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In 2011, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was considered a risk by most box
office pundits. Arriving a decade after Tim Burton’s financially successful but
poorly received remake, it appeared as through the fire died out long ago for
“Planet of the Apes” fandom. Turns out, the public was just waiting for quality
damn, dirty ape entertainment, with “Rise” becoming one of the most successful
movies of the year. Now there’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” a second
chapter in the rebooted saga, and a sequel that is sure to please those who
enjoy this premise serviced with the utmost seriousness. Captured with a
refreshing patience and attention to character, not just pure spectacle, the
continuation has moved beyond careful thin-ice dramatic advancement to establish
itself as a powerhouse franchise that will likely inspire additional talking ape
adventures to come, perhaps even rivaling the first go-around with the brand
name in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
After a decade of spreading, the dreaded ALZ-113 virus has claimed a good
portion of humanity, with a cluster of survivors holed up in San Francisco,
finding leadership in Dreyfus (Gary Oldman, in a surprisingly minor role). In
need of a new power source, a select team of humans, including Malcolm (Jason
Clarke, “Zero Dark Thirty”) and his wife, Ellie (Keri Russell), travel into Muir
Woods to figure out how to bring an old dam back to life. Entering dangerous
territory, the gang encounters Caesar (Andy Serkis), the leader of the apes, who
presides over a community of creatures, taking care of his impressionable
teenage son, River (Nick Thurston). Without contact with humans for over two
years, Caesar is wary of Malcolm’s intentions, gradually learning to trust the
friendly trespasser. Detecting that Caesar’s peaceful ways will allow humans to
rule the apes once again, Koba (Toby Kebbell), an ill-tempered advisor, works to
undermine such authority, urging his kind into war with Dreyfus.
What’s immediately striking about “Dawn” is how it simply slows down to soak up
the mood. Humans don’t actually show up in the movie for quite some time,
leaving the opening to the apes, with Caesar overseeing a hunting party in the
deep woods, tracking a group of deer with numerous soldiers, confidants, and the
young. It’s a glimpse into the ape way of life, built over a decade of distance
from the humans and their own struggle for survival. Caesar speaks, a gift
brilliantly revealed in the last picture, but the primary mode of communication
is sign language, keeping the feature a behavioral study instead of an
exposition slog. It’s remarkable in this day and age to see “Dawn” so subtle and
quiet as it commences, but the reward is a full understanding of Caesar’s rule
and the reasoning behind his continued dominance, with the addition of a newborn
son contributing to his dream of family and unity.
When humans do enter “Dawn,” they arrive brandishing weapons. Guns are a major
focal point in the picture, representing a metallic tool of aggression new to
the apes, shifting the balance of power with their heavily-armed enemy. The
screenplay divides the human characters into those willing to work with Caesar
and discover ape life, and those who kill without thinking, permitting fear to
manage their lives. Both sides of the city share a common fracture in evolution,
a parallel “Dawn” milks mercilessly, working to unite Malcolm and Caesar as
protective fathers who want to avoid violence, yet remain aware that such hope
is limited when primitive instincts are in play. There are provocative themes
explored and sincere exchanges of emotion, while tension is stoked as Koba
generates a plan to disrupt the tentative union, luring River into his
malevolent scheme. While the feature spins a familiar web of deception, it does
so with a richly dramatic presence, creating a genuine rapport between the
humans and apes that’s completely believable and engrossing, building into an
epic story of betrayal and resignation that eventually leads into more
action-oriented pursuits.
Director Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield” and the misguided “Let Me In”) gives “Dawn”
an impressive cinematic look, allowing the motion capture characters an
opportunity to deliver performances underneath incredibly detailed CGI artistry.
The apes are simply stunning, urging viewers to lean toward the screen, just to
make sure these aren’t real creatures. Sequences involving warfare between the
humans and the apes deliver intensity, while more personal moments are just as
exciting, as Reeves is not one to edit his way in and out of scenes. “Dawn” is
artfully composed and periodically breathtaking, creating a dystopian
environment with atypical blockbuster self-control. Just watching the apes
interact is worth the price of admission, as exceptional performances from the
likes of Serkis, Thurston, and Karin Konoval (playing a wise orangutan who
befriends Malcolm’s teen son) are merged with seamless visual effects,
permitting the fantasy to take hold.
There are a few problems with “Dawn,” including an excessive run time (130
minutes) that’s in need of a tighter edit. Clarke proves to be an ineffective
leading man, perhaps a tad too bland to compete with his ape co-stars. Overall,
criticisms are few with such bravely measured work, and “Dawn of the Planet of
the Apes” succeeds at moving this tale of discord and leadership along,
continuing to refuse the invitation to mimic the narrative path of the original
series.
In a welcome surprise, and unlike most summer movies, Dawn of the Planet of the
Apes gets better the more you think about it, and it can linger; the human
characters and ape characters are all capable of strength and weakness, good and
bad. And like all great science fiction, this one has a moral core and important
topic under the action and the acting: Why do we fight? Smart, strong and as
morally intriguing as it is physically propulsive, Dawn of the Planet of the
Apes somehow turns what might have been a lazy reboot of yesterday's camp
'classics' into vital, exciting and resonant movie making for our time. Not only
the best film of the summer, but surprisingly one of the best of the year. |
