‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ is the sequel to the vastly under-appreciated rebooted ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ from 2011 starring James Franco. The sequel was released in August, which rarely does well comparatively, but it did well enough to merit a sequel. Respect must have grown as ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ is poised to dominate the box office this weekend. For those who think this is your father’s Planet of the Apes or even the inadequate Tim Burton reboot from 2001, think again. Technology is at a point where this story can be told with almost complete suspension of disbelief. You feel these are apes and not just men in rubber masks. This incarnation is a much more fleshed out and ‘human’ version of the story with stories of nobility and conflict resonating much more true to the human experience than the previous films.
Spoiler Alert: For those who remember from the last film, the life of Caesar, the first genetically enhanced ape, and his relationship with his human family was the focus. The film ultimately led to Caesar championing the release and escape of the captive ape population as an aggressive super virus began to wipe out the human population. ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ opens ten years later in San Francisco where the surviving humans have formed protective colonies and the apes have begun to build their village in the woods. They live comfortably apart until one day a human stumbles across some wandering apes and shoots one of them in a panic. Fear, hysteria, and distrust on both sides mount until Caesar takes it upon himself to lead his apes to the walled off city of San Francisco in a show of force and demand the humans stay out of the forest. The challenge is, the human survivors are almost out of power and fuel and an abandoned dam in the Apes territory is their only hope for power and survival.
The city’s leader, Dreyfuss (my favorite, Gary Oldman) in panic and desperation, starts talk of war with the apes. However, resident enlightened peace-nick Malcom (Jason Clarke) decides to lead a group, despite Caesar’s warning, to the ape village and ask the ape’s permission to see if they can restart the dam and avoid war. Malcom’s wife (Kerri Russell) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) join along with a few technicians and they put themselves at the mercy of the apes in order to show their good intentions towards peace. Having grown up among humans, Caeser is inclined to work with them despite the warnings from his advisors. It’s not that Caeser wants humans around, but he knows the consequences of war and will do all he can to avoid it. Despite some missteps on both sides, the plan seems to work and we begin to hope that humans and apes can work together.
Unfortunately, both sides let fear and paranoia lead to actions that make it impossible keep the peace and when one of Ceasar’s most trusted advisors betrays him, war becomes inevitable. I think that is where this movie varies from the original series and smartly so. A film must resonate with the times to be relevant. The original series was a metaphor for the civil rights movement and a cautionary tale of what happens when you treat others as less than yourself. This modern reboot is more of a cautionary tale about fear and paranoia causing us to go to war instead of working towards resolution. Both sides have the best of intentions, but it takes just a few events by a few individuals to stoke the drums of war. Whether fear and mistrust leading to war is something we can learn to avoid or is inevitable in the human condition is something for the viewer to decide.
The special effects are so good that we forget we are watching special effects. At it’s heart, the story drives this film, but the special effects allows us to put aside our disbelief. This is a tale of survival and the human spirit at it’s most basic level. When all the trappings of civilization are torn away and we revert to our tribal natures, the question arises as to who will become the dominant species on the planet. We already know the answer to that, but it’s still a great ride and great story. If you haven’t seen the re-booted ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ out of bias or contempt due to the original series, I encourage you to set that aside and take a chance. Watch the reboot and if you see what I mean, then rush out and see this superb sequel. I have high respect for this film and the previous reboot and thoroughly enjoyed this reimagining of a classic tale.
I give this film *** stars
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