films such as Casino, The Card Counter, and The Aviator. The Wolf of Wall Street is by far my favorite though. The Wolf of Wall Street is a long film that is based on a man's true life story. This man is Jordan Belfort, a man who became rich through illegal activities and corruption. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the lead role of Belfort and does it excellently. Belfort is a charismatic and intelligent man that uses his whit, charm, and brains to manipulate people and get what he wants. Belfort started off as a struggling stock broker but quickly rose to the top by using his illegal tactics. Without going throughout the whole plot of the lengthy movie, I would like to share the basis of the movie starting off with the great cast of Jonah Hill, who plays Don...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Film      The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is essentially about a man named Francis who is telling an older man the story of how he met his fiancé, Jane. This story starts off at a carnival with Francis, Alan, and Jane and this is where they meet Dr. Caligari and his "attraction" named Cesare that can tell the future. Cesare claims that Alan will die the next night and this does actually happen which sends Francis and Jane into a frenzy. At the end of the story though, the viewer can see that Francis, Jane, and Alan are all people that are in an insane asylum ran by Dr. Caligari. So it was all just a story the whole time.       The film tells this story through dialogue, using different film angles, and music to create suspense, sadness, or curiosity of what will happen next. Some conventions of cinematic storytelling would be the fish eye's angle that the film would use on characters that are focused on at the time. I believe th...
Post a Comment
Read more