I have taken myself out of Hong Kong so temporarily I am officially Lesley in Bangkok.
As there is huge shopping mall about two minutes walk from my hotel and after a day of tiring Grand Palace -ing I couldn't face more walking around and so I purchased a ticket for 150 Baht and went to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Having suffered at the mercy of arctic air conditioning in Hong Kong I was prepared with my extra clothing to stave off hypothermia and I did truly need it. I was pleasantly surprised at the comfiness of the seats. They were big, sumptuous velour that were high enough for even a tall man's head to rest on so no matter who sat in front of you there would never be a problem of a blocked screen. They even tipped back a little for ultimate comfort and the bonus option of a double seat, more of a sofa, for cuddly couples at the back.
Do Not Use Your Mobile Phone
While I waited for the main feature to start I had to endure what I felt was hours of commercials in Thai but they were clearly all good clean public service announcements about not using your mobile phone while driving in case you die and not using your mobile phone in the cinema and causing light pollution in case I kill you - whoops sorry, I didn't mean that last part obviously. It was a truly welcome advert and I think Hong Kong audiences would get the message if it was pitched in such a way. Hint hint anyone who texts in their bag and doesn't think it bothers others (me!).
National Anthem
Then after loads of trailers it felt like it was about to start. Wrong. Before we could settle down to watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes we were all instructed politely to stand for the Thai National Anthem. Everyone did, most respectfully. It was played while we watched images of the King doing good things It reminded me that the BBC used to play the British National Anthem before the station closed down for the evening (telly used to stop in those days) and my Grandad used to stand up, and make whoever was with him, also stand up and show respect.
Andy Sirkis
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is part two following on from Rise of the Planet of the Apes which stared James Franco as the 'human' and Andy Sirkis as Caesar the Ape. The skill of playing an animal who so clearly has strong emotions has become Sirkis's unique talent. Through motion capture technology and his eyes, we become strongly involved with Caesar.
There is no Franco in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes but Sirkis again plays Caesar and we see him as the dominant male in a colony of apes in a time when nearly all humans have been killed by a Simeon flu. Or have they? I don't want to throw in any plot spoilers only to say that its one of the best films I've seen in along time and if you are considering going along to see it, watch the first one so you understand how Caesar's role in the film and as leader evolves.
The CGI is breathtaking. The sound quality in that particular cinema meant I kept looking over my shoulder to see if there was a monkey making too much noise behind me. The score worked perfectly to build scenes to their climax. The stilted dialogue communicates just how two different points of view can be the same yet equally confused and misunderstood. It touches on racism, religion, stereotypes and is a study of the human condition in adverse circumstances. A reflection of what is still going on in certain parts of the world this very day.
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