Review on the Movie "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" (2014)

Dear Freaders*,

Hello! I am going to write a review on the "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" movie that was recently out in the Cinemas. Hope this will inspire you to go and watch it cos I think it is a GREAT show! ^^

By the way, Freaders is a phrase that I had just created from the top of my mind. It represents Friends + Readers = Freaders. I feel that Freaders sound slightly personal than saying "Dear readers". :)))

Here's my Movie Review:

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is not just an action-packed and thrilling movie but it is integrated with meaningful thoughts that we should all reflect on.

The tone of the movie is kinda dark and gripping for me as it is the sequel of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" in 2011. In the previous show, a devastating virus was unleashed, almost sweeping the human race off the face of the earth. In the 2014 movie, the feeling is bittersweet as the centerpieces - the band of the humans and the group of genetically evolved apes are fighting each other in a quest to survive. It hurts me to see humans and apes fighting but it puzzles and traumatizes me even more to see the conflict within each band. However, this paves way for the purposeful messages in the plot (which I will elaborate on below).

Well, I have to comment that the genuine trust and friendship between a few apes (Caesar, Maurice) and Malcolm (casted by Jason Clarke) and his family is so, so SWEET!!~

You have to WATCH the show first-hand to experience this emotion.

My rating on the movie: 4.5/5.0

Messages:
1) There can be conflict within your own kind. 2) Actions by individuals might have a huge butterfly effect on what happened in this world and what little peace and things we might have can disappear in an instant. 3) This does not mean we should accept it and let things spin out of control. We must do our very best to make amendments to the situation. In the movie, we can see how hard Caesar and Malcolm work to make things better. I really admire their undying spirit in a bid to furnish the best environment for their families.

Anyway, for me, there's one phrase in the movie that really stands out -
"They don't need power, lights, heat, nothing. That's their advantage. That's what make them stronger." (A Human talking about the apes).... Somehow, this makes me reflect on a teaching in the Bible.

Teaching about Money and Possessions in the Bible:
Jesus mentioned "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life --whether you have enough food to eat and enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing. Look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" .... "Don't worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs. " (Luke 12:22)

Food for Thought: We should spend time building a relationship with God and not store up earthly treasures mindlessly. :)

SO, make some time with your loved ones to watch the "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" before it is too late to catch it~ =)

Movie Trailer:

Dear Readers, :)

I'd just finished reading "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Albom. Mitch is the author of popular international bestsellers like "Tuesdays with Morrie".

Other Books from Mitch Albom:
- For One More Day (Finished Reading =))
- The Five People You Meet in Heaven (Finished Reading =))
- Tuesdays with Morrie (Finished Reading =))
- Fab Five (Sports book)
- Bo (Sports book)

Here are my 5 favourites lines from the true story "Have a Little Faith" :

1.      About Faith (p.47)

 

 “Let me answer with a story.” He said. “There’s this salesman, see? And he knocks on a door. The man who answers says, ‘I don’t need anything today.’
 

“The next day. The salesman returns.

“ ‘Stay away,’ he is told.

“The next day, the salesman is back.

“The man yells, ‘You again! I warned you!’ He gets so angry, he spits in the salesman’s face.

“The salesman smiles, wipes the spit with a handkerchief, then looks to the sky and says, ‘Must be raining.’

“Mitch, that’s what faith is. If they spit in your face, you say it must be raining. But you still come back tomorrow.”

 

2.      About Happiness (p.101) (My FAV!)

When a baby comes into the world, it hands are clenched, right? Like this?
He made a fist.
“Why? Because a baby, not knowing any better, wants to grab everything, to say, ‘The whole world is mine.’
“But when an old person dies, how does he do so? With his hands open. Why? Because he has learned the lesson.”
What lesson? I asked.
He stretched open his empty fingers.
“We can take nothing with us.”

3.      About Home (p. 111)

“A soldier’s little girl, whose father was being moved to a distant post, was sitting at the airport among her family’s meager belongings.
“The girl was sleepy. She leaned against the packs and duffel bags.
“A lady came by, stopped, and patted her on the head.
“ ‘Poor child,’ she said. ‘You haven’t got a home.’
“The child looked up in surprise.
“ ‘But we do have a home,’ she said. ‘We just don’t have a house to put it in.’ “

4.      The Second Death (p. 128 – 129)

The second death. To think that you died and no one would remember you … … Names quickly blur and in time are forgotten.

How then, I asked the Reb, can you avoid the second death?
“In the short run,” he said, “the answer is simple. Family. It is through my family that I hope to live on for a few generations. When they remember me, I live on.

......

(In the long run) “This is why,” the Reb said, “faith is so important. It is a rope for us all to grab, up and down the mountain. I may not be remembered in so many years. But what I believe and have taught ---about God, about our tradition---that can go on. It comes from my parents and their parents before them. And if it stretches to my grandchildren and to their grandchildren, then we are all, you know ...”
Connected?
“ That’s it.”

5.      Pleasure vs. Sorrow (p. 176)

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When Sorrow walked with me.

ROBERT BROWNING HAMILTON

Hope these are good motivational reads for everyone! Cheers! ~~