Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an extremely enjoyable film. There are many things I liked about this film, but the cinematography was particularly enjoyable. I was mesmerized by shots that were not merely cinematic gimmicks but actually served to further the plot. One such shot is filmed from the perspective of an ape riding on top of a tank’s spinning turret as it rolls towards the humans’ gate. The audience is thrown directly into the center of the chaos and sees the battle through the eyes of the ape. This and other similar tracking shots are inserted masterfully by cinematographer Michael Seresin (who was part of the Oscar-winning cinematography team on Gravity).
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes also shines in its realistic depiction of apes who resemble humanity. I have been a huge fan of the Planet of the Apes film series since I was young, but this is the first film in the franchise I have watched in which I completely forgot that the apes were not real. This is partly due to the technological advances made by the team at Weta Digital over the years, but it is also due to the fantastic motion capture performance of Andy Serkis as the central ape Caesar.
The film’s bookending shots are a prime example of his emotional impact; Caesar stares straight ahead as the camera zooms outward from his eyes for the opening shot and later zooms back in on his eyes for the closing shot. The level of emotion in his face – particularly in his eyes – is chilling. Caesar’s resolve to protect his own kind is never more clear than at these two moments. Through these shots, the audience is reminded that this is no longer our planet; it is now the Planet of the Apes.
Throughout his career, Serkis has given many groundbreaking performances (his role as Smeagol in The Lord of the Rings is another prime example of his prowess). He is paving the way for future motion capture actors. I would love it if Serkis nabbed a Best Actor nomination this year for his work in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I suspect that years from now, Andy Serkis will be remembered as a pioneer of motion capture filmmaking in much the same way that Charlie Chaplain is now remembered as an icon of the silent film era.
In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the now super-intelligent apes have built a society closely resembling – if not directly mimicking – human society. When a small band of surviving humans accidentally walk into the middle of this ape society, it sets off a chain of events which causes the audience to question whether or not ape and human societies can possibly live at peace with one another.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes excels in its complex exploration of the true issue at the heart of most conflicts – trust. Throughout the film, apes and humans are constantly skimming the knife’s edge between peace and violence. On both sides, some try to keep the peace and avoid war, while others would much rather settle their differences through violence. Those individuals who prefer to resort to violence mainly do so because they do not trust the other side.
The human leader Dreyfus (played by Gary Oldman) thinks of the apes as little more than animals and does not trust that they will remain peaceful. Dreyfus is unable to see his enemy as an equal. He is unwilling to risk his own way of life by trusting those he considers to be inferior, mindless beasts to not attack him.
The main ape protagonist Koba (masterfully played by Toby Kebbell) does not trust humans because of the terrible pain they caused him while he was in captivity a decade ago. Koba is unable to trust the humans because he is also unable to forgive them for the last time they hurt him. He would rather attack the humans before they are given the chance to hurt him again. This lack of mutual trust threatens the way of life for both societies.
Caesar, our hero, must continually decide whether or not he trusts the humans. If he chooses to trust them, he risks the very things he holds most dear – home, family, future. If he chooses to not trust them and to go to war instead, he puts those things at even greater risk. Caesar takes the high road by choosing to trust the humans, but he is also ready to defend his friends and family if necessary.
Earlier this year I attended a preview of this film at Wondercon in which director Matt Reeves explained, “This film about apes is really about humanity.” Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a compelling film that explores issues like trust, peace, and violence. Its genius lies in its ability to speak potently about these human issues through the eyes of an ape.
