Dawn of The Planet of The Apes

Welcome to another episode of Lights....Camera....Popcorn!

Today's review is Dawn of The Planet of The Apes.

Directed by Matt Reeves.

Written by Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver.

Based on characters created by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver.

Based on the novel "La Planète des Singes". Written by Pierre Boulle.

Review #255

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language.

Run Time: 130 min

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Cast

Andy Serkis...Caesar

Jason Clarke...Malcolm

Gary Oldman...Dreyfus

Keri Russell...Ellie

Toby Kebbell...Koba

Kodi Smit-McPhee...Alexander

Kirk Acevedo...Carver

Nick Thurston...Blue Eyes

Terry Notary...Rocket

Karin Konoval...Maurice

Judy Greer...Cornelia

Rise of The Planet of The Apes (Click to read review) was a game changer in the Planet of The Apes franchise. The parallel between this series and the X-Men series is pretty interesting. In response to lackluster sequels and in The Apes case a horrendous reboot (thanks for nothing Tim Burton! Stick to playing with clay figures) Chernin Entertainment went the prequel route and told an interesting story that shares several strands of DNA with the original 1968 classic.

What made "Rise" so clever is that the film holds up quite nicely on it's own without needed to reference the original in any way, shape or form. So with a very successful reboot in tow, a sequel was a formality. The only question was would or could it capitalize on the strong momentum it's predecessor left behind.

HOLY S**T! Did it ever!

Plot

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.

In case you didn't see the first film (and you should have). This one brings you up to speed during the opening credits. It was smart for 2 reasons. First, you get all the prequel exposition out of the way and Secondly, the film can hit the ground running.

We begin with this close up on Caesar's eyes. The camera deliberately moves away from this lazer focused glare. Why? We don't know until the shot widens enough to establish an ape hunting party. Then the fun begins. Caesar leads the apes on this hunt and in the midst of this incredible action moment there is some clever character introduction and development. We are introduced to Caesar's son Blue Eyes and we're reintroduced to our one eyed friend....

Koba.

This opening scene reminds us who was left behind from the first film while keying us in to the relationships the apes have with their leader. This is a parallel that follows both the apes and the humans throughout this film. It's just one of many stories and themes this terrific film weaves between incredible performances and action.

Speaking of performance....

The time has finally come to recognize Andy Serkis as a legitimate actor and not just a guy running around in a mocap suit.

It may be his claim to fame after playing so many digital characters i.e. Gollum and King Kong but he's taken motion capture performance to levels beyond the likes of anything I've ever seen. The man literally is his work. He went into the wild and studied the mannerisms and habits of silver back gorillas to accurately play King Kong. That work proved to be invaluable because he killed it as Caesar in Rise. Like this film, Serkis ups the ante and delivers a performance worthy of award consideration. As Ceasar, Serkis once again delivers a performance that unquestionably marks him as the leader of the apes. He's a good ruler but more importantly a smart ruler. This comes into play beautifully when the apes and humans collide after a decade of separation.

Spoiler Alert....You have been warned!

As expected, the humans over react at the sight of the primates and after a small skirmish, a call to war is brought by Koba. The debate between Caesar and Koba was very cunning because the arguments from both sides make sense. Koba wants to fight because he hasn't forgotten what the humans did to him the lab during Rise. Caesar believes that both species can co exist, especially after 10 years of "peace". It's a tricky situation because the case can be made for both tactics. So which plan does Caesar go with?

Both.

In a brilliant move, Caesar leads an army of apes to the human's compound and utters 11 simple yet profound words.

"Apes do not want war. But will fight if we must!"

That scene does so much for this movie that it's impossible to quantify.

It demonstrates the overwhelming numbers the apes have over the surviving humans. Next it establishes that even though they can wipe out the humans, it's not their intention. Finally, they exhibited their intelligence which up to that point was considered a myth by the humans. It was a profound and telling moment for both sides of this "conflict" it also exposed the "animal" thinking among parts of both the apes and humans.

This was a very surprising and welcomed twist to what was promoted as a solo angle. The trailers depicted the conflict born out of the humans disdain and fear of the apes. Not the case at all. Unlike the first film. Dawn does a pretty good job of making sure both sides share the blame for the war that eventually comes to the world. Just like the debate between Caesar and Koba before the apes warn the humans, the film delivers interesting points and counter points when the humans and apes decide how to handle whether or not both can co exist.

This is where things get a little hairy.

Despite Koba's recognition of Caesar as the leader. He continues to question it and makes a choice that deals a major blow to the relations and ultimately the fate of both species. The scene best describes what I mean. I won't elaborate further with the exception of the spectacular performance of Toby Kebbell as Koba. In Rise, he was just the one eyed brute that gave Caesar his respect and obedience for freeing him at the test lab. He's the same here until he realizes that the humans can be overtaken and his thirst for vengeance comes back. The moment pictured above demonstrates Kebbell's understanding of Koba and his motivation to both trick and terminate his enemies. Kebbell also gives Koba a keen sense of timing that we didn't know existed. He was up until this point for lack of a better term just an attack dog.

Here he's an attack dog that thinks. Well done.

There are several other subplots that eat up a small portion of the film's momentum. Were they important? It depends who you ask. I for one felt that either way works for me. Gun to my head choice....make the cuts and stick to the tighter more centralized stories. The messages that carry over on both sides of the survivors are so strong that you don't want to short change the bigger picture.

The bottom line is simple.

Dawn of The Planet of The Apes teaches us that misunderstanding and pre judging can have disastrous consequences where in the end....

No one wins.

On the 5 star scale. Dawn of The Planet of The Apes gets 4.5 stars. With a "Worth Every Penny!" recommendation.

That's a wrap for today.

Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!

"D"