This clumsily titled science fiction action film by Matt Reeves is the first sequel to
the 2011 "Planet Of The Apes" reboot, and the eighth film in the franchise overall.
Following its July 11, 2014 release, the $170 million dollar adventure was a big success,
scoring over $600 million at the box-office.
Ten years after the events of "Rise", a deadly disease has wiped out most of mankind, leaving
humans and super-intelligent apes on equal footing - but uneasy relations between the
two groups eventually leads to war.
Motion-capture extraordinaire, Andy Serkis returns in the lead role, as Caesar, the highly
intelligent leader of the apes.
Having built a community of talking, family oriented primates, Serkis is confronted with
the responsibilities of diplomacy, as he advises his people to remain peaceful and patience,
signing, "If we go to war, we could lose all we've built...", before finishing his thought
out-loud by softly saying, "Home.
Family.
Future."
As the CGI-character, he is able to effortlessly bring an emotional and human performance to
a decidedly non-human character - most of this accomplished with a furrow of his brow,
or with his menacing green eyes.
Unfortunately however, he's the only cast member from the last installment to return
- and while the original characters, including James Franco, are referenced, their presence
here is definitely missed.
Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, and Keri Russell all portray hopeful, but cautious humans,
who have survived horrible conditions only to reluctantly be thrust into a war with their
violent primate counterparts.
We're introduced to this growing conflict when a scout party unwittingly stumbles into
ape-territory, sparking an extremely tense stand-off, both sides on a hair-trigger.
Meanwhile, Toby Kebbell and Judy Greer provide the voice and motion-capture likeness of two
other apes that anchor the drama on screen with a surprisingly effective emotional depth.
The tension that builds between these two groups is the entire driving force of the
expertly-paced 131-minute film, which should leave most audiences breathless as it unravels.
The taller 16:9 frame brilliantly captures both the lush forest areas of the American
north west, as well as the haunting desolation of a ruined San Francisco.
The visual effects work from Peter Jackson's WETA Digital might be their best yet, perfectly
blending the authentic locations and people with digital creatures that are just as lifelike.
The PG-13 rated picture doesn't have many twists or surprises, but the final climactic
battle between apes, humans, and other apes is a true spectacle to behold... and one of
the more exciting and well-executed action sequences in recent memory.
An extended POV-shot that's fixed to a mounted tank as it lays waste to enemy forces as bullets
and fires light up the battlefield is a particular highlight.
Michael Giacchino's score provides a deep and drum like rhythm that further emphasizes
the seriousness of the realistic narrative.
Although we're left with a satisfying conclusion, some plot threads are appropriately left unresolved,
as a third film is already slated for release in 2016.
The question remains as to whether or not this rebooted franchise will come full circle
with the images and story we saw in the 1968 original... but I for one am eager to find
out.
Covering themes of trust, community, and betrayal, this is a touching story mixed with captivating
and exciting action.
An excellent summer blockbuster I can't wait to watch again, "Dawn Of The Planet Of The
Apes" is the best "Apes" yet... but let's see what you had to say about it.
With outstanding visuals and a gripping story, we both agreed this was a worthy successor
to the 2011-remake, and an AWESOME film.