Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Adds the Depth We Were Missing in the Sci-Fi Genre

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Information:

Title: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Main Actors: Any Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman and Kodi Smit-McPhee

Run Time: 130 minutes

Rating: 7.6/10

Rotten Tomatoes (because lets be serious, the only review that matters): 90%

 

First I watched the apes rise. Then I watched as reality dawned on the apes.

I am not usually a fan of post-apocalyptic themed films, but Matt Reeves sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was a pleasant surprise. This production, by 20th Century Fox, portrayed subtle symmetry between Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and this film, which was very poetic. It added the depth I craved from similar sci-fi films.

FX has recently been airing this film and it’s prequel to help promote the third film in this series, War on the Planet of the Apes, which airs in the theaters on July 14, in three days. I decided to binge on the first two movies of the series. I am glad I did.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes proved to be an action-packed and intellectual movie that definitely was worth my time to watch. This movie has made me a fangirl of the series and I fully intend to see the newest addition in theaters come Friday.

The first movie of the series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, starring James Franco, takes place in San Francisco. It tells the story of how an engineered virus called ALZ-113 rapidly increases the intelligence of apes. This virus resulted in the rise of the ape species and the demise of the human race.

Flash forward 10 years and that is where Dawn of the Planet of the Apes begins. Most of the human population has died off from the spread of the ALZ-113 virus and the ape civilization has grown in numbers, strength and intelligence. They have made their home among the red woods in Upper California. Caesar, the original genetically enhanced ape from the first film, is still the leader of the apes.

However, don’t assume that the name of the leading ape in relations to Shakespeare’s famous play Julius Caesar foreshadows the entire film’s plot. Many surprises and intriguing action scenes are scattered throughout this emotion-provoking film.

This film has changed my mind on sci-fi movies. I have always stayed far away from post-apocalyptic films and storylines that included plagues. The Planet of the Apes series is so well done. The characters, even though they are computer generated apes, were so vibrant. I related with these characters and got emotionally attached to the storyline.

Overall, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has really sparked my excitement for the third film of the series. I will definitely be in line on opening night to see how these characters and story continue on.

4 out of 5 stars (boxes)