Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Greetings, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a 2014 film and sequel to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a 2011 reboot of the original series. I should point out that I am not overly familiar with the source material but have a basic understanding of the main concepts. While I have yet to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I am aware that most of the human characters are only introduced in this instalment as opposed to some of the apes who are present in both movies. For instance, Andy Serkis reprises his role as the leading figure of the evolved apes, a common chimpanzee called Caesar, while Jason Clarke as a primary human character is a new addition to the series. Other cast members include Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russel and Kodi Smit-McPhee. The music was composed Michal Giacchino who has conducted scores for many well-known films including the Incredibles, the Star Trek reboots and Up.

The plot begins 10 years after the events of the first instalment in which a simian flu plunges the world into chaos, civil unrest as well as conflict is rampant and the virus kills 99% of the human race. Caesar leads his fellow enhanced apes and builds a primitive civilization as the remnants of the human world crumbles around them. Among the colony are various types of apes including Maurice, a Bornean Orangutan, and Koba, a bonobo that harbours a deep hatred for humans as a result of his days as an experimental subject. Despite, Caesar’s beliefs that all of humanity had perished in the last decade, the apes and humans once again make contact. Malcolm, a human, leads a group of survivors into ape territory in a mission to start a hydroelectric dam and produce power as the nearby human settlement is running desperately low on fuel.

A startled human by the name of Carver was the first to encounter two apes while on his way to the dam. One of the creatures he meet was Blue Eyes, Caesar’s son, and his childhood friend Ash. In a panicked state Carver shoots Ash and ends up wounding him but it does not prove to be a fatal injury. The rest of the human survivors soon catch up with Carver in the jungle but are also trapped when Blue Eyes calls for help. Caesar and his loyal tribe make it to the scene, outnumbering Malcolm’s group. Once Caesar is aware of their presence and that they had injured Ash, he orders the humans to leave and vocalizes the instruction. The humans are amazed at the development as they were unaware that the apes had evolved to the point of being capable of basic speech. They heed the order nonetheless and flee back to their settlement but are followed by Koba as per Caesar’s instructions.

Overall, I enjoyed this film even though I hadn’t watched the other movies in the series. I plan to at least watch the first reboot as it will be interesting to see Caesar’s origin story. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes strangely manages to pull off some touching scenes and bring across important themes which aren’t diluted by the absurd concept of monkey’s taking over the planet. The charismatic character of Caesar was also a highlight of the movie and it was interesting to see his futile attempts to stop the unnecessary conflict even as it becomes clearer that war is the inevitable outcome. Serkis had delivered a stellar performance in the role, making Caesar seem quite ape like and at times quite human too. I look forward to seeing the upcoming third movie entitled ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ and where the future of this series lies.

Plot=8/10

Characters=9/10

Special Effects=8/10

Overall=9/10

Quote of the Day

I can't do it, R2. I can't go on alone.

Luke Skywalker

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi