Written by Brennan
If in 2010 someone had told me “Hollywood is going to make two sequels to The Planet of the Apes, and they will be two of the best action blockbusters of those years.” I would have said “What? Who are you? Get away from me bro.”
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the sequel to 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was a reboot/origin story of the original movies. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (henceforth shortened to “Dawn”) is set about ten years after the simian flu epidemic that began in Rise of the Planet of the Apes (“Rise”). Human civilization has collapsed and all that remains of humanity are isolated populations. Human-trained Caesar (Andy Serkis) leads a large group of apes living in the forest outside of San Francisco. The apes have not seen any humans for two years and are beginning to think that there are none left, when the apes encounter a group of humans living in San Francisco, led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman).
Even if this had been a bad movie, I would have recommended it for the sole reason of seeing the special effects. “Rise” and “Dawn” could have failed spectacularly; I remember first hearing that “Rise” would use only CGI apes and thinking that that was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard. Bad CGI is the kiss of death for a movie; nothing is more distracting than obviously fake characters. Part of the magic of movies is that they are able to trick our sub consciousness into believing that what is happening on screen is REAL. That’s why we feel scared in horror movies, despite knowing perfectly well that it’s not real. That’s why we cry real tears for completely made up characters and situations. That’s why we get a rush during intense car chases or believable action; it FEELS real. So when crappy-looking CGI is thrown in our faces, it looks very jarring against the realistic world of the movie, and those real feelings are dissolved because we are reminded that it’s all fake. “Rise” and “Dawn” avoid this lethal mistake with some of the best-looking effects I’ve ever seen; the apes look organic to the point that you forget that you are looking at graphics, and instead buy into the idea that these are characters, real apes with personalities, emotions, and fears. The ape characters are done so well in fact that the human counter parts can feel stilted and boring in comparison.
Now I'm making it sound like the movie bought into the overplayed, “humans are evil, nature is good” dichotomy, which is the kind of simplistic mindset that really bogs down movies like Avatar. The makers of “Dawn” were too smart for that though, they instead tell a story about fear, family, tribal politics, and misunderstanding. In the end, there isn’t really a “bad guy”, just imperfect humans and apes who give in to their emotions of fear and hatred. Even the character that is eventually shown to be the main antagonist has a complicated history that explains why he acts the way he acts. I really appreciate it when filmmakers don’t take the lazy route of mustache-twirling villains; it feels much more like the world we live in.
Along with great characters, intelligent themes, and phenomenal graphics, the movie looks great in every aspect, especially in set design and action sequences. The post-apocalyptic world feels worn out, the ape-village and technology are interesting and show an emerging society and culture, and the foggy, rainy forests are used to great effect. The action sequences are well-staged and well-lit, and they produce some memorable moments.
Almost without exception, for an action/adventure movie to succeed there must be 1) relatable characters that we like and want to see succeed and 2) thrilling action. Dawn receives top marks in both of these categories, and on top of that it gives us some things to think about and some of the best CGI we've ever seen. I would recommend this movie to everyone; if you were holding out for a great summer movie, this is it.
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