A review by C J Dee
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Other notable appearances: Talking monkeys
Running time: 130 minutes
Watch this if you liked: Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, King Kong
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5 stars
Following the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, most of humanity has died from a laboratory engineered virus known as Simian Flu. Ten years after the event that wiped out a majority of the human race, a small group of humans stumble across the home of the genetically enhanced apes led by Caesar. Conflicts, misunderstandings and pre-existing prejudices on both sides reach a boiling point as the apes and humans try to work together in restoring power to the human city. The two cities take up arms against each other so it’s up to a small group of humans and apes to save both sides from destroying each other.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has a talking chimpanzee riding a horse WHILE shooting a machine gun from each hand. Does it get any more ridiculously awesome than that, I ask you?
I understand that certain aspects of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes have been considered controversial but I wasn’t too bothered by the scenes in question. Though I would recommend that young viewers, people with a tenuous grasp on reality, and people with a low tolerance for movie violence should avoid Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
The CGI was fantastic. If I didn’t know the primates were CGI prior to watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes I would probably have left extremely impressed with how well trained (and potentially terrifying) the animal actors were.
The synchronicity between the humans and the apes was brilliantly orchestrated. The dynamics between all characters felt real, were believable, and –
Gary Oldman. Is there anything this actor can’t do? In this reviewers mind, Oldman managed a standout performance. The character of Dreyfus in anyone else’s hands would not have had anywhere near the amount of heart and could have ended up being portrayed as nothing more than a hateful bigot.
If you enjoy great action movies or fun science fiction movies or both, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is something you need to check out. Do you need to have seen the Rise of the Planet of the Apes to watch the sequel? No, you will be able to follow the plot but I would doubt that Caesar returning home will have as big of an impact on you.
