Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Reeves, 2014)

If Rise of the Planet of the Apes was created to make humanity seem cruel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes it one step farther by showing how boring humans really are. The human characters in this sci-fi epic are secondary at best, and none of them have any sort of depth. While this normally connotes laziness on the part of the filmmakers, there remains a second cast in the film, much more interesting, much more rounded, and overall, much more sympathetic. 

People should go see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes solely because of the titular ape characters. The film is a radical improvement of an already surprisingly good film, and does everything a sequel should do. The effects are better, the action is grander, the decisions are more important, and the returning characters are all further developed in fascinating ways.

Set 10 years after Rise, the film opens with a look at the new society the apes have created in the wake of humanity's near extinction. Caesar (Andy Serkis) still leads the ultra-intelligent simians, this time with a family of his own. They have no regard for the humanity that abused them, and most are content with the knowledge that most people are dead- killed by the virus that gave the apes heightened intelligence.

Meanwhile, a small band of human survivors led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) are seeking an energy source to power their failing city. They send a team, which includes the morally upstanding Malcolm (Jason Clarke), his girlfriend Ellie (Keri Russell), and his son Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee), to find a power source in the jungles beyond the Golden Gate Bridge- unaware of the apes living there. 

When the humans and apes meet, there is much hostility between them. The only ones able to see through the fog of hatred are Malcolm and Caesar, who allows the humans to access the jungle, much to the dismay of Koba (Toby Kebbell), an ape who was experimented on for years. The fragile alliance is threatened from both sides, and soon Caesar will have to choose between defending his colony from the humans, or putting his trust in the people who have hunted them for so long. 

The screenplay puts much emphasis on the ape portions of the story, so much so that the human sections seem repetitive. By this point, we see the human characters as animals, and the apes as our heroes. It's a weird sort of comparison that would not have been possible without Rise, and the sequel drives home the franchise's points about the dark monstrosity looming inside all of humanity. 

Andy Serkis once again gives an Oscar-worthy performance as Caesar, and even improves upon his near-perfect acting from the first film. There's little details in his role that make all the difference: his quivering lip, his hand gestures, and most importantly, his all-telling eyes. The "windows to his soul" show more about his character than anything, and very few actors have mastered the ability to make their eyes demonstrate not what they feel, but what the character feels. That to me is the trademark of a great actor- the ability to actually transform into another person, or in this case, an ape. Caesar is one of the greatest modern-day characters, and in this film, his story continues in glorious form. 

Kebbell is also a great up-and-coming motion-capture performer, and next to Caesar, his character has the most screen time. Maurice (Karin Konoval) and Rocket (Terry Notary) from Rise are also very believable and convincing as apes. In addition, Caesar's son Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) represents the new generation of apes in a really interesting way- does he follow his idealistic father, or remain loyal to his ape roots? He symbolizes the ever-widening divide between nature and development, and his physical scars are metaphors for this conflict. 

The human actors give it their all, but all except Clarke have very little with which to work. Oldman in particular gets shafted, with only a few key scenes and little character development. However, Reeves seems to intentionally give the humans little backstory, so that they're harder to sympathize with in comparison to the apes. 

Rise was highly successful because of the groundbreaking way it put motion-capture actors in unpredictable and virtually uncontrollable outdoor environments. In Dawn, almost all the ape scenes are outside, and the detail on their skin and fur is unbelievable. At times it seems like the filmmakers managed to find actual talking apes and orangutans. 

The prologue is very disturbing and evocative of Rise's end credits, setting the tone for the darker nature of this film. There's very little comedic moments, and most of the time viewers will be on the edge of their seats. This is a very dangerous world to live in, and the filmmakers plunge into the uncomfortableness by not holding anything back. It subtly weighs in on the gun debate, and shows the importance of having a place to call home. 

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an action movie with a lot to offer. If you really want to understand its message, however, all you have to do is look into Caesar's green eyes in the first scene, for they tell the whole story in a single shot. Its a look that will haunt you for the rest of the movie, and into the dawn.