On Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes builds of the characters created in the 2011 reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (forgetting the Tim Burton film from 2001 and presumably leading up to where Franklin J. Schaffner’s 1968 film begins). What is different about both these films, Rise and Dawn, is that despite the excellent actors, both films have the apes as the central character, Dawn even more so. And this leads to Andy Serkis and his motion capture performance as Caesar.

In Rise the special effects are impressive, but Dawn takes them to a new level and Serkis, as Caesar is incredible; he is the lead character and this is his movie, which could be a first for motion capture in a real world setting. In just a few years the technology has evolved to a point where Gollum or Kong (again, both Serkis) could soon start to look shaky. This focus on the apes is interesting for those of us who know where the films are heading. Sympathy with the apes is well established throughout Rise and Dawn, which will mean if the franchise continues to a remake of the 1968 Planet of the Apes, movement will have to be made away from the bombastic patriarchy.

The Charlton Heston film is undeniably misogynistic. Heston’s protagonist looks on at the gorgeous sleeping crew member and then dismisses her when she dies; later when he’s locked up by the apes he sensually strokes the hair of the woman he is to mate with, again dismissing her when escape beckons. This Vietnam era film feels outdated now, despite the punchy ending, whereas Dawn feels fresh while still offering a clear message against animal testing as well as the segregation metaphor. This is a character driven film, emotional and engaging and one of the more interesting summer franchises.