Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

Can apes rein over humans at the box office?


The latest installment of the Planet of the Apes franchise has hit theaters with a nice media push and the weight of an industry on its shoulders.  Many in Hollywood feel that this is one of the last major films of the summer that could save an abysmal year at the box office.  with sales down from last year, will this film give Hollywood the boost they hope for? Probably not! 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place 10 years after the events from Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Through a media montage at the beginning of the film we learn that the human population has been nearly annihilated from a virus known as the Simian flu.  We then meet back up with Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, as he and his fellow "smart apes" have created a civilization in the forests outside of San Francisco.  Perhaps the best thing about this film is seeing the early human-like civilization that these apes have created. Eventually we learn that the small survivor population in San Fran is nearly out of fuel and will need to venture into the forest putting them at odds with the apes.  

With a film like this it would be easy to make humans the protagonists and show the apes in a bad light.  However director Matt Reeves is able to develop the apes and the main character apes into a heart warming group.  He is able to show us not only their brutal side, but the emotional family side as well.  In a film nearly devoid of major actors with the exception of a like able Keri Russell and an under utilized Gary Oldman, developing the non-human characters becomes all the more important.  I guarantee you will find yourself saying, "hail Caesar" by the end.

The question remains, can this film be Hollywood's blockbuster savior this summer?  I do not believe it can.  This is a good film, but it doesn't measure up to the Dark Knight or Avenger films which are the most recent major blockbusters. It may not be the box office savior, but it is a good film.  I give this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars.  Definitely worth your money to see in the theater if you are a fan of the first film.