MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Sci-Fi/Stars: Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Nick Thurston, Terry Notary, Karin Konoval, Doc Shaw, Lee Ross, Richard King, Scott Lang, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Jon Eyez, Enrique Murciano, Keir O’Donnell, Kevin Rankin, Jocko Sims/Runtime: 130 minutes
I think it’s safe to say that when Rise of the Planet of the Apes was first released all the way back in the long-ago year of 2011 the world might not have known entirely what to think about this slice of cinema. Sure, the original saga has managed to attract quite a decent-size fanbase over the years (with the first film from 1968 still being seen to this day as one of the best sci-fi movies ever made), but a lot of those same fans hadn’t exactly viewed the 2001 reboot from no less a filmmaker than Tim Burton and which had Mark Wahlberg in the lead role with a lot of enthusiasm. Rather, they thought it was no more or less than the worst kind of monkey business imaginable. Imagine the surprise then by both critics as well as the general movie going public to discover that, flaws aside, Rise of the Planet of the Apes turned out to be quite the pleasant little cinematic delight. Of course, it should come as no surprise to learn that (as is prone to happen) in the aftermath of Rise’s release that talks began to happen in regards to that most infamous of all Hollywood staples: a sequel (dun dun dunnn!). This brings us to the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today, 2014’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and I must admit that this movie even now manages to completely and utterly floor me. Not because it’s a terrible slice of cinema by any means. Rather, it’s because of how completely and utterly great this film is from beginning to end. Indeed the franchise, via the end of Rise, might have already begun to show us the path to bad times a’plenty for mankind due to some serious monkey mischief, but this film has managed to take that aforementioned mischief and escalate it to unfathomable levels of just straight up bleak and ominous chaos. I mean to be fair are there flaws to be found with this slice of cinema? Sadly yes. With that in mind though, those flaws also thankfully don’t take away just how hard hitting and emotionally visceral this continuation of talking ape Caesar’s mission to ensure the safety of his ape brethren manages to be. Suffice it to say then that it might have its issues, but with the aid of top-tier work being done both behind and in front of the camera, there is no denying that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not just in many respects a significant improvement over the work done on its surprisingly good 2011 predecessor. Rather, it also happens to be a genuinely great film period and one that I guarantee both movie lovers and fans of the franchise are sure to go bananas for in equal measure.
The plot is as follows: Picking up a solid decade after the events of its 2011 predecessor, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes gets its riveting saga underway by first filling us in on what has occurred in the span of time between the ending of 2011’s Rise and the beginning of this film. Namely that the virus known as the “simian flu” which was inadvertently unleashed upon the planet during the prior film has now managed to annihilate the vast majority of the human populace with the chances of surviving or being immune about 1 in 500. Of course, as if that wasn’t bad enough, we also see that there is also now a critical shortage of even the most basic ingredients needed for mankind’s continual existence on this planet thus ensuring that if this flu doesn’t kill you then don’t be too quick to celebrate because odds are the end is still right around the corner for you somehow. It is in this new post-apocalyptic world that we are once again taken back to the city of San Francisco where a group of somehow still living humans reside. Yet despite the fact that their leader, an ex-member of that distinct group known as law enforcement by the name of Dreyfus, would love nothing more than to get his vengeance on those pesky apes, we see that another member of the community by the name of Malcolm has other ideas. Namely to try and bring San Francisco’s power grid back up online through the utilization of the O’Shaughnessy Dam. An idea that sounds really promising with the exception of one distinct caveat. That being that the dam happens to be located in an area of the forest that is under the reign of the firm yet decent ape known as Caesar. Yet despite the bond between man and ape not exactly being the best in the world we see that Caesar, in a rather bold move, decides to grant a small group of humans including Malcolm and his wife Ellie access to the dam to try and see if they can get it up and running again. A choice that, for a while, actually manages to bring a fairly decent degree of peace to both of their communities. Unfortunately for both parties, there are those both in the human group and even under Caesar’s reign who aren’t exactly thrilled about this new-found peace. Chief among them happens to be a volatile tempered, human-loathing with a passion ape by the name of Koba who, even worse, also has started to secretly draw up plans to not so politely give Caesar the boot and take over. Suffice it to say that with this vicious and ominous cloud of impending betrayal and severe mistrust looming overhead can our two groups ride out this storm or will this be the catalyst for a war with no less than the title of dominant species on the planet at stake? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself….
Now right off the bat, there is one thing you should definitely know about this movie going in. That being that the Apes franchise has always been one that has had a bit of a political bent to things and in this installment that bent is definitely shown here (with particular regard to one side of the infamous argument involving gun control….5 guesses and the first 4.5 don’t count as to what side that turns out to be). Even with that in mind, there is no denying that the rest of the thematic context to this movie is quite well done. Indeed, whereas Rise operated as a look at how the titular apes were perhaps a possible unintended consequence of mankind’s continual desire to fiddle with things that perhaps we shouldn’t, this film operates more as a chance for us to see how both apes and humans are capable of really messing stuff up despite the former group thinking for most of the movie that they are superior to the latter. No matter who you decide to agree with though, there is no denying that the work done by the crew behind the camera on this film is completely and utterly spectacular in every sense of the word. This starts with the work done by Matt Reeves in the director’s chair who does an incredible job at keeping things both bleak and especially tense right from frame one and then, even in more upbeat moments, never truly letting up on the unease and tension until the screen cuts to black and the credits begin to roll. We also see that as things seriously start to go downhill Reeves does a fantastic job of bringing a similar style of lively and organized chaos that he utilized brilliantly in 2008’s Cloverfield albeit whilst operating with a much larger budget and more technical flair as well. Now, due to being a significantly bleaker affair than its predecessor, we see that the film is also in possession of a wonderfully different aesthetic to match the bleakness on display. An aesthetic that makes itself present via phenomenal set-designs that make how this film presents the remains of San Francsico look more like an episode of “Life After People” than an entry in a franchise about talking apes and extends to everything from the camerawork all the way to a melancholic-drenched score that feels reminiscent of the one done for Lord of the Rings respectively. We also see that while the work done by the editing department does do a good job at managing to transition fairly well between all the different characters it is also a bit of a let down due to the film engaging in a bit too occupied conclusion that gives certain integral characters the short end of the stick narrative wise. Far and away though the best element that this film has working behind the camera would be the work done by the visual effects team in bringing the titular apes to life. I mean if you thought the work done in Rise was impressive, then be prepared to be blown away by what the team manages to do here as we see that they manage to tackle with surprising ease not only a much larger group of apes than the first time around for the human cast to have to interact with, but also have the apes do everything from fight each other to even ride a horse and carry a gun. Perhaps the most impressive bit about the work done by the visual effects team though is the fact that not once during this film’s 130-minute runtime does it feel like we are watching a creation that is the offspring of visual effects wizardry, acting skill, and computer magic. Rather, it feels like we are watching a group of living and talking apes on screen before us interacting with a group of humans much like you or me. Suffice it to say then that the work done behind the camera is pure movie magic at its best.
Of course, whilst the aforementioned work done by the effects team does deserve praise for their part in bringing Caesar and the other apes so vividly to life there is another group that deserves just as much praise as well. That being the work done by the immensely talented cast of players in front of the camera respectively. This starts with mo-cap/digital acting icon Andy Serkis reprising the role of Caesar and he is, to no surprise, absolutely incredible here. Yes I have no doubt in my mind that Serkis must be more than familiar with the mountains of praise afforded him by both critics and the general movie going public, but that still shouldn’t distract in any way from the powerful performance he manages to give here. I say that because Serkis does a magnificent job at playing Caesar as someone who is an incredibly smart yet also decent and upstanding leader for his kind, but who (despite having to deal with a fair bit of it already) does not wish for further conflict and so is willing to try for peace with mankind above all else despite knowing in the back of his mind that he could physically take on any foe if he is pushed to do so. Suffice it to say that it is a truly mesmerizing performance from an actor who has managed to take the realm of mo-cap acting and make it into no less than a true art in every sense of the word. We also see that, in terms of the ape characters, that this film is also the blessed recipient of a genuinely ferocious performance from Toby Kebbell in the role of Koba. Indeed not only does Kebbell do a magnificent job at making this one treacherous character you love to hate, but he also brings a sheer physical presence to say nothing of a palpable burning hatred for both the humans and Caesar’s way of leadership that is just downright electric in the best way. Now if there is an issue with the work done by the cast in front of the camera, it’s not to be found with those playing the ape characters. Rather, it’s in the fact that, for as incredibly well-written as this film is, the script doesn’t really at times give nearly as much dimension to the human characters in this as well. Even with that in mind though, there are at least a pair of performances that are worthy of mention. The first of these is by Jason Clarke in the role of Malcolm. Indeed I have always enjoyed Jason Clarke’s work as an actor and here he does a fantastic job at playing a character that is not only likable and a decent guy all things considered, but also very heartfelt especially in the moments between just him and Caesar. The other performance of note here is from screen legend Gary Oldman as the human antagonist Dreyfus. Indeed Oldman has always been known as someone who brings his A-game to a role and here he does a great job as a guy who, despite being antagonistical, is coming from a place that is surprisingly relatable to an extent especially when you learn what he’s been through in getting this group to this point and all that he’s lost as well. Suffice it to say that this is a truly three dimensional and complex performance, but from Oldman I can hardly lie and say I’m surprised. Thus when you also factor in some wonderful work here from such talents as Keri Russell, Judy Greer, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Terry Notary, Kirk Acevedo, and Karin Konoval among others it’s clear that, characterization for the human characters aside, the work done here by the cast is something truly special to behold.
All in all and at the end of the day, Dawn of the Apes is a slice of cinema that found itself saddled with at least two distinct challenges. Those being to not only be better than a surprisingly good predecessor, but also to make a potent statement on what it means to be a human being through the utilization of a cast of characters that the majority of are apes rather than people like you or me. In that regard, I think it can be said that the fact that this film was able to accomplish not one, but both of these tasks and in such a triumphantly resounding fashion makes this something truly special to behold. Yes there are some issues to be found with this film chief among them that the ape characters seem to have been better written and fleshed out then their human counterparts. At the same time though, this issue and the others to be found here are fortunately not able to take away from the powerful work done by the cast of players in front of the camera with particular regard to the returning performance given by Andy Serkis as Caesar as well as the truly mesmerizing work behind it too with particular regard to the visual effects, soundtrack, and set design teams alongside the top-tier efforts from Matt Reeves in the director’s chair to boot. Suffice it to say then that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not just a great movie to say nothing of more than worthy addition to the Apes franchise’s cinematic legacy. Rather it also is the rare mix of brains and brawn that works so well that it will not only leave you hooked to the edge of your seat, but also leave you with quite a bit to seriously ponder long after the credits have begun to roll. Make of that what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a solid 4 out of 5.
