Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is cray-azy, y’all. I’m well aware the intensity of these films would only increase as the planet becomes the ape’s, but good lord. The next one has ‘war’ in the title, yet this seems pretty war-filled to me.
The direct sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn follows Caesar as he is confidently the leader of a newly formed ape community. After escaping the confines of human treatment, along with the city of San Francisco, the apes have created an immense village in the middle of the nearby woods.
While they are thriving, the humans are all but ruined. The Simian Flu has wiped out a majority of the human population, sending them back hundreds of years. The flu is based on the effects of James Franco’s Alzheimer’s treatment on humans. While it thrives within apes, it leads to peril in humans. And let me tell ya, it’s dire. It makes the height of COVID-19 quarantine look like a spa vacation. You can always tell when humans are in dire circumstances when vines are growing on the sides of buildings.
The film ends up following a similar pattern of deceit and fighting for power, but this time it’s coming from both sides. Gary Oldman is sick of these apes. Kirk Acevado is sick of the apes. Koba is sick of humans and Caesar trusting them. Everyone is just angry, and with anger comes fire and guns and war and yelling and…oh my god is that Judy Greer as Caesar’s wife?!
The film grows into quite a dire attack between tribes, for lack of a better term. Everyone is wrong at all times, but the apes are less wrong. Humans gonna human and, man, are they annoying. Gary Oldman sees one photo on an old iPad and decides all apes must die. Sure! Why not!
Looking at the motion capture compared to Rise of the Planet of the Apes three years earlier, the confidence in being able to showcase these actors as actors and not “CGI tricks” is incredible. Every ape performance is so astounding, especially Caesar and Koba. However, I do need to shout out my boo, that orangutan. I love him. He is huge and cuddly and a teacher to children? We must support teachers within the community!
I know sadness is to come (War for the Planet of the Apes isn’t the most uplifting of titles), but this franchise is so distinctly itself that I’ll gladly take any experience with Caesar and the apes. I’m just going to let the waste of Keri Russell slide…
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is now streaming on Max and is available for purchase on VOD.