Dawn of the Planets of the Apes (2014)
Certified: 12A
Duration: 131 minutes
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring as humans: Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jocko Sims, Kirk Acevedo, Enrique Murciano, Kevin Rankin, Keir O’Donnell
Starring as evolved apes: Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greer, Terry Notary, Karin Konoval
KRS Releasing Ltd

Andy Serkis as Caesar leads the army of apes in Matt Reeves’s film.

2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes successfully resurrected a franchise that had long been forgotten despite various attempts at bringing it back to the big screen.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a masterclass example of how to do a sequel that both honours its predecessor and yet builds upon it, craftily building layers and a solid foundation to catapult the franchise into further avenues.

Ten winters have passed since the events of the first film. Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his army of apes live in Muir Woods, secluded from the rest of the world. It has been two winters since there had been any contact with the humans.

News footage at the start of the film tells how the human species was ravaged by a simian flu disease.

Certain humans have an inbuilt immunity and these form together in colonies.

Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and his wife Ellie (Keri Russell) are intent on communicating with the apes and find the dam that would, through its power, provide these communities with access to electricity.

But the tension between human and ape is high and soon erupts, leading to a clash between the two bands that will have an effect on the world. Caesar also faces internal dissent as he is sometimes not considered harsh enough on humans.

Directed in a solid and well-crafted manner by Matt Reeves (Let Me In and Cloverfield), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes delves deep into the way humans and apes think, interact with each other and between themselves.

The special effects team is to be applauded. This motion-capture technology films human actors and then adds the necessary features to bring out more human-like expressions and better movements.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a masterclass example of how to do a sequel that both honours its predecessor and yet builds upon it

Serkis shows how much of a consummate actor he is as Caesar leaves quite a visual and psychological footprint on his audience.

The apes here are not just a horde of simian faces but each are given enough “character” and facial expression tics to give them depth and individuality.

This leads to the point where it is very difficult not to end up siding with the apes in their war with the humans.

Another fascinating aspect of this movie is the way it looks at a post-apocalyptic future.

It is a future that still has its roots in the present and yet is rich in desolation and destruction, becoming even more a habitat for the apes rather than for the humans who seem to have forgotten their roots.

The epic and action moments are really brought out well on screen.

However, the film also excels in its dissection of tension and of how two different races try to coexist and yet are very much ready to explode into violence at any time.

The story clearly shows the long-term struggle between ideologies of co-existence and peace vis-à-vis that of war as a solution.

This is something we humans know all about and from these words you may also understand that this film has won me so much that I am firmly in favour of the apes’ cause.

This is the same as what The Empire Strikes Back did to the Star Wars franchise.