Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Movie Review

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The original Planet of the Apes, circa 1968, is the stuff of legend.  A young Charlton Heston finds himself on a planet where the Ape/Human roles are reversed, only to learn by films end that this alien world wasn't alien at all, but a future Earth.

Ground braking and memorable.

Both Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are prequels to this 1968 film.

Knowing the ending before the beginning makes watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes all the more interesting.  (And you don't need to see "Rise" before "Dawn."  Dawn stands all on its own.)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes starts where Rise left off.  The World covered by plague and war, the Human race in shambles as we speed towards self annihilation.  Are all humans dead?  Caesar, the first Ape to be given intelligence by a caring scientist Will Rodman, discuses the possibility of humans being alive with Koba, an Ape who was abused and experimented upon by humans.  Caesar remembers humans fondly, thanks to Rodman, whereas Koba is filled with distrust and rage.

The Apes follow Caesar, who is the leader of their community.  They're situated amidst the giant Red Woods, North of San Fransisco.  Already these Apes are starting to seem human, with rooms and family quarters in their woodsy village, yet they're still wild and animalistic, adjusting to their new heightened sentience.

What follows is a film full of suspense and intrigue.

When I go to the theater, I go to be entertained and transported.  I didn't feel time pass, though this movie is an even 2 hours in length.  The whole experience was a journey with interesting concepts, great character development, cinematography, effects, and plot.

And the animation/CGI of the Apes is incredible.  I was impressed with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which mainly had Caesar, yet in this film there's a lot of Apes in prime roles, and they blended well into the environment and felt real.  What made them feel all the more real was the animation of their eyes.  "The eyes are a window to the soul," and the animators did a superb job animating the Apes eyes, telling a story in moments where dialogue is not needed.

All the performances are strong.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is worth all the hype it's getting.  This is a great film that improves upon the first.

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

In terms of the MPAA rating, I do caution adults bringing children to this film, because it really is quite violent.

(I always provide a trailer at the bottom of my reviews, but I actually recommend not watching it and just seeing the movie.  It's best to be surprised, and trailers these days give away too much.)