'Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes' A Review

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is the sequel to the 2011 prequel/franchise reboot Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. Ten years has passed since the simian flu devastated the human population. The apes have cultivated a home in the forests outside San Francisco and the surviving humans have created a stronghold in the heart of the city. Since the break out of the simian flu there have been no contact between the apes and humans. The movie opens on the ape community, peaceful and growing under the leadership of Cesar. The humans enter the apes territory in search of a power source and a precarious truce ensues. Conflict is inevitable.

The most stunning aspect of the film is the CGI detail of the apes and the subtlety of their motion-capture performances. The emotional development and chemistry between the apes is far more engaging than anything the human actors offer due to their limited screen time and the script. There are some attempted parallels between the humans and apes with father-son counterparts however most if not all of the human story line falls flat. The movie seems to be unsure if it wants show the perspective of man or ape it can't successfully do both.

The action is summer-blockbuster eye-candy and the plot has high enough stakes to catch and hold interest however there is something anti-climatic about this whole reboot. We know where this world is going, we know the end game- apes take over and enslave humans. Because of this the first two installments feel like extended prologues. Although the action and emotional journey is relatively rich it lacks any real narrative surprises.

Innovative motion-capture performances applied within a predicable storyline.

Rent It.