Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Review by Frances Winston

Directed by: Matt Reeves

Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Toby Kebbell, Judy Greeer.

In cinemas: July 18th

Picking up just over a decade after events of the last film the ALZ-113 virus has apparently wiped out civilization and the apes have built their own communities and have evolved hugely communicating through speaking and sign language. Humans are not totally eradicated though, as the apes discover when a group of people stumble upon them. When one of them shoots an ape the primates debate whether or not to start a war with what is left of the humans but Caesar (Serkis) – older and wiser than in the first film and still with an affection for humans – vetoes the idea.

It subsequently turns out that the party were looking for access to a dam in order to power the city in which they live. When one of the group Malcolm (Clarke) returns to the ape colony to plead with them to allow them to repair the damaged dam Caesar agrees once they leave their guns. As the humans work Malcolm and Caesar form a bond but another ape Koba (Kebbell) refuses to believe that the humans want peace after one of Malcolm’s party smuggles in a firearm and he later stumbles upon an armoury. Refusing to listen to reason he manages to instigate a war that only Caesar can stop.

The stop motion here is simply amazing. Each of the apes has a distinct look and personality and you become completely engaged in their world. You absolutely forget that it is actors behind the movements so convincing is the animation. This takes events of the first movie Rise of Planet of the Apes and builds on it to the nth degree. The relationships between characters are totally believable and compounded by some great performances. Clarke and Serkis work really well together and all of the characters – both ape and human – are well rounded. This could easily have veered the wrong side of silly but instead you get a truly engaging story that has multiple subtexts about family, war, democracy and prejudice, to name just a few, that will resonate with even the most cynical audience members. The cinematography is stunning and the soundtrack is beautiful and works perfectly with the action. While Rise was far better than expected (and they have a nice nod to it near the end of the movie with a James Franco cameo) this takes the story to a whole new level.

Supremely intelligent it is the kind of movie you want to see more than once to ensure that you haven’t missed anything. It is an engaging watch with supremely serious undertones and it doesn’t outstay its welcome at all. Another instalment has already got the green light and if they can build on this foundation it promises to be one heck of a movie. Ironically, given the subject matter, this is possibly one of the most human movies of the year that will leave you with a lump in your throat.