Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

While the movie was amazing, it's a shame the poster is so generic

(image from: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog_post_349_width/2014/06/dawn_of_apes_teaser_poster.jpg)

Summer tends to be a time for big blockbuster films to come out so that the general population will stay entertained for those long, hot months. Most of them tend to be big budget action flicks with so-so special effects and mediocre plot. I mean, what kind of summer movie person wants to see a film with depth?

As it turns out, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not one of those movies.While the trailers, and the poster, give off a sense of "oh great, another action flick with bad story" or "Oh, this is only just trying to feed off the success of the previous film" the actual movie was an adventure with character, emotion, depth, and substance.


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (I'm just going to call it Dawn from now on because fuck that title) takes place roughly a decade after Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Caesar, the super smart Chimpanzee from Rise has lead his fellow apes into creating a peaceful, functional society that attempts to seperate itself from mankind as much as possible. The mistakes of man will not be recreated by the apes; this is the general motif. Mankind has been supposedly wiped out from a virus known as 'Simian Flu' and it's spread has essentially caused all civilization to collapse. All that's left are hyper intelligent apes and their tribal-esque society.

Or so they thought.

If you've seen the trailers, it's quite obvious what happens:
The apes find some wandering humans and it turns out there is a colony of humans left in San Francisco (near the apes' home in the forests). What follows is a story of trust, attrition, and fear.

The overall premise of the film revolves around the apes and humans inability to trust one another. The apes cannot trust humans because of what they are capable of. Humans don't trust the apes because...well...they're scary as hell.

This premise allows for incredibly story-telling. While most movies would put both species against each other at a moments notice, there is this underlying tension between the species. You're left not knowing who to root for as things start reaching it's boiling point. This is all thanks to the films ability to provide insight on both sides of the story

On one hand, the apes are lead by Caesar, the powerful, magnificent, strong-willed leader of the apes (played by Andy Serkis of Gollum fame). Beside him are his trusted crew of apes that are also seen in Rise.
Maurice (Karin Konoval) the gentle and wise orangutan.
Rocket (Terry Notary) the alpha from the primal shelter in Rise that Caesar overthrows
and most importantly of all, the vicious and brutal bonobo Koba (Toby Kebbell).
We're also given a new character by the name of Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston), Caesars son.

On the human side we have Dreyfus (played by Gary Oldman), the colonies co-founder and apparent leader.
Malcolm (played by Jason Clarke), a kind human who also has a leadership role amongst the humans.
Ellie (Keri Russel), a former CDC nurse and Malcolms wife.
Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee) Malcoms son.

Essentially, by providing insight on both sides, we get to see what each side thinks and what they feel. The general theme of the movie is how fear can cause people do follow the wrong ideals, the wrong orders. It is presented in a masterful way, constantly moving back and forth between the humans and the apes. Dramatic irony is at work in full force here, with the audience knowing exactly what's going on and even feeling the effects of fear, knowing that the film is going to hit a point where all hell breaks loose.

Andy Serkis as Caesar is the highlight of the film by far. Serkis' is a master when it comes to animated movements and pinning down how a CG character should act. Every movement that Caesar does is extremely life-like and believable. While he was still an ape, his stances, his poise, and his voice were portrayed so powerfully that Caesar becomes this beacon of hope and inspiration to the viewer.

This, of course, would not have been successful were it not for the absolutely impeccable special effects. From the movements of the apes all the way to large scale environmental landscapes, Dawn really makes you feel like this is a living world, something that is very much capable in reality.

There were moments though where human acting falls flat. I found that some of the dialogue being delivered by people other than Gary Oldman had a very odd consistency to it and at some points I couldn't help but feel a little awkward. There's one particular scene where Ellie says something but with so little emotion it sort of made me cringe a bit. It's a shame that the acting on the humans side was so flat and not able to stay consistent with the stellar performances of the apes.

As long as we're on the negatives, I found that some of the actions of certain characters were questionable at best. Without spoiling much, it almost feels like a character is forced to be incompetent and forced to be written as some ass-hat who the audience NEEDS to hate. While I can appreciate the idea that by having a character like this helps bring the point that "fear consumes all" it felt a little forced in Dawn. A lot of problems could be solved if it wasn't so god damned forced.

On a side note, most of my negatives are geared towards the humans really, like how barely any of those characters are memorable, especially when compared to their ape counterparts. It's just inconsistent in my opinion and sort of a shame, especially since the film already does an excellent job of balancing action and drama. Why not balance out human and ape characters as well?

When it comes own to it, Dawn is a movie with heart. It's overall message of having to overcome fear, to live in peace, to avoid conflict, to overlook differences, is very strong and clear. It does not make itself preachy nor does it present itself in a cheesy manner. It is definitely a strong sequel to Rise and I look forward to see where this franchise will take itself in the future.

If you're a fan of Rise or you're just looking for something to watch this summer besides Guardians of the Galaxy, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes should be on your list.


4/5

Positives:
+ Andy Serkis' performance as Caeser is fucking glorious
+ Brilliant story with heartfelt moments and heart pumping action
+ Fantastic visuals
+ Character dynamics were stellar

Negatives:
- Human acting was very inconsistent
- Some of the actions of certain characters were questionable and felt a little forced