Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

Dawn of a new age.

Film review by Isaac Handelman

Summer blockbusters are in a time of upheaval. Studios are becoming more willing to take on risky ventures as audiences show an increasing willingness to buy tickets to films based on outlandish properties and unconventional setups. Still, the basic “good vs. evil” archetype has remained a relative staple of tentpole pics. If Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is any indication of the direction in which blockbuster filmmaking is moving, then that could be the next ingrained element to go. Using the word “ballsy” to describe the film’s approach seems quaint; calling Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a “eureka” moment feels more fitting.

Embracing moral ambiguity and throwing almost any semblance of “the good guys” or “the bad guys” out the window from the get go, Dawn is an absolute delight: a summer blockbuster that almost never gives its audience the slightest indication of which side to root for. Screenwriters Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver do an excellent job of endearing both sides of the conflict to the audience whilst also making both out to be enormously flawed. More often than not, choosing which side to place ones’ personal allegiance behind comes down to selecting the lesser of two evils.

The apes are led by Caesar (Andy Serkis), the lovable simian raised by James Franco in Rise of the Planet of the Apes who’s now a hardened commander. Caesar’s clan of hyper-intelligent peers, which includes the rambunctious Koba, philosophical orangutang Maurice, and bratty son Blue Eyes among others, resides in Muir Woods, the state forest to which the group fled at the end of Rise.

Recreated through CGI and motion-capture technology, the apes are stunning sights to behold -- most of the time. Dawn’s visuals are undeniably groundbreaking, especially in regards to characters like Maurice who are almost indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts. But moments of awkwardness do crop up occasionally, with some movements seeming unnaturally stiff, most commonly when an abundance of apes is onscreen at once.

One element of the apes’ story that is almost as impressive as their appearance is the amount of dialogue that is delivered through (albeit simplified) sign language, and how engaging their interactions remain despite their small amount of spoken words. Ultimately, this achievement is another testament to the incredible emotiveness that’s conveyed through Dawn’s mo-cap and CGI work.

Outside of the confines of the apes’ humble abode, the human race has been decimated by the “simian flu,” whose catastrophic ramifications were hinted at during the credits of Rise. Only small pockets of human civilization remain immune to the virus, one of which resides in San Francisco under the leadership of Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) and his “lieutenant” of sorts, Malcolm (Jason Clarke). The human characters are compelling for the most part, though none are astoundingly memorable. Thankfully, in a refreshing change from the blockbuster norm, no unnecessary relationship drama presents itself throughout the film. Also impressively, not a single human character returns from Rise, which is a relief given how unbelievable such a reappearance would have been.

Inevitably, tensions rise as the humans are forced to trudge into ape territory in hopes of finding a source of electricity, and what follows is a relentless, dramatic back-and-forth, both between the allegiances of the onscreen characters and the those of audience members towards one side of the conflict or the other.

Like its predecessor, Dawn is not truly an action film, save for its slam-bang finale. The film can be more accurately labeled as a drama for a majority of its runtime. Dawn starts somewhat slowly, but the payoff is tremendous as the narrative builds to some profound emotional territory that closely (and sometimes not-so-subtly) mirrors real human conflicts from throughout history. Though these parallels occasionally work against the film, rendering a couple of its big twists predictable, Dawn succeeds in presenting its socio-political undertones in a way that doesn’t feel at all hamstrung in just for the sake of being deemed an “intelligent blockbuster.” Director Matt Reeves, of Cloverfield and Let Me In fame, brings his dark, brooding filmmaking style to the proceedings and manages to capture a grittier tone than that of Rise, one that is unflinching in its portrayal of violence without succumbing to the pitfalls of self-seriousness.

The original Planet of the Apes may have been dwarfed by the monumental rise of Star Wars, but J.J. Abrams’ take on that legendary franchise will have to reach great heights to counter the high quality standard that Dawn has now set for modern science-fiction. Not bad for a bunch of damned, dirty apes.