Rebuilding Rob

10 years have passed since the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Most of the human race has been wiped put as result of the simian flu. The apes colony in Muir Woods. A group of human survivors in San Francisco is hoping to re-establish electricity and make contact with the outside world; but they need to repair a dam in order to generate power. All that stands between them and the dam is the ape colony.

Dawn… is, of course, a sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Both movies serve as prequels to the 1968 Planet of the Apes, so we know how the story will ultimately end. The apes are going to take over and what’s left of humanity will ultimately be enslaved. But like any Shakespearean tragedy, it’s not ending of the story that we’re invested in. Remember, we already know the ending. We’re here to see how the characters get from point A to point B. Dawn…delivers in the regard. It takes us one step close to the fall of humanity and the rise of… well, you know.

I didn’t really care much of particular for the story of the humans. Maybe there was already a built-in sense of disconnect, since I know how it will ultimately end. This isn’t to take anything away from the performances of Michael Clarke (Malcolm) and Keri Russel (Ellie) and Kodi Smith-McPhee (Alexander). In his typical fashion, Gary Oldman, slides below the proverbial radar with his performance as Dreyfus, one of the men who remains at the compound will Malcolm, and Eli attempt to get the damn work.

Andy Serkis reprises his role as Caesar. Again, I’m forced to wonder how in the hell has Serkis never been nominated for, let alone won, an Academy award? I can only speculate that the Academy doesn’t really understand the amount of neon that goes into a digital performance; or they’re concerned about how to divvy up such an award between an actor and digital artist who bring him to the screen.

Dawn… is just as much Caesar’s story as it is a story of humanity. We see deeper dive into the heart of Caesar; one that can only be presented in a sequel. We learned that although he is very distrustful of humans, he does still see good in them. He does still remember his time with Will Rodman (see Rise…) and he ideally wishes to find some kind of peace between humans and apes.

But like any good tragedy, good intentions are always enough. Good people with good intentions aren’t always enough. Every now and then, the bad guys prevail. While Dawn… provides something of a happy ending, we know that the worst is yet to come.

I watched this movie last week – four years removed from the COVID-19 pandemic. And I couldn’t help it notice a parallels between this and the outbreak of Covid. Of course, this was all probably pretty much run of the mill pandemic scenarios, but still… The way that life would imitate certain elements of art just six years later is mind-boggling. Again, the Simeon plague isn’t the biggest part of this movie let alone the trilogy. But it was a little bit eerie watching the movie’s opening scene now in the post Covid world.

FINAL TAKE: Recommended, particularly if you are a fan of the apes franchise. As for newcomers to the saga, both Dawn…, and its predecessor Rise.. function is great entry points. Like any great piece of Science Fiction, it makes you think about humanity.

Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:

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The article “Rob Retro Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.