On a $93 million budget, 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes grossed over $480 million worldwide. Naturally, 20th Century Fox wanted to make a sequel, hopefully with some of the same people as before. While writers Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and actor Andy Serkis came back, director Rupert Wyatt ultimately left. Due to Wyatt’s departure, actors James Franco and Freida Pinto confirmed they wouldn’t return, their characters dying of Simian Flu. Cloverfield director Matt Reeves replaced Wyatt, and Live Free or Die Hard writer Mark Bomback rewrote Jaffa & Silver’s script. On a budget of around $170-235 million, principal photography started in April 2013 in British Columbia and finished in June. Weta Digital, who handled the effects for the last film, returned to refine the work that earned them Oscar nominations. After premiering in June 2014, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hit theaters in July.
%
Rating
Synopsis
Ten years after the last film, the human population has reduced significantly due to the Simian Flu outbreak. Meanwhile, the hyper-intelligent apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) have established a colony in the San Francisco woods. Their peace is interrupted when a group of humans led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) unknowingly crosses paths with them. They’re trying to restore a hydroelectric dam that’ll bring power to the settlement they’ve created in the city. After some tension between the two groups, the apes allow the humans to work on the dam in their territory. Koba (Toby Kebbell) opposes this alliance and hatches a scheme to eliminate Caesar, leading to an assault against the humans. As community leader Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) organizes their defenses, Malcolm and his group nurse Caesar back to health. It’s up to Caesar to stop Koba from starting a war that neither side will win.
Review
A sequel rarely improves upon the original, yet Dawn of the Planet of the Apes manages to do that. While the digital effects in the last film were impressive, the CGI here is a giant leap forward. From the opening close-up shot of Caesar’s eyes, it’s evident Weta made advancements to make the apes much more lifelike. It helps that they have some great actors doing the motion capture, including the always-dependable Andy Serkis. The performances of Serkis, Toby Kebbel, and Judy Greer, among others, make these apes feel like full-fledged characters. Even though most of their dialogue is through sign language, they’re still captivating enough that you don’t mind. Kebbel stands out as the traitorous Koba, who makes for a great villain with whom you somewhat sympathize. Seeing how he stages the human-ape war from behind the scenes is tense and suspenseful, and it never lets up.
The human cast is serviceable, though similar to the last film, I was more interested in the apes. That isn’t to say all of them are bad, as Jason Clarke and Gary Oldman deliver solid performances. Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and the rest of the human cast are decent, but their characters aren’t particularly memorable. I would compare this to the Michael Bay Transformers movies, but none of the humans here are annoying or obnoxious. Plus, while watching the film, I wanted to see the apes and humans work together to find peace. It’s the age-old tale of two opposing forces trying to get along only to tear each other apart. Matt Reeves does an excellent job delivering a movie that’s exciting and entertaining while injecting some thought-provoking storytelling. It’s hard to believe this is the same guy who made the 1996 romantic comedy The Pallbearer with David Schwimmer.
Of course, with this movie being a summer blockbuster, you’d expect many big action sequences, and this movie delivers. Thankfully, the action never feels like it comes at the expense of the storytelling but instead feels like a payoff. Whether it’s the ape’s assault on the human colony or the showdown between Caesar and Koba, it’s all exceptionally handled. The film also has fantastic production design, with the human stronghold and ape colony being particular highlights. It’s an exciting contrast to see the ruins of human civilization versus the rudimentary yet promising ape civilization. At just slightly over two hours long, the film never feels slow, and the pacing flows naturally. While surprised by how good Rise was, I’m astounded by what Reeves and company did with this sequel. Overall, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of those rare sequels that’s better than its predecessor.
And now, what should follow the Dawn but a War?
Buy Dawn of the Planet of the Apes from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wvJDEJ.
Disclosure: The above link is an affiliate link, which means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
