Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I'm fairly certain that we all shared something in common in 2010 when the new Planet of the Apes film was announced:

We probably all laughed. Or cringed. Or both.

I know I did.

Then the film released in the summer of 2011 while I was studying abroad in Australia actually, and I think the people that saw it put their collective foot in their collective mouth. Hollywood surprised us, which doesn't happen as often as it should, with a good reboot and reimagining of a long-dead franchise. Rise of the Planet of the Apes turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of that year (along with the rejuvenated Fast and Furious franchise with Fast Five) as it was a smart blockbuster that featured some truly iconic moments and a wondrous performance capture from the "hardest working man in Hollywood", Andy Serkis. Personally, I really enjoyed the film even though I thought its stakes were rather low, all things considered.

Fast forward to 2014, and we are given a sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, that I also think was a bit of an underdog going into this rather tame summer. With many movie goers going to the movies a bit less this year (probably in order to save up for the obnoxiously busy 2015 and 2016), some movies seem to have fallen down the radar. I'll admit, I let Dawn slide down my year-long list of must sees when in all reality it should have been within the Top 5. I questioned: "could another Apes movie really be anything other than worse than its predecessor?" Don't get me wrong, I was excited for this one, just not as excited as I would normally expect myself to be.

Sorry Caesar! That was my bad. It won't happen again.

OMFG! That CG monkey is so friggin cute!

If this isn't terrifying then I don't know what is...

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes picks up a decade after the first film. The human race has emerged from the other side of the Simeon Flu (hinted at in the first film) with a survival rate of 1 in 50. I'm still a little disappointed that the franchise just kills off most of the human population with an "outbreak" montage but I can see why they chose that path. Caesar is the leader of the apes, living in the mountains of California and they have established themselves a community with rules, members, and buildings. Humans haven't been seen for two years and the apes are aware of their demise. It's certainly a bleak setting and one that slowly builds until that first human wanders into the film, shocking both the audience and the apes. The two species attempt to prove which one is more alpha while the more sensible members of each group attempt to work together. The film does a great job of providing tension for the audience to the point where it is almost palpable in several scenes...you are truly worried that these CG creatures and humans might begin fighting. I'd like to call that "movie magic" folks. Even better is that just when I felt like the film was getting slow, it becomes rather Shakespearean in nature with a powerful event that leads us into the finale. The finale is quite fantastic and the set up, while a bit abrupt, is strong for the next film and the audience can begin to see just how this trilogy/quadrilogy(?) might begin to play out.

Like the first film, the special effects are groundbreaking. Sure, there are times when there are bunch of apes on screen that it looks a little fake around the edges, but for much of the runtime, particularly the quiet moments, it's jaw dropping. Caesar has received extra care, as have some other characters, and their emotions emanating from their ape faces is shockingly accurate. Serkis owns the entire film as Caesar and has become more of a leading man than some of his live action peers. Say what you will about the character's dramatic difficulty, but Serkis deserves an Oscar nomination simply for how much of an expert he is in his craft. Caesar is immediately a creature you respect, but also one that you fear immensely. He cries, he feels joy, anger, and it's all reflected beautifully by Serkis' performance. The villain of the film, Koba (animated by Toby Kebbell) is frightening and violent and as a surprise, one of the best villains of the year. But the film didn't skimp on the human performances, bringing the talents of Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Keri Russell. I was impressed with their performances not because they were good (which they were), but because of how serious they took the proceedings. Many actors would have been hamming it up in a film about apes with a bunch of motion capture suits around, but the human actors treat the material with respect, thus leading the audience to fall even more into the belief that this is all happening.

Why's it always got to be America?!

"Just let me kiss you human!"
"No!"

As a whole, the film is a step up from its already excellent predecessor. There are faults here and there...I think past a certain point the "slow burn" aspect begins to overstay its welcome, some of the action doesn't quite fit with the serious tone the rest of the film portrays, the finale seems a tad rushed as does the set up for the next film, and there are some small logic issues that I think many will notice as they think about the film after. Clearly these are nitpicky faults. That doesn't mean that I'll be giving Dawn a perfect score...my gut doesn't tell me that this was a 10/10 film.

But that doesn't hinder the fact that Dawn is a mightily impressive achievement. Not only as a technological flagship piece for motion capture, but also as a sequel to a film franchise reboot that nobody gave a chance in the first place.

It shouldn't be, but Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is again, one of the most surprising films of 2014 simply because I'm betting that you never imagined that a film with a dual-wielding ape riding horseback into battle could ever be this seriously well made.

CONS:

• The slow burn and building tension is one of the film's strongest points (as you'll see in the PROS section), but it overstays its welcome a tad
• Some of the action, especially in the finale, is a bit less serious in tone than the rest of the film
• Abrupt, but appropriate, setup for the next film
• Looking back, there were some simple logic points that were bothering me
• "LOL we don't care that we just killed off the entire human race with a montage" -- probably what the producers were saying

PROS:

• The tension for the first half of the film is dense. It can be felt and it causes the audience to hold their breath, resulting in some really intense scenes where you think everything might fall apart
• A small thing, but the film does a great job at distinguishing between the apes so you *usually* know who is who
• A strong score from LOST-alum, Michael Giacchino
• Serkis' performance, much like last time, is groundbreaking. Not necessarily for the difficulty of the emotional range, but for the difficulty of him becoming an ape. Caesar is an iconic character, there's no other way to put it
• The plot, while simple, has a lot to say about the nature of good and evil. It doesn't matter what species you are, there will be good and evil in both. It progresses logically as well and even has a decent twist
• Koba is a terrifying villain. Very surprised that this film had such a strong one
• Great human performances as well. Their approach to the material is commendable and much appreciated
• Genre-defining motion capture. Emotions were perfectly captured, making the apes more than just fake things on the screen...they were true characters
• Well designed action and intense finale that has me looking very forward to the next one
• As unlikely as I thought it would be, a very improved sequel from an already impressive predecessor. This is officially one film series to keep an eye on from here on out

Rath's Review Score: 9/10