Overall, I really enjoyed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
I liked that the political situation between apes and humans and within
each group was complex. Each had their own factions and individuals
working within them. Nobody was a mustache
twirling bad guy. The intentions of the villain were understandable and occasionally
sympathetic. It’s a storyline that could’ve
been told without talking apes. Indeed,
much of the point of the movie is that the apes and humans really aren’t so
different. But I appreciate that they
took what could’ve been a straight up action movie and made it smart.
I liked the previous movie in this series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a lot
more than I expected. This movie feels
like a worthy successor. Not retaining any of the original human case feels like a
bold move, but
also makes sense. It’s unlikely any of
them would’ve survived, and they weren’t really the main characters of the last
movie. It’s really all about Caesar.
I would recommend seeing this movie even if you haven’t seen
the previous one. Is stands alone well
enough that jumping in with it won’t diminish your enjoyment. There are no critical references to the
earlier film. So, if you’re looking for
something to watch, give Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes a try.
