Review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) by Kyle M — 06 Jun 2015

Whatever expectation you have for a Planet of the Apes movie, it always turn out to be more than what you were expecting (unsure about Tim Burton's version). The second chapter of the reboot series continues that way like its predecessor and the original that'd started the whole monkey business in the sci-fi genre. The predecessor, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," was a compelling film to see that could attract a new audience to the franchise. The sequel, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," is a definite must-see for the mainstream.

"Dawn" takes place five years after "Rise," whereas the ALZ-113 virus - created as a cure to Alzheimer's disease by scientists - took a toll on most of the world's population. The immune survivors put the blame on the apes, the kind that were test subjects to the drug.

The apes are living peacefully in their own habitat in the Muir Woods. They're aware of what they were blamed for, but they also think they're the only ones on the planet without seeing any humans for a long time. Until a group of humans were seen trespassing their territorial habitat.

Caesar (motion capture master, Andy Serkis), who have a family with Cornelia (Judy Greer) and their two sons, wants peace and harmony, no war. His second-in command Koba (Toby Kebbell) however want the humans gone as he holds, and blinded with, a huge grudge since he's been a test subject all his life.

There are similar views and desires between the two species. Caesar and Malcolm (Jason Clarke), the leader of the mentioned small group, wants peace. Koba and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), the leader of the human survivors, want to get rid of the other.

It's all about trustworthy whether Caesar can trust Malcolm and his group or not, and whether the blinded Koba can trust Caesar on whose side he's on. It's also about family, especially the father-son relationship between Caesar and his son Blue Eyes, who reluctantly agrees with Koba's vision. Caesar's role in this sequel is like he's The Don of the apes, and Andy Serkis was doing a Marlon Brando-like performance.

The sequel enlarged its predecessor with more motion capture performances next to bigger visual effects, more emotions and roughness, and, best of all, more heart through the emotions. This is a rare sci-fi flick of its kind to have such a heart with warmth. The heart pops up during moments of peace and family and happiness.

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is "The Godfather" on the subject of family and "The Dark Knight" on the standard of a summer blockbuster sequel. It's an absolute best of the franchise by its performances, visuals, and emotions with heart. (A-).