Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

When ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ (Mercifully known hereafter as ‘Rise’) hit the cinemas in 2011, it was a certainly a surprise critical and public hit. What ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ (Dawn) does so well is that it takes the poignant, human side of the first film and expands it, whilst also creating a sprawling action thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

So, 10 years have passed since the Simian Flu that we saw at the end of ‘Rise’ was first leaked into public domain and in that time it has destroyed civilisation as we know it. Only a pocket of survivors, led by Dreyfus (Oldman) and Malcolm (Clarke), exist in what is left of San Francisco, and they’re running out of oil. Meanwhile, a Utopian Ape paradise is thriving under the leadership of Caesar (Serkis) yet when a stray group of humans reach this paradise, high tensions and an energy crisis put these two sides on an unavoidable collision course. 

The star of this show is without a shadow of a doubt Andy Serkis’ Caesar. The character himself is a much more complex ape than we saw in ‘Rise’. He has to balance Vito Corleone-esque family duties with an at times burdening leadership, whilst also having to contend with the mesmerisingly malevolent Koba (Kebbell). The range of emotions that Serkis is able to portray through the magic that is Mo-Cap is incredible. After a while you forget that each of the Monkeys that we see are all men clad in green morph suits and laden with small sensors. This could be the film that makes Mo-Cap relevant in the same way that the superlative Avatar made 3D a serious concept in Hollywood. Fortified by Caesar’s brilliance, I don’t think it’s too far a stretch to say that this form of production is the future of special affects, as it’s allowing acting to make a comeback after over a decade of computer generated monopoly. That being said, the actual action sequences are stunningly executed and are rich with tension from beginning to end and there are times when this feels more like an action thriller than a sci-fi.

Less convincing are the humans in the piece, as well as a slightly predictable main story. Malcolm, played by the ever dependable Jason Clarke, is perhaps the only human who is allowed a back story and enough time on screen to grow and show some depth. His chemistry with Caesar really drives the story onwards, but the rest of the human cast seem somewhat underused. The epitome of this is the brilliant Gary Oldman, who is only afforded a small amount of back story and time on screen and I feel like that’s a waste. Moreover, Clarke’s new family just seems like a very blatant attempt to force the viewer to see the overriding similarities, not differences, between the apes and the humans. However none of this ever really annoys to any great extent as the mixture of the Apes and the action remedies any minor problems.

Therefore when you look at this as a whole it is simply fantastic. It’s a sprawling action epic laced with heart, tension and deceit and builds upon ‘Rise’s’ positives. Towards the end of the film the sun does indeed rise and the light of dawn floods through San Francisco. Of course when you look at the film trilogy (with a third installment expected in 2016) this does represent the birth of a new Earth and the start of a war but it may just signify the latest evolution to sci-fi and visual effects. Hail Caesar!

89/100