REVIEW: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

After Tim Burton’s disastrous 2001 attempt at rebooting the Planet of the Apes franchise, who would’ve guessed I’d be eagerly anticipating a new installment in the decades-old series? Fortunately, the latest entry, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, more than surpassed my sky-high hopes due to a gripping, tragic narrative, compelling characters of the human and primate variety, and astonishing visual effects.

In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes hit theaters to practically no expectations. Audiences were still trying to forget Burton’s debacle and almost no one expected the surprisingly emotional morality play that Rick Jaffa’s and Amanda Silver’s screenplay provided. They also didn’t expect Andy Serkis’ groundbreaking motion capture performance as Caesar, the ape who eventually becomes the leader of a new simian society.

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

At the time, Serkis’ work – which was enhanced by visual effects artists – seemed revolutionary. Technology has advanced so much in three years that it now looks a bit cartoonish, but no one can doubt the actor’s commitment to making Caesar a realistic blend of human and ape.

His dedication to the craft is seems exponentially greater in this sequel, particularly considering the innovative CGI used to make the character seem more mature and world-weary. And he’s backed up by a supporting cast that is far more compelling than James Franco and Freida Pinto, who headlined Rise.

Picking up 10 years after the last film, which ended with a virus wiping out most of humanity, Caesar and his fellow apes have established their own civilization in a gorgeous, isolated redwood forest near San Francisco. It has been so long since any of them have seen people that Caesar believes they’re truly gone. But that changes after a band of survivors, genetically immune from the plague, stumbles into the apes’ territory.

Though both groups are scared and distrustful, they reach a fragile agreement to stay in their prospective areas and never see each other again. Sadly, years of prejudice can’t be overcome that easily, even though Caesar and some of the other apes strike up a genuine friendship with humans like Malcolm (Jason Clarke), Ellie (Keri Russell) and Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

It’s only a matter of time before other humans (Kirk Acevedo and Gary Oldman) and Koba (Toby Kebbell), Caesar’s close ape associate, put everyone on a path to war through their blind hatred and egocentric desires. If these films tell us anything, it’s that apes and humans share a lot of traits, including a nasty tendency to self-destruct.

The most affecting element of Dawn is the slowly creeping pessimism of the screenplay, once again credited to Jaffa and Silver, along with new co-writer Mark Bomback. It tells audiences that, despite genuinely good people and apes trying to live in peace, the negative elements of our natures will always end up making things worse.

In the first film, that was demonstrated through scientists experimenting on apes and caretakers abusing them. Humans were the clear villains. Things are more complicated this time around: the devastating virus causes some humans to hate apes even more, while some just want the primates gone because their home blocks a dam that could restore electricity.

But apes get their share of the blame too. Despite Caesar’s protestations that humans are capable of good, some apes can’t get past the damage they caused in the old world. Yes, it’s an easy metaphor commenting on the dangers of racism and bigotry. But sometimes the most obvious narrative devices are the most effective.

That’s especially true when the film is in the hands of an interesting and talented director like Matt Reeves. His last effort, Let Me In, was a cinematic miracle: a remake of modern vampire classic Let the Right One In that was just as great. This time, he pulls off the near-impossible by making a big-budget sequel that improves on its predecessor.

Technology continues to advance exponentially, so the film’s CGI is more photorealistic than ever. When humans and apes interact in Rise, the effect is painfully obvious. In Dawn, as far as I could tell, the scenes are flawless. In addition, the film has a much stronger central theme this time around.

Reeves also understands the importance of making the human characters just as compelling as the primates. Granted, nobody’s seeing a Planet of the Apes movie for the people, but the narrative’s inherent tragedy hurts a whole lot more when the audience cares about the characters on both sides of the conflict.

In Rise, it was tough to feel for the human protagonists when they were played by sleepwalking actors. This time around, Clarke, Russell, Smit-McPhee and Oldman (even though he’s playing the “villain”) are just as strong as the once again phenomenal Serkis, which is saying a lot. I still contend the guy deserves an Oscar nomination, but I don’t see that happening until the white-hairs in the Academy care enough to learn about the complex motion capture process.

No one expects their blockbusters to be narratively compelling (especially in a lackluster summer like this one), which is why I think viewers will be floored by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Not only is it fun and visually astounding, the care that filmmakers place in the heartbreaking story makes it one of the best films of the year. It’s a must-see.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language.

Grade: A-