Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Full Review

We return to the land of the Ape in this sequel to the 2011 prequel (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) of the classic 1968 franchise, in which it’s breaking point between the intellectual primates and the remaining humans, with the two species not wanting to harm one another but have to face the differences that they have. One thing the film does have against itself is that it isn’t the most original premise in comparison to its predecessor. It’s a basic synopsis which has been done to death in various mediums and franchises, with one or more characters causing the battle to fall into effect. However, with that said, the various writers do allow a lot more to it with the way both factions act. Very early on, it’s made clear that neither side wants war but will do so if the other takes action, and thanks to a remarkable opening title sequence which brings the audience up to speed with the events between this and the previous film, shows off the fears that they have. When all the apes go to the humans, there is clearly a sense of panic within the characters’ actions and expressions, and even a singular human brings worry to a handful of apes. Whilst it does follow the constant “We can/can’t trust them” storyline, and a rather forgiving leader in the form of Andy Serkis’ Caesar, it does end up as a thoroughly enjoyable film with the occasional emotional kick.

The difficult thing about the apes in this film is that they are all real actors doing motion capture as opposed to the usual pure CG creations that various films include, and with that they need to try their very hardest to act like apes, albeit intelligent ones, without looking too comedic. But after Serkis’ strong performance in the previous film, he successfully guides his fellow primates and the audience into possibly some of the best acting on film of the last year. Thanks to WETA’s superb animation making these monkeys look incredibly realistic; you forget that these are just people in weird costumes. Outside of Serkis, there is no standout performance as all of these actors are doing superbly. But the most notable of which is of course Koba (Toby Kebbell), who is a rather menacing monkey who does a terrifying portrayal, as you can tell from recent TV spots and trailers. Besides him, the other apes are there as family, friends, or various extras.

The humans are a bit more of a mixed bag, as many of them do fall for the usual character tropes. The first of which is Malcolm (Jason Clarke), who seems to be instantly captivated by Caesar following their first meeting. Whilst he is a likable lead, and in fairness a good enough presence amongst the various chimps, he does come across as a bit too perfect and quickly solves any disarray between the two factions. Wife Ellie (Keri Russell) is there for either moral support or nursing whilst Kodi Schmidt-McPhee is memorable only for his ability to draw. He does forge some form of friendship between Maurice the orangutan but is quickly used as a protective piece scenes later, before being dropped completely. But still, a nice touch in a brief heart-warming scene between the duo.  You do get the characters that don’t trust the apes, but they are quickly taken out of the picture so they don’t take up too much of the screen time, whilst Gary Oldman isn’t exactly in the mindset as seen in all the trailers. He does play a generic leader, who gives off a big speech at some point, but by no means does he detract for the overall quality of the film.

Whilst there are various minor factors which can lessen the film’s overall quality, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was an incredibly enjoyable film from start to finish, as a grand continuation to Rise whilst setting up nicely for future instalments (including the inevitable Planet of the Apes). Whilst not the most original film out there this summer, it is by far one of the best thanks to strong performances, perfect special effects and likable – and rightly dislikeable – characters. 8/10.