DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure
Running Length: 2:10
Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Nick Thurston
Director: Matt Reeves

"The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own." - Aldous Huxley

In the latest Planet Of The Apes installment, DAWN OF THE PLANETS OF THE APES, the lesson of decisions and actions have consequences is explored in a tough and uncompromising way. While there are some solid action sequences, this motion picture defies the common notions of what is expected from a "summer" film. The narrative is structured like a Shakespearean tragedy; it's about love and hate, peace and war, freedom and fear - where the characters are conflicted to choose the values they are against in order to achieve the results they desire eg. in order to keep the peace, one has no choice but to fight. This film is so realistic and documentary-like (with regards to how most wars are started and fought) I didn't feel at any one time I was watching a bunch of humans interacting with CGI. And speaking of humans and CGI, DAWN is far more superior in every aspect compared to its immediate predecessor Rise of The Planet of the Apes. Besides having more depth and breadth in the narrative, the human characters here are more developed compared to the forgettable cardboard-like folks in Rise. Also, the personalities of the apes are fleshed out very well. There are some tender moments shared between apes and humans which would move even the hardest of hearts. That said, to fully appreciate DAWN, one should watch Rise first. A few words must be written about the amazing contribution of Andy Serkis for making Caesar the most compelling character in the movie despite very little dialogue (his eyes and mannerism are stunningly life-like). Caesar is a remarkable creation of human acting and CGI. While DAWN boast some big-name human stars, make no mistake – Serkis is the star. It's refreshing to see a big-budget summer movie that's more interested in telling a story than bombarding the audience with carnage, explosions and deafening sound effects.

Rating: 9/10