Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sets the bar even higher above its predecessor
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes builds off its predecessor exactly the way that every sequel should, going above and beyond.
The story of Dawn starts a decade after Rise of the Planet of the Apes, as the global human population has substantially decreased in size from the outbreak of the engineered Simian Flu virus. Meanwhile, Caesar and his fellow ape sanitary escapee have spent all these years evolving and expanding their own community. Caesar's new ape society clashes with human plague survivors when they come looking to re-open a hydroelectrically power station.
SERKIS ONCE AGAIN DELIVERS
The beauty of this movie is it doesn't rely on the aspects of war to deliver it's hard narrative punch. The overall theme of the movie is 'trust' and whether war will steam from that trust being broken or obtained. Tension ensues throughout, and this general theme brewing over the movie delivers it's fair share of emotions.
Just like in Rise, Serkis has once again delivered a finely executed performance as Caesar. It was always going to be a hard encore for Serkis to try and top his previous portrayal, but he seems to have out done himself. There is more depth to Caesar, a far more cohesive believability to his mannerisms. Serkis has now taken Caesar to cult icon status.
As to be expected, the special effects are mesmerising. Movies such as these can sometimes be held back by the powers of CGI, delivering up a movie too reliant on it's visual appeal, ultimately neglecting story. Dawn couldn't be further away from all of that. It's narrative is the priority throughout. It's a suspenseful, rip-roaring movie that has you on the edge of your seat. This powerful narrative is simply enhanced by how great the special effects are.
There isn't much wrong with Dawn; it has a captivating emotional heartbeat at the center of it's story that develops drama effortlessly, giving us solid entertainment. We're treated to countless moments of furious breathtaking action, and at it's core, a truly phenomenal performance by Serkis. It's an experience that goes beyond the trough of huge budget Summer blockbusters, delivering a sequel that goes above and beyond its predecessor. This primate saga is totally worthy of the hype surrounding it and may well be one of the smartest blockbusters made in quite some time.
