‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ sequel done right

What makes a sequel work is if the story can stand on its own while departing from the source. Summer blockbusters have formulas that might not entirely transform a series but present more of the same. However, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” is very much an evolution of the first film in the reboot, developing and building upon the motives of the surviving apes and humans as well as the wasteland they share and attempt to make home.

In the aftermath of the ALZ-113 virus dismantling civilization, Caesar (Andy Serkis) has built a community in the Muir Woods, emphasizing notions of family, loyalty and knowledge as what will make them powerful. The detail in their environment is stunning and ordered compared to the human compound. It’s an encounter with Malcom (Jason Clarke) and the rest of his group that generates the tension between the apes and humans that escalates through anxiety on both sides.

“Dawn” approximates reality so well with its motion capture effects that you forget what goes behind making every scene with apes. I felt so drawn in that it even felt like there was an ape in the audience, until I realized that a gentleman behind me was snoring. I bring this up because even the film, at subtle lengths, draws parallels between what it means to be an animal or human. While both share the survival instinct that often comes with values such as the need to protect, love and have a family, humans can be vicious and irrational, flawed and unforgiving. As the film progresses, even apes show very human characteristics of betrayal, at the hands of Caesar’s adviser Koba (Tony Kebbell), who was a test subject his entire life and has the scars to show for it.

It’s the notion of trust that becomes tested throughout the film as Caesar and Malcom attempt to repair their respective community’s understanding of one another with hopes of peace. But anger and violence is what brings the animal out on both sides, and while the action that the film culminates to can be entertaining, it is also scary and ugly to witness – human nature can be fowl. While the script may keep making the point that war is bad, emotional callbacks to Caesar’s earlier life and innocent upbringing prevents this from being overkill. Overall, as a spectacle and drama, “Dawn” does not monkey around.