Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) Trailer

I think Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes are two under-rated movies.

I enjoyed the movie and I didn't notice that time flew.  The movie is 2 hours 10 minute long.

The premise is set 10 years after the first sequel.  By that time, ape flu has caused millions of death.  The ape tribe led by Ceasar lives in the woods and haven't seen any humans for the last two years.  They think humans are extinct until one day a team of humans comes across with the apes.  Tension is built between the apes and the humans as they both fight for survival.


The characters except Ceasar are one-dimentional.  The exploration team of humans consists of the protagonist, a female medic, a son, a screw-things-up character and another forgettable character.  Such a cliche team.  Even Koba is a cliche character.  I'm only interested in seeing how Ceasar makes his moral decisions.


One thing remarkable is that not only the apes use sign language, they speak in English!  As their secondary language, the apes use simple vocabulary and is easy to understand what they say.


I think the best part of this movie is the cinematography.  I remember the scene which an ape (probably Koba) takes over a tank and shoot the humans.  The camera follows the ape's POV and the shot is almost like a video game!  The effect is stunning.


Overall, I enjoy this movie very much.  I expect there will be another sequel.