Dawn follows on 10 years after Rise. A large part of humanity has been killed by a deadly virus which swept the globe and Caesar and his ape community live somewhere in San Francisco. The apes teach each-other to read and write and most are fluent in sign language. They hunt other animals en masse with well-timed plans. Meanwhile, the humans are in a dystopian society, hanging around in an enclosure with limited electricity and no communications with humans in other areas. In fact, their power supply will run out in a few weeks unless they can reactivate a dam near where the apes are located.
A mishap occurs where an ape ends up dead (due to a guy called Carver) and Caesar confronts the humans with his army warning that they should never again go into ape territory. It's a powerful and convincing moment.
I've never hated a character more than I hated Carver (Kirk Acevedo) in this movie. He is loud, stupid, arrogant, rude, aggressive, dismissive of anything he doesn't agree with and almost single- handedly causes a war between apes and humans. He's antogonistic with the other humans and adds nothing of value to the movie. He cuts off Ellie (Keri Russell), emphatically proclaiming that obviously the apes are responsible for the simian virus (he is incorrect). I can't stand when movies turn to devices like this. It's unnecessary and cheapens the existing tension in the film. The other humans are stupid by extension by putting up with him and seemingly forgiving his countless mistakes, constant risk-taking and unpleasant negativity.
The apes themselves represent a major achievement in film-making. The cgi is incredible although the chimpanzee faces are more obviously fake. The orangutans are especially unbelievable. I was really blown away. It's important to give credit to the sound design as well. The sounds give the apes weight and presence. You don't think about the breathing or the steps or the subtle shifting of weight but they all make noise which is critical to making it seem real.
And the ape performances are great. The eyes of the apes are intense and knowing. Their movement is very natural, both with the body and the face. They put so much expression into what they say with sign language and also when they actually speak. Andy Serkis is the go-to man when it comes to ping-pong-balls-on-a-green-suit acting and he must have delivered here because Caesar is a powerful character with a demanding presence. Koba is also excellent but then so are all the apes. They're incredible to watch and ironically bring a lot of humanity to the movie, moreso than the humans.
The way Koba eventually leads a battle against the humans is very logical and devious. I felt like it echoed WWI in some ways. But there are many gaps in logic in the movie. The humans are far too lazy in protecting a weapons depot. Malcolm (Jason Clarke) does a reasonable job of trying to connect with Caesar and the apes but he fails to warn that the humans are arming and preparing for a likely battle. He doesn't do enough to initiate diplomacy and communication between the apes and humans. Why aren't the humans more excited in finding intelligent, speaking apes? This is a major revelation! A chance to connect with a separate species.
Gary Oldman is one of my favourite actors but he can only do so much with so little screen time and such weak lines. His character ends up being disappointingly short-sighted.
The music was disappointing. Parts of it sounded like Agent Cody Banks or something - like a goofy kid's spy movie. Michael Giacchino seems inconsistent, perhaps it depends on the director or kind of movie he's working on. Some of the more sentimental parts were okay but most of the music sounded tired, contrived and forgettable.
In summary, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a mixed bag. It has the makings of a great film with the potential to give profound insights into how conflicts grow and wars begin. Caesar's growing moral compass is powerful to watch. The apes make the movie worth seeing alone. But the humans are dull and stupid by comparison. The acting, lines and characterisation is weak for the humans. The action scenes are really well done. The relationship between Caesar and Koba is perhaps the core of the movie and it's very well done. Take out 40 minutes of weaker material and substitute 20 minutes of smart ideas and motivations and Dawn would be a masterpiece.
