Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

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There's quite a bit to talk about here, so I'm just gonna dive right in. 'Dawn' begins ten years (give or take) after the final events of 'Rise,' in which the lab-created virus known as ALZ-112 has, for lack of a better term, gotten loose. The virus, originally created to battle Alzheimer's, proves to have an overwhelmingly positive effect on the lab chimps and apes experimented on, starting with Caesar (Andy Serkis), who eventually frees his kind from captivity and escape to the nearby San Fransisco redwood forest.

Human exposure to the virus is something different altogether, in that it becomes a simian flu outbreak, leaving the only human survivors those with a natural immunity to it. This is basically covered in an opening credits news cast, much like your average zombie movie, and in time, we see what has become of Caesar and his friends we met previously - a circus orangutan named Maurice (Karin Konoval) and fellow chimp, Koba (Toby Kebbell), both of whom have sworn a loyalty to Caesar for their freedom, ever thankful for the community they've created for themselves.

Through those ten years, the human race has been dying off, leaving the world in a 'Last of Us'-like state of overgrowth, and apes have thrived. Caesar even has his own close-knit household with his partner, Cornelia (Judy Greer), son, Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) and newborn baby, Cornelius, who some will recall as a full-grown ape in the 1968 original, tying this thing together loosely, but nicely. The future for this society looks promising enough, but the question remains, are humans still out there somewhere? And if so, do they pose a threat?

The first portion of this is answered when a group of human survivors, led by a guy named Malcolm (Jason Clarke), along with his wife, Ellie (Keri Russell), and son, Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee) stumble into ape territory in search of a dam, which could restore power to their community. However, one of the ass holes of the group, Carver (Kirk Acevedo), shoots and injures Blue Eyes' friend, Ash (Larramie Doc Shaw). Caesar decides the best move is to draw a line in the sand, not wanting violence, but warning that they'll fight if they have to.

Once all that is established, what we really get from this film, in my opinion, is two extremes of both sides of the coin. Malcolm and his family wish to make peace, and Caesar, remembering good natured humans like his Will takes a chance on him, wanting the same peace. On the other side of the coin, however, is Koba, who only remembers the bad things human scientists did to him, and the leader of the human society, Dreyfuss (Gary Oldman), who lost his family to the virus and will stop at nothing to keep his community surviving.

I really liked the way the film executed such a range of emotions through these characters, reminding me of a handful of D&D creations ranging from "lawful good" to "chaotic evil," and placing characters like Blue Eyes in the middle of it all, knowing the way his Dad thinks in terms of peace, but understanding where Koba's need for vengeance comes into play, especially with his friend having been shot by one of those damned dirty humans - Carver; definitely a character you love to hate, and it doesn't stop at that gunshot.

While 'Rise' is how everything began, concluding with the virus getting out of hand, 'Dawn' is more about being in the ape's world now, and the beginnings of their society. I also take what I mentioned about two extremes on either side of the coin to heart here. One of the big themes here seems to be the classic trope of "we're not so different, you and I," but it does a very good job of not just simply dividing good and evil, and it's always nice to be able to understand where everyone here is coming from... except maybe Carver... what a jerk.

5/5

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