There is a really good 90-minute movie here, but it gets smothered by an additional 50 minutes of padding that kills the pacing and dulls the focus. Too much time is spent on inconsequential elements and then there are rushes through things that deserve more attention. On the whole, it almost had me falling asleep at times.
On the bright side, Caesar's quest is terrific and he is a great role model for those around him, and there is no shortage of material for philosophical or moral discussions based on what transpires. His commitment to his group is commendable, and the loyalty of his key people is inspiring.
On the negative side, his battle with the Colonel could have been epic, but it ends up being anticlimactic because of the writing, which seems to want to rush past that particular resolution even as it takes too long in doing so. This is followed up by another anticlimactic choice in the form of a lame deus ex avalanche. And really, how did the Colonel ever rise above the level of captain, at best, when he seemed to be incapable of making an intelligent and tactically wise decision at any point?
Nonetheless, top marks all around for the acting here, and props to whoever found that adorable little girl who plays Nova. All in all, an extremely mixed bag of good and bad here, but the glacial pacing and the overlong runtime made for a pretty disappointing effort overall.
Review by Jim G.VIP BlockedParentSpoilers2018-01-23T05:02:14Z
There is a really good 90-minute movie here, but it gets smothered by an additional 50 minutes of padding that kills the pacing and dulls the focus. Too much time is spent on inconsequential elements and then there are rushes through things that deserve more attention. On the whole, it almost had me falling asleep at times.
On the bright side, Caesar's quest is terrific and he is a great role model for those around him, and there is no shortage of material for philosophical or moral discussions based on what transpires. His commitment to his group is commendable, and the loyalty of his key people is inspiring.
On the negative side, his battle with the Colonel could have been epic, but it ends up being anticlimactic because of the writing, which seems to want to rush past that particular resolution even as it takes too long in doing so. This is followed up by another anticlimactic choice in the form of a lame deus ex avalanche. And really, how did the Colonel ever rise above the level of captain, at best, when he seemed to be incapable of making an intelligent and tactically wise decision at any point?
Nonetheless, top marks all around for the acting here, and props to whoever found that adorable little girl who plays Nova. All in all, an extremely mixed bag of good and bad here, but the glacial pacing and the overlong runtime made for a pretty disappointing effort overall.