Andy Serkis
Jason Clarke
Gary Oldman
Keri Russell
Toby Kebbell
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Kirk Acevedo

Mark Bomback
Rick Jaffa
Amanda Silver

130 mins.
Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
July 11, 2014

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language. (MPAA)

Matt Reeves’ “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” has an effective prologue. It sets up the story by referencing an outbreak of “Simian flu” that’s killed most of the human population, but we (the audience) know that it benefitted the apes, in contrast.

The next part (introducing us to the ape’s society and to lead ape Caesar’s family dynamics) is less effective. It just not compelling, but it’s appropriate and necessary. I wish that they would have shown a bit, just a bit, of the humans’ struggle up to this point, as well. That would’ve intensified the subsequent conflict between the humans and the apes by allowing the audience to understand both points-of-view through an experience of what each side went through.

Despite that, the apes’ first clash with the humans clicks the film into place. The effects are well-planned and well-executed; the details are there. You don’t forget that it’s CGI, but it works. Plus, the acting’s good, especially for an action film. Andy Serkis, as Caesar, continues to show why he’s the go-to guy for CGI characters. The rest of the cast follows his lead beautifully.

In all of the “Planet of the Apes” films, apes are a metaphor for every group of people who’s been exploited by other groups with greater power. How do persecuted people respond? The responses are varied on each side; that’s where some time to show the humans’ struggles in between the first film in this series reboot, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” and the formation of the apes’ society in this film would have strengthened its message.

This film also deals with the relationships between fathers and sons and among families as a whole. It explores how growing-up strains those relationships. This film’s willingness to develop relationships is a distinguishing trait, but that willingness hinders its momentum, too. Those moments add to the film and take some of its power away at the same time. They keep the film from soaring, yet deepen it, as well. I wish that Reeves would’ve found a way to keep the momentum going during those intimate scenes; that would’ve made this film great.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” isn’t large enough in scope to fully support its diversions; it’s not “The Lord of the Rings.” As a result, it’s hard to commend it without restraint. Regardless, it’s really well done, though not the completely immersive and emotional experience that it could’ve been.

Verdict: Very Good (Barely)

About: (Source: dawnoftheplanetoftheapes)

A growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.