Dawn of Planet of The Apes

Some Serious Monkey Business

Director: Matt Reeves
Release Date: 2014
Rating: 12
Running Time: 130 mins
Genre: Action/Drama
Starring: Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke

"I always think Apes are better than humans, I see now how similar we are"

Before I was forced to sit down and watch this with some of my family on boxing day just gone, I had never been interested in the Planet of The Apes series at all, nor had I even bothered to watch any of them in the past. To me, monkeys had just never been that interesting on screen. I once tried watching Peter Jackson's King Kong but just couldn't get into it. So having no motivation to watch this CGI'd primate epic with no idea of what had happened previously in Rise of The Planet of The Apes, I sat down recovering from my hangover and tried to watch it and it really didn't take long until I was completely hooked.

I found the whole thing fascinating, it speaks not just on a moral level, but a human level as well, begging the question can we all find a way to live in peace. It speaks truths that not all species are bad, but not any are perfect and there's good and bad on all sides. Despite the war and violence that goes on, its a film that I'm sure all audiences can relate to. Having not seen any of the others in the series previously, I'm not sure if all are similar to it's latest instalment. Though I have got to say, it has now made me determined to watch them all and find out.

Andy Serkis revives his role as Cesar, leader of the apes, and its got to be said that, although he may not have been at all recognisable, he still plays the role incredibly well. I would've thought he'd be up for best actor in a leading role at this years Academy Awards, though maybe that's just my opinion. It made me think of how long it would've taken him, in a CGI suit for weeks on end, to get the role just right. Though having played characters such as King Kong and Gollum previously, I'm sure he's no stranger to those climbing into those tight suits with light bulbs stuck all over them. The human characters are also well acted and make it really difficult for us to pick sides on who to support. There's a clear message that there's good and bad on both sides and it's how we choose to act that's important.

There's no denying Dawn of The Planet of The Apes is a film that will really make you think about morals and how we aren't too different from other animals if we work together. It's a film that's got everything from action to romance. An exceptional film.

8/10