The latest installment in the Planet of the Apes canon, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, far exceeded my expectations. I did venture to my local theater to see the first film in the rebooted series (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) back when it came out in 2011, and it wasn’t bad, but I didn’t have particularly high hopes for the sequel. Although there is no James Franco in this one, besides a few clips from Rise (cue the sighs from all teenage girls who were dragged into seeing this movie by their fathers), Dawn was far superior. We are re-introduced to our protagonist of the Pan persuasion, Caesar, as leader of all the apes in the San Francisco area. When a few humans from a community not far away venture into the apes’ territory looking to repair their only power source, both sides instantly view each other as the “enemy.” Pointless fighting ensues. Although the ideas presented in this movie are far-fetched, the main points behind all of them are spot-on. Koba, one of Caesar’s ape companions, was tested on when he was young, causing him to distrust all humans he comes in contact with. Of course, I don’t blame him. Most humans really suck. However, as proven throughout the film, Malcolm (Jason Clarke), Ellie (Keri Russell) and Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee) are not most people. The graphics were also quite impressive, as the CGI was hardly recognizable. Compared to the 1968 flick, the realistic look of the apes in this particular film shows just how far technology has come. Overall, the movie teaches a valuable lesson about trusting those who have proven themselves to be trustworthy, true friendship in the face of adversity and the power humans have to change how we treat our closest relatives, the chimpanzees.
I give this movie a Waxing/Waning Gibbous out of a Full Moon.
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