My Review: Dawn of The Planet of The Apes

As a movie enthusiast and a father of small children, it seems that when we do make it to the theater, we are generally there for something animated. Please don’t take this as complaining about children’s flicks, because that is far from how I feel. I actually love animated/kids movies. They seem to take me back to the “good ole’ days”, when life was a bit more simple. Who doesn’t like that?

 

With the children recently out of the house, I had a big boy moment, and had the chance to go see a movie that was not about a princess, and didn’t have talking animals. Well… scratch that last part about talking animals. I am, of course, talking about the most recent film in the Planet of The Apes franchise.

 

Dawn of The Planet of The Apes takes place in a dystopian San Francisco, after the “simian flu”, has wiped out much of the planets population. Wars and unrest, following this outbreak have thinned the human population even further. It is implied on several occasions that many of those lucky enough to have been immune to the flu, were not lucky enough to survive the aftermath. What we do see of San Francisco has the normal post-apocalyptic vibe, complete with plant overgrowth, abandoned cars, and buildings in shambles. Did I also mention the giant stockpile of poorly guarded weapons? (poorly guarded weapons come into play late in the movie)

 

Since the previous movie, the apes have left the city, and have created their own society in the forest, with Caesar as the leader. The beginning scenes give us an idea of just how much they have learned and progressed, showing that many have started families, they are educating their young, and they have even set up laws (ape not kill ape). They have had little to no contact with any humans in years. While they seem to be thriving, the humans have experienced the opposite.

 

 

Our first look at the humans comes when a small group from the survivor colony in San Francisco, find themselves in the nearby forest, looking for an old hydroelectric dam, in effort to bring power back to the city. During their search, they make contact with the apes, digging up old feelings for Caesar, who was raised by humans, and almost tries to hide a remaining fondness for them.

 

This contact with humans causes contention between Caesar, and another ape, Koba. Koba, who seems to also be in some sort of leadership type position among the apes, is scarred a disfigured from the tests done on him by the humans. He does not trust them and advocates for war between apes and humans, however Caesar does not share his opinions. I think that Koba may be one of the greatest movie villains in the past several years. His attempt to manipulate others onto his side, and the fact that he doesn’t care what has to be done to do so, is absolutely frightening.

 

The motion capture in the movie is phenomenal. At times you forget that you watching a computer generated character, and not an actual person. Not only was I impressed by the special effects, but also the performance of the actors through motion cap. Caesar and Koba, acted by Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell, are particularly impressive. Serkis gives a great performance, really making you feel an emotional connection to his character, and wanting to see more. Kebbell, however, sends chills up your spine with the pure evil behind Koba.

 

I left this movie thinking, “Andy Serkis needs to win some sort of an award for this movie”. I can’t think of a single instance where a motion cap performance has won any award, but there is a first time for everything, and this is definitely it. I found myself more captivated and connected with an ape over any of the human characters in the movie. Heck, I found myself caring more for Caesar than characters in most other movies. If there is some petition I can sign, or some useless facebook page I can join to get this guy some recognition, point me in that direction.

 

I would suggest that you make sure you watch Rise of The Planet of The Apes beforehand. It is not completely necessary, but it will at least give some back story on Caesar and how he was raised & became so intelligent. Honestly, I hadn’t seen it in quite a while, and I struggled a little bit to remember exactly what happened in it.

 

If you are looking for a good summer movie, this is definitely worth checking out. Not only are there some great action sequences, but you will find yourself emotionally connected to many of these characters, which leaves you wanting to know what happens to them after the credits. It is a must see!