Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes had a lot to live up to given that the suprisingly great Rise Of..set the benchmark and reinvigorated a dead franchise.With a new director found in Matt Reeves and a much more Ape-centric story, does this sequel to the prequel live up to the hype?
The short answer is: Yes. With flawless CGI, a story full of virtues, twists and turns, Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes extends on everything that worked in Rise and packs a whole lot more.
The Good
As I previously said, the CGI is immaculate. Not a single ape looks poorly done at any point in the film which was something that Rise fell victim too in certain shots. The standouts include all fight sequences with best being the final confrotation between Caesar and Koba.
Andy Serkis as you would expect is once again amazing. His perfoarmances in this new Apes franchise rivals his work in LotR. Toby Kebbel shines as the villainous Koba and Jason Clarke provides a believable performance in Malcolm.
But it is the story that captures the audience the most. The story grabs hold of youfrom the get go and doesn't loosen it's grip until the credits. Which says a lot as the majority of the dialogue in the film is sign language with captions. A lesser film would have been hindered by this, but Matt Reeves found a perfect balance between sign and verbalisation.
The apes provide the film with a strong moral compass. Simple values are displayed which we as people are guilty of forgetting or overlooking.
The idea of confining humans to cages and subjecting them to the abuse we inflict upon our fellow earthlings is what draws me to this franchise the most. Which brings me to the only negative point I have on this film..
The Bad
The only negative point I can make was the misguided display of Apes hunting for meat as virtually all Apes are herbivorous. It was a forced comparison to us which ultimately failed in my opinion. It only bothers me so much because we aren't made to eat meat and showing that only implies that it is natural for us and them. Again, a small negative which won't matter to most.
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is an exceptional film. A true blockbuster that isn't all about explosions and half naked women (looking at you, Bay). I would recommend this film to Planet Of The Apes fans and non fans alike. Do not bother with 3D, it added nothing.
How I Rated Other Films This Year
CA:TWS 5/5
TASM2 3/5
X-Men DOFP 4/5
TF4 2/5