Dawn of the Planet of the Apes rejects the modern blockbuster’s inclination towards weightlessness; for a film about super-intelligent monkeys, this is a surprisingly heavy picture. While its predecessor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt, 2011), half-heartedly feinted at social resonance before shrugging and descending into frivolity, Dawn unapologetically bears the burden of themes of sustainability, racism and war. The result is a film that, much like Godzilla (Gareth Edwards, 2014), doesn’t so much subvert the conventions of big budget pictures (visually it’s of a piece with the grim-and-gritty post-Nolan tentpole) as redirect them towards a more thoughtful approach, emphasising the personal toll of violent conflict rather than its spectacle.
Continue reading at The 500 Club.
ccpopculture 
I’m really looking forward to this. I went to a Q&A with Andy Serkis a few weeks ago and it was so interesting to learn about all the background.
Ah, awesome! That would’ve been really interesting – he’s great in this.
Had to bookmark the reviews again. Only just saw the film.
Great review. The film is an excellent visual and conceptual improvement of the first and that’s impressive in its own right. And Andy Serikis retains his Title as the master of motion capture.
“Apes. Together. Strong.”
Thanks man. Serkis is very impressive here!