Dawn of the Planet of the Apes [Movie Review]

It is very rare that I see a movie in the theater after opening day. This movie was one I actually did go and see after opening day. I have a good reason.

Caesar less than thrilled.

The reason is simple. I did not see Rise of the Planet of the Apes until the day before I went and saw this. Yeah... I really saw that waaaaay after opening day.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes picks up right where Rise leaves off. Spoiler - just in case you never saw Rise - Humanity has successfully engineered it's own demise. Yep. A retrovirus tailored to cure a terrible ailment (Alzheimer's Disease) actually kills humans. This of course leads to a pandemic that destroys humanity. Meh, we had it coming.

Friends, Chimps, Orangutans! Lend me your ears!

Dawn sets the stage of the coming conflict (what is being loving called War for the Planet of the Apes, by me - aka: the Untitled Planet of the Apes Sequel, see my title is better) between humans and apes. But here's the real gem of this movie (and there are many). It's a very political movie, and a very moving story.

And there we are. Apes on horses!

It is actually the tale of two sides, two peoples, who do not want to go to war, but will. Self-centered, revenge seeking individuals on both sides move their two species towards war. Fear and mistrust play their roles too... as is to be expected. The story is so well told that I was not expecting it.

There are running powerful themes. Themes concerning home, family, trust, and even legacy. I may mull this movie over in my mind for a long time. It was good, far better than I was expecting.

Let me describe one of the best scenes in the movie. Or, more accurately let me describe the first 20 minutes, give or take 5 minutes (I was not watching a clock). After the immediate introduction, describing the fate of humanity through a TV clips montage and a global map tracking the pandemic, we descend into the woods. For the next 15 minutes (give or take) we enjoy a film that is utterly devoid of any spoken words. Not a single one. However there is dialogue. It is all done through the ape's sign language, and in a few instances, the written word of the apes.

It is a great bit of movie making. So much is told through the ape's actions and expressions. This movie may actually compete with I am Legend for least amount of vocalized dialogue. There is plenty of sign talk through the movie, but actual dialogue, not as much.

This is a better movie than Rise, but watching Rise beforehand is a really good idea. In Rise I was rooting for the apes the entire time. Humanity, for the most part, is represented as utterly reprehensible in Rise. It is all about self-centered behavior, corporate greed, anger, stupidity, and fear. Save a few characters. Dawn is much better. While it has plenty of stupid angry selfish humans, it shows the same in the apes. But it creates groups of good, identifiable characters on both sides. You actually begin to like both sides, you are torn in this movie. That alone makes this movie better than Godzilla 2014 or Transformers 4. In those movies the human characters were little more than remoras clinging to the story. In Dawn, the humans play an important accompaniment to the apes. They show the similarities between the two groups... it humanizes the apes, and shows the animal side of humans.

I'm looking forward to that Untitled Sequel. So see you in the theaters in 2016, this time I'll go on opening day!