DAWN of the PLANET of the APES   3.5***

 

 

        Among Hollywood's recent output of mediocre  remakes of Sci-Fi classics, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' (2011) was the rare movie which stood out, for it had as much of a brain as it had a heart. Having said that, 'Rise' practically pales in comparison to the current sequel.  'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' which is a Science-Fiction near-masterpiece at a budget of  $170 million.  

 

The storyline picks up ten years after we saw Caesar and his fellow simian escapees seek refuge in the woods near San Francisco.  During the pre-movie credits sequence we see the results of the deadly spread the simian flu virus among humans  ( only I in 100 survive) as well as the setting  up of an advanced colony of apes outside of San Francisco where  in the city a decimated and battered humanity is struggling  to make some kind of life for itself. From there human and apes come into contact, and conflict builds: between ape and human, ape and ape, human and human. Andy Serkis is back again as  Caesar, who rules the apes with his intelligence and physical strength. Serkis is utterly outstanding and long overdue for major award recognition. It's a performance provoking awe, fear and joy in equal measure.

 

What needs to be mentioned first is what an astonishing achievement 'Dawn' is when it comes to the use of CGI. The level of craftsmanship displayed here simply has to be admired. It only took me seconds to forget I was watching digital characters (brought to life through the outstanding motion-capture performances by Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell and Judy Grier – to name but a few), and I can't begin to imagine what a task it must have been for the artists and wizards in the animation department to work on every background and every tiny little detail of every character until this level of seamlessness and reality could be achieved.

But nearly every other aspect of the movie has been realized equally well. The haunting musical score fits and reflects the drama on screen perfectly . The often amazing and both beautiful and terrifying images on screen are spectacular . When it comes to the action;  'Dawn' is not your usual summer blockbuster. This is no light-hearted, comic-book-style fantasy film with fun, over-the-top action scenes. What we have here is a gritty, realistic portrayal of a slowly escalating conflict, and when we do get to the battle scenes in the third act, those scenes are a spectacular,

But the core of this film – and also the reason why the action scenes in the third act really do have an impact and all the mayhem really gets to you – is the intelligent, skilfully told story with its well-drawn, believable characters . The tragic simian/human conflict mirrors our real – and very human – past and present day wars and social frictions in a very credible way and thus makes this film resonate far beyond what any mere Sci-Fi premise would let you expect.

 

So, with its beautiful imagery, highly relevant story and breath-taking effects, 'Dawn” is an excellent Sci-Fi movie… an astonishing achievement reflecting the best of all the new technology !!

 

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

 

Clark|