Book Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes The Art of the Films

Equally as impressive as its title is long, the new coffee table book Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Rise of the Planet of the Apes The Art of the Films is a detailed and informative collection of stills from both of the recent Apes reboots. Compiling hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos, concept art, stills, and production materials, this high-quality hardcover is a must-have for the discerning lover of the series.

The book features a foreward by Dawn director Matt Reeves and contains tons of juicy little production tidbits and interviews about both films that give you an inside look at how these effects-driven, yet emotional, films came to be.

Coming in at 176 pages with an MSRP of $34.95, you get a lot of Ape for your buck, however – like most art books – casual viewers of these films need not apply. Seeing how the motion capture was shot and flipping through the concept art for all the various locations is interesting, but I suspect it will only appeal to those who fell in love with these worlds.

As with most every Titan book I’ve had my hands on, the quality is of the highest caliber. It’s bound in a textured matte black finish with spots of gloss on its cover to accentuate the eyes of Caesar, the films’ main character. There are also some really great double-truck layouts that really showcase how gorgeous these films are and poster galleries for people like myself who are obsessed with posters.

It’s tough to convey how incredibly artistic these films are without being able to showcase how lifelike the apes are, however the book does a solid job articulating the staggering amount of detail that has gone into every facet of these movies. The large, complex sets are also on display in the book, as well as details behind some of the big action set pieces from both movies.

Something I would have liked to have seen more of in the book is a larger collection of character models. It does contain a two-page spread of some of the models, but I feel like there’s a surprising lack of Apes in a book about Planet of the Apes. There’s a bevy of motion-capture images, which may be more interesting to some readers, but I’d like to see more of the actual design work that was required to create these amazingly lifelike creatures.

Both Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are impressive films that are successful, not just because of their technical achievements, but also because of the emotional weight the narrative brings to the screen. It’s only fitting that movies of this high level of quality would have an equally high-quality brag book to accompany them. While it’s still tough to recommend it to anyone but the most loyal fans, those that do pick it up will not be disappointed.