Dawnof thePlanetof theApes

When mankind's facing extinction, a group of survivors have to find a way to make the water dam at the nearest forest function again, so that it would generate electricity and help them inaugurate communications with the rest of their kind distributed sparsely across the world. The problem is Caesar and his family of evolved apes rule the forest aforementioned. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes forms the crux by striving to repair the long lost thin bridge of hope and understanding between humans and ape.

The film begins where it stopped in the first place – end credits. News footage embedded onto Earth globe stimulates the core story the picture is going to revolve around. The ALZ-113 virus has spread, causing human population a colossal blow! We sort of got a hint that this would be the following storyline in a potential sequel. And it is scary to see Darwin's Theory on reverse now. We are then introduced to the apes, their civilization and societal developments for the past 15 years in Muir Woods, thanks to Caesar. As a leader, he has taught his clan to hunt, gather, read but most importantly, to stay together as one. As family. He has a newborn, an adolescent son and wife. The respectful friendship between him and his right-hand, Koba (Toby Kebbell) is established. As Maurice (Karin Konoval) recollects past events regarding humans to Caesar, we come to know that the two race have not made contact in many, many years. Life is peaceful now.

The call to adventure arrives when Carver (Kirk Acevedo) shoots an ape named Ash (Doc Shaw) in panic! This channels a link to the rise in basic conflict. Chills are sent down one's spine when the apes gather around humans with a chorus "Go!"! To avoid any battle and focus on pescekeeping, Caesar pays visit to the human city in all horse and glory with his tribe in an awesome scene, raising the stakes for real! Malcolm (Jason Clarke) has no choice but to give a shot at explaining what they are after for survival. It's either bloodshed or negotiation. As he is encircled by gorillas and dragged to meet Caesar in a terrifying segment, you see the dead fear in his eyes! With Caesar agreeing and Koba disapproving, begins a gripping drama in Act II! You see the gap between the two widening. Clash of interests is approaching its boiling point. While wrath is building inside Koba, Caesar is walking on a fine line whether to trust or not to. This is the apparent struggle. Because of his decisions, the clan begins to divide in halves. Caesar slowly loses his say. Koba starts recruiting his own crew on a mission. Misunderstanding as to why humans are collecting weapons from a base upsets the turmoil further.

On one end, humans and apes are reconnecting and learning to work together. Caesar's adorable infant playing with Malcolm's members and Ellie (Keri Russell) treating his ill wife are attempts to ease up the tensions. On another, Koba infiltrates the convoy, monkeys around the two men, shoots them in a shocking way, steals a gun, kills Carver and snatches a lighter for his evil masterplan! As humans and apes finally coagulate as one with a ray of hope emerging from the skies, Koba shoots Caesar in an abrupt Mid-Point! An ugly war wages! Humans are hold captive, as a way for Koba to avenge! Not all the apes are able to agree with the new ruler, as Caesar's teachings are carved deep inside them. Caesar is treated by Malcolm and Ellie, before the hero rises from ashes to confront the true antagonist of the motion picture! Koba is left to die, in the same way the he allowed Jacobs (David Oyelowo) in the previous instalment. Still, the damage has been done. Military has been summoned. Humans will not know whether an ape is good or bad. The negative light is shone upon their entire community. Whatever tiny hope there was to reignite the relationship between humans and apes is now completely gone. As Malcolm disappears after a warming touch of foreheads, the little connective tissue apes had with humans is indicated torn for good. The motion picture started with a pair of eyes filled with confidence, authority, command and glory. And it ends with the same eyes replaced with sadness, disappointment and lost hope. All he wanted was peace, but now he has to prepare for the exact opposite - war.

As much as the picture highlights the dissension between the two race, fair amount of harmony is also shown to float the pace by beautifully balancing it like a pair of crest and trough. Hearing music after a long, long time in an oil station, Caesar tearing up in pain and betrayal, Cornelia (Judy Greer) giving birth, heartfelt apologetic conversation between Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston) and Caesar, Alexander (Kody Smit-McPhee) teaching Maurice to read a book and Caesar talking to his wife after childbirth are instances. Family values are shown to be common and core on both sides. When Caesar returns to his first house and plays the footage of him and Will (James Franco), you'll realize how far he has come and how much he has grown as a character. The filmmaking here is calm and composed with full professionalism. Little expositions here and there through dialogues could have been avoided.

Action sequences are top notch! Koba's first official rebel at the water dam station is a tick on the bar! Watch out for the aesthetically shot war sequence with precise slow-motions, although it can be a little dip in its final moments. And, of course, the extremely good climax lockdown between Caesar and Koba! The way it's assembled and executed with wide shots, going level after level and swinging from cord to cord is simply remarkable! Also prevalent are the tension build-ups! Bear attack, apes instilling fear on humans, potential that Malcolm could be caught and shot by Blue Eyes while hiding and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) setting up C4 with a team that could be blown up at any time with a gunpoint threat by Malcolm are examples!

Andy Serkis strikes again! There aren't any limits to acting, at least for Mr. Serkis and his fellow behind-the-scene actors. Take a bow, sir! Thank you very much for delivering remarkable performances and glorifying Planet of the Apes for us with deep lives and souls! It's exceedingly resuscitating to see the return of our favourite non-human protagonist, Caesar! Through the 15 years, he has grown into a dynamic leader of his troop with full of calibre. The love and respect showered on him are integrals that bolster a strong-appearing Caesar. He has become wiser and smarter. Character inventors were careful not to blunder by making him speak too much. He has a precisely calculated speech devise and limited vocabularies. Between each word, inserted pauses allow us to comprehend that he is still an ape trying his best to construe words and sentences. Facial reactions and sign language based conversations without a word spoken tell us everything we need to fathom about a scene, situation, emotion or circumstance. Isn't this pure visual storytelling? Formidable Koba is fierce! Toby Kebbell breathed life for this rich and skittish villain loaded with hatred for humans! You do understand where he is coming from too, as he points out the scars on his body as 'human work'. He has only seen the worst of the lot. Direct characteristic contrasts are displayed during the climax, with Caesar helping his injured kind whereas Koba kills his own with no mercy. Apart from the main character, the supporting ones have arcs to fulfil too. Blue Eyes goes from the naïve, easily-brainwashed child to a well-informed kid after seeing the land sliding changes through his own eyes. Man casts played their assigned parts well, with Gary Oldman as Dreyfus standing out. One could only wish for the man to be the human protagonist.

Each and every hair strand, black spot and wrinkle on the apes are render farm's confounding slabs of computer generated imagery! No wonder it took 3 years to give birth to a sequel that has 2 hours and 10 minutes of such work entirely! Those motion capture cameras mirror actors' sentiments and facial reactions at the pinnacle of accuracy! The reflective markers are definitely extra sensitive this time, and this sort of quality has its everlasting place in history! Cinematographer Michael Seresin chooses to dwell in extremely preoccupying stagnant camera shots for the darker colour palette of Dawn. It helps big time in stressing the details, structures and crude policies of the apes' world. Army tank rotary angle is such a neat, simple and impressive camera placement! Freeze and immerse yourself into the gorgeous shot of Koba hugging Blue Eyes in the background of a fire outbreak. Giacchino's score is literally the heartbeat of the onscreen proceedings! Sound effects bring the calm and serene atmosphere to live during the initial portions. It is every editor's task to season, decorate and arrange the product on the plate we've ordered. Planet of the Apes dawns as a gut-wrenching and tightly-packed saga, owing credits to the work done by William Hoy and Stan Salfas.

Imagine a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world with only a few number of people left. Never mind if you could not, because the art directors for this motion picture will show it to you through the veritable sets erected to colonize the remaining humans and apes in their respective territories. The common connection between the set compartments is the absence of electricity and power supplies. Human tower has been used effectually for the climax clash between Koba and Caesar. The surrounding flames and stacked up heights construct the tall tower. The acme of all would be Caesar's empire! Be astounded when you visit his house, forest, school, ceremonies, meetings and government on handle during the first 15 minutes of the film. Fun tidbit, you'll notice Caesar's drawing of his old house's window on one of the rocks at his dwelling. Now, what distinguishes the designs in this movie is the emotional attachment to it. If you notice, the picture's damp and dark throughout. It has to be like that when all hope seems to be at the edge of the cliff. The environment must complement the status, mood and tone of the story, in order to communicate with the audiences effectively.

Sandwiched between humans and apes, Caesar prepares both himself and you for a distinct dimension takeout on survival, family, betrayal and realization. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will only make you leave the screening hall with a saturated feeling of satisfaction.