jippy33

First of all, this movie is a victim of audience expectations and bad marketing. You would think this was the ape vs human version of Saving Private Ryan when looking at the trailers. It is not. It is a 140-minute drama about family, grief, survival and war. It is a bold move for a franchise that has been all CGI and action.

Sure, there is hardly a scene without CGI (since there is hardly a scene without an ape) and the movie is bookended by great action set pieces. But the roughly hour-and-a-half in the middle is a journey, both literally and metaphorically.

The emotional depth that is displayed by the primary characters with very little dialogue is astounding and very rare in this genre. I was shattered after this movie was done, so invested in the characters, so overjoyed by their victories and grief-stricken by their hardships. And the amazing cinematography only strengthens the depth of every scene. Throw in quite a bit of humor as well and you have a drama for the ages.

Special mention has to be given Amiah Miller. She has not a single line of dialogue, yet struck every chord of the emotional spectrum as the sole human amongst all the apes. The journey of a child, left alone only to find a new home in the most unlikely place of all is an amazing tearjerker when acted and shot this well.

There are some tropes here and there that made me roll my eyes a bit. You have the odd ex-machina and what not. It still does not stop me from dishing out my first IMDb 10 in 2017.

I was hesitating with this movie after all the negativity surrounding it's release, only to discover that it was quite enjoyable.

Is it a true epic? No.

Is it plastered in mediocre CGI? Yes.

Is the acting brilliant? Meh...

Is the Guy Ritchie touch fitting for a medieval fantasy?

That is, of course, subjective (as is everything when it comes to movies), but for me, it worked. You know the Guy Ritchie touch? Fast cuts, stories told in quick flashbacks, crazy editing, POV-camera angles while running at full speed down a street. It is what made Lock Stock and Snatch such an intense thrill-ride. It might seem out-of-place in a movie like this so keep an open mind.

Dunham is good, maybe not "carry-a-movie" good, he basically plays himself. I did not know Arthurian England had such wonderful American accents.

The CGI is painfully obvious at times though, which hurts immersion quite a bit.

All in all, this movie is what I would call highly entertaining without ever excelling. Basically the opposite of the Transformer movies (which excel at not entertaining).

As I have learned, you either love or hate Manchester United, or you have no interest in soccer whatsoever. If you hate Man. U. from the bottom of your heart "United" might be hard to swallow. But if you love them (or at least hold no grudge) you're gonna enjoy this flick. The acting is charmingly semi-good, and the story is enjoyable in all it's simplicity.

And for those of you who couldn't care less about soccer, it doesn't matter. It's like not watching The Lord of the Rings because you're not a ringmaker.

7/10