So…uh…I kinda didn’t like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. That’s probably the best place to start off this review, and also because I don’t really know a better way to get into it. After the wonder that was Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this movie is this new reboot feels akin to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, a boring film with some good sequences that doesn’t quite capture the magic of its predecessor.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place 10 years after the previous film. In an effective credits sequence we see the effect of the Simian flu on the human race and end up in San Francisco, where the film’s action will take place. The humans and apes have settled into a tentative cease fire, but it’s not to last long as the humans are running out of fuel to sustain their power. Enter in Malcolm and a rag tag group of survivors who plead with Caesar for access to the dam that will supply them with power. This peace is broken by two people whose prejudices threaten to overwhelm both the apes and human, and the world is set on a collision course with war.
It’s sad to say that I didn’t particularly like this film given how awesome I find the first in this series. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes spends so much time in setting up the plot and trying to go for a mood piece, that it renders itself boring before I could get into the movie. This then hindered me from being fully invested in the climactic sequences which, while they work for certain characters, doesn’t work for the movie as a whole. The thing that struck me the most about this movie is that it is so reliant on coincidences and cliches to get its story across. People showing up at opportune times and locations, the implicit trust and reactions certain characters are given…it just doesn’t add up to much for me.
Furthermore, the messages of the film are undone by a lack of nuance with certain characters. Many are proclaiming this an anti-gun film, and the movie does show quite a bit the destruction these weapons can have. However, I felt like the movie renders itself inert in this arena when it’s two major villains are so evil and foolish that this movie plays more to the side of “dumb people having a weapon is the problem.” This doesn’t necessarily mean the message is diluted but it certainly harms me from getting any deeper. I mean, the humans were told not to bring any guns and they could have access to the power plant, and yet one decides to jeopardize that. This sort of helper skelter treatment also pops up at an ending that just doesn’t fit with what we watched.
However, much like the last film, the motion capture acting/VFX continues to be above reproach. I mean the work Andy Serkis does as Cesar is of epic proportions. The “Girl Bye” face he has when he’s tired of the bs of the apes is iconic. But more than that Serkis keeps this film grounded and is a highlight every time he’s on screen. Matching him this time is Toby Kebbell as the villainous Koba, whose scheming and sneering is a wonder to behold.
Grade: **/**** (C-)