"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" Review

Title: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Screenplay by: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver

Year: 2014


Say what you will about the "Planet of the Apes" franchise as a whole, but you cannot deny that the titles of all the films sound very exciting and intriguing. What I like about this rebooted story is that they rather indicate what "stage" of the series we are in. Rise of the Planet of the Apes refers to the origin, whereas Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hints that the planet that we know in the original is coming soon, when the apes rule over everything. It keeps you wondering what the next one will be titled. This is just a small point I wanted to address.

Now, this was a film that looked incredible from the trailers. However, I was still worried about it. For this franchise to continue, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes needed to succeed. The change in directors is valid cause for concern, as Rupert Wyatt did a good job in the previous installment. Also, as great as the trailers were however, they did suggest a plot very similar to Avatar, which wasn't very original in that film either. It also seemed that we had our clear-cut villains and overall, the story just seemed very predictable. But did the movie deliver, or was it too predictable and uninspired?

Set ten years after it predecessor, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes shows that the human race has dwindled significantly as a result of the disease introduced in the previous film. The apes have not seen humans for quite some time, but this of course changes early on in the film, and there is instant tension between these two races. There is a small human colony outside of the forest where the apes reside, but they are about to run out of power. The only way to maintain power is to get a nearby dam working again. The only problem is, it lies deep within ape territory...

Right off the bat this movie looks predictable. It sounds like it would play out something like this: The main human befriends the apes, the leader of the colony doesn't trust them, that same leader starts a war with the apes, the main human fights alongside the apes. I left out a few other details but you get the point. This is what the film was marketed to be. And was it? NO! My god does this film play with expectations. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not predictable. Just when you predict a certain event to happen, the movie veers in another direction that both surprises you and engages you. The entire film is like this. These aren't monumental plot twists, but it does keep the film from being predictable. I have a hunch that the trailer played with audience's expectations so that they could go into the film and be completely blown away.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* There are a couple moments I would like to bring up. When we see Caesar get shot, I didn't know if he was dead or not. When we see the body we see him completely still and with his eyes open. I couldn't believe it, but then we see his eyes move. Another instance is when Caesar pretty much says that he must confront Koba. I thought that his son would fight for him seeing as how Caesar was injured, but nope. Caesar fights his own battle. Lastly, when Caesar was holding Koba over the tower, I couldn't decide whether or not he was going to drop him. I thought that if he didn't, it would be because of his "Ape not kill ape" rule. If he did though, he would say "You are not ape." It turns out to be the latter and though I guessed what he would say, I still had no idea what his choice was going to be.

*SPOILER FREE* This story is spectacularly well written. Originally, it was going to focus more on the humans, but Matt Reeves said he would focus the film more on the apes, seeing as how Caesar was set up so well in the previous movie. Because of this, Matt Reeves was hired as director. I'll get into the direction in a moment. The story is very intelligent and has a very strong emotional core. It juxtaposes the two races and shows how we are not so different from the apes in a very thought provoking manner. There is one line that really makes a lot of sense. "You know the scary thing about em? They don't need power, lights, heat nothing. That's their advantage. That's what makes em stronger." There were a few moments that actually had me almost in tears, more-so than the previous one. The audience can really connect with the story, even though the main characters are apes. But to quote Malcolm, "Do these look like just apes to you?" The story is perfectly paced and never did I feel like exposition was being lazily spoon fed. And the editing is sheer perfection, and what I mean by that is that the film story is perfectly told within its time frame. The movie doesn't feel too short to the point where you are left unsatisfied, nor is it so long as to feel dragged out. It justifies its length and does so beautifully. At point I was reminded of The Lion King, and by extension, the play "Hamlet".

Seeing as how I have mentioned Malcolm, I'll mention the cast now. Malcolm is our lead human and he is played by Jason Clarke. Now, not to discredit Franco's performance from the last film, which I said was good, but Jason Clarke's performance just feels so natural. He seems like a believable character. Clarke was a very good choice as the main human character. Joining him is Keri Russell as Ellie, a doctor and something of a love interest for Malcolm (don't worry, the romance is kept to a minimum; the story still focuses on the apes). Malcolm has a son named Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee). His son is an interesting character who follows his father without question and actually connects with one of the apes, making for a moment that shows that there can be peace between these two races. Then of course, I must mention Gary Oldman who plays Dreyfus. Gary Oldman is a phenomenal actor, one of the best in my opinion, so it's no surprise that he gives a good performance here. That is not what I want to talk about however. The trailers portrayed Dreyfus as the main villain of the story, someone who just sees the apes as animals. This is NOT the case. This was a pleasant surprise. Dreyfus is by no means a bad man. He is in fact a character that we sympathize with immensely. I don't want to say too much, but there is a scene in this film that displays his situation and it is one of the most emotional scenes of the entire film.

Having mentioned the humans, let's talk about the apes. Andy Serkis returns as Caesar and damn is he fantastic. Andy Serkis is so incredibly talented with his performance capture work. He becomes his characters and Caesar is one of the best we've seen on the big screen in a very long time. He has such a presence, where he doesn't even need to say a word and you feel what he feels, and that is a credit to Andy Serkis. Andy Serkis is one of the best actors in the business. Despite playing computer generated characters, he is still an actor with digital makeup. However, he is not the only scene stealer. Toby Kebbell is phenomenal as Koba. We were introduced to Koba in the previous film but here he has a much larger role to play. Like Serkis with Caesar, Kebbell makes Koba come alive. The "human work" scene was so well acted on Kebbell's part, which brings me to my next point.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* Koba is somewhat the villain of the story. I say somewhat because we, the audience, can actually sympathize with him. Koba doesn't trust humans, and we cannot fault him for that. Like Caesar says "Koba only learned hate from humans", or something along those lines. Koba was mistreated by the scientists so when he doesn't trust humans, he cannot be blamed. When he says that he is only trying to protect Caesar, he is actually telling the truth. That's what makes Koba such a spectacular villain, certainly one of the best in quite some time. He really only becomes the villain at the end of the film when he turns on Caesar but he does this to protect the rest of the apes from the humans, from his perspective. This is brilliant writing. There really is no villain of the piece. We can see everyone's viewpoint and that they are doing what is best for their race.

*SPOILER FREE* Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' special effects are FLAWLESS. These are some of the best visual effects ever. Never did I see computer generated animals. Everything looks so real. I had the pleasure of seeing this movie opening day and in 3-D. Usually, 3-D is just a gimmick to get people in seats. I highly recommend watching this film in 3-D. It makes for such an immersive experience and is some of the best 3-D to have ever graced the big screen.

The score of the film is also amazing, but there is something I would like to bring up. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was filled with throwbacks to the original film. This time around, not so much. They couldn't really repeat that tactic as it would have detracted from this film. However, there is one throwback that really, really surprised me. Some of the tracks of the musical composition actually have similarities with the score of the original Planet of the Apes. I couldn't believe it when I watched the movie but it was so subtle yet so rewarding as a fan, not to mention a very clever way to make a reference to the original. Listen to "Monkey to the City" and you'll see what I mean. Another thing about the score is the name of the tracks. After watching this movie I went on iTunes to verify the throwbacks. I looked at the album and each track has a pun in its title. I found this hilarious and it just goes to show that Michael Giacchino had a blast composing it. Examples include "Close Encounters of the Furred Kind", "Gorilla Warfare", and "The Apes of Wrath".

As the trailer suggested, there is action in this film and god damn does it deliver. We now have apes on horses. This is very reminiscent of the 1968 film and it symbolizes that these apes are more evolved and often the human characters look up to them while they are on their horses, creating a sense of empowerment around the apes. The opening hunt sequence and the all out assault on the human colony are some the best action moments, but this film is not entirely action, which is a good thing. When there is action however you are completely engaged.

Now to address the direction. Matt Reeves was the best choice for a director because not only is he a fan of the franchise but he understands the world and the story very well. This is one of the best directed films I have seen in quite some time. Matt Reeves absolutely hits it out of the park. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a gorgeous, gorgeous film. Every scene is a marvel, but one of the standouts is, of course, the tank scene. Sheer perfection.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* In one long take, we see Koba jump onto a tank, pull a man out of it, kill the test inside, and take control of it. This is absolutely brilliant on all levels. And it's not the only scene of its kind.

*SPOILER FREE* Matt Reeves proves his worth as a director and you can tell that he put a lot of work into this film to make it as good as it is. The cinematography is also not to go unnoticed. The cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful. This is one of the best looking films in a long time.

I know it sounds like I've been repeating myself throughout this entire review but the movie is just that good. This is on the level of the original Planet of the Apes however I could not say which is better because they are doing two completely different things in their own styles. Just know that we finally have a "Planet of the Apes" film that is on par with the original. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a masterpiece in every way. The characters are fleshed out, well performed, and ALL of them are relatable. The script is polished and solid, the story is intelligent and complex yet enjoyable, the visual effects are some of the best EVER seen on a movie screen, and the emotional impact is masterful. This is what the ideal blockbuster should be. A film with an intelligent, not-too-simple, not-to-complex plot, great characters, and fantastic action. I cannot think of a single issue with this film. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is in a class of its own and I cannot wait to see it again. It does what a good sequel should and expands upon its predecessor in every way. This is one of the best science fiction films ever made.

Grade: A+