Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Stream
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A group of scientists in San Francisco struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of a plague that is wiping out humanity, while Caesar tries to maintain dominance over his community of intelligent apes.
What critics thought
Matt Reeves's sequel earned strong praise for threading genuine ideas about diplomacy and power through its blockbuster spectacle, with Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance drawing particular attention. The broad critical verdict was that it surpassed its predecessor in ambition and emotional weight, though a minority found the apocalyptic setup formulaic and the whole enterprise less original than advertised.
“An altogether smashing sequel to 2011's better-than-expected Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this vivid, violent extension of humanoid ape Caesar's troubled quest for independence bests its predecessor in nearly every technical and conceptual department, with incoming helmer Matt Reeves conducting the proceedings with more assertive genre elan than Rise journeyman Rupert Wyatt.”
Guy Lodge·Variety
“There's evident patience and intelligence to the filmmaking all over, as well as an engagement with genuine ideas about diplomacy, deterrence, law and leadership. However often it risks monkey-mad silliness, it's impressively un-stupid.”
The Daily Telegraph
“Dawn is not just a good genre movie or a good summer movie. It's a great science-fiction film, full-stop, and one of the year's very best movies so far.”
Drew McWeeny·HitFix
“Here's a rule that has gradually become clear to me: Any film that begins with one of those fake-news montages, where snippets of genuine CNN footage are stitched together to concoct a feeling of semi-urgency around its hackneyed apocalypse, already sucks even before it gets started. This one makes a dutiful attempt to struggle back from that suckage, but it all ends in yelling.”
Andrew O'Hehir·Salon.com
Accolades
Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama
Cast & Crew
Matt ReevesDirector
Andy SerkisCaesar
Jason ClarkeMalcolm
Toby KebbellKoba
Gary OldmanDreyfus
Keri RussellEllie
Kodi Smit-McPheeAlexander
Nick ThurstonBlue Eyes
Karin KonovalMaurice
Terry NotaryRocket
Doc ShawAsh
Judy GreerCornelia
Lee RossGrey
Michael GiacchinoComposer
Mark BombackWriter
Rick JaffaWriter
Amanda SilverWriter
Michael SeresinCinematographyDawn of the Planet of the Apes
A group of scientists in San Francisco struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of a plague that is wiping out humanity, while Caesar tries to maintain dominance over his community of intelligent apes.
What critics thought
Matt Reeves's sequel earned strong praise for threading genuine ideas about diplomacy and power through its blockbuster spectacle, with Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance drawing particular attention. The broad critical verdict was that it surpassed its predecessor in ambition and emotional weight, though a minority found the apocalyptic setup formulaic and the whole enterprise less original than advertised.
“An altogether smashing sequel to 2011's better-than-expected Rise of the Planet of the Apes, this vivid, violent extension of humanoid ape Caesar's troubled quest for independence bests its predecessor in nearly every technical and conceptual department, with incoming helmer Matt Reeves conducting the proceedings with more assertive genre elan than Rise journeyman Rupert Wyatt.”
Guy Lodge·Variety
“There's evident patience and intelligence to the filmmaking all over, as well as an engagement with genuine ideas about diplomacy, deterrence, law and leadership. However often it risks monkey-mad silliness, it's impressively un-stupid.”
The Daily Telegraph
“Dawn is not just a good genre movie or a good summer movie. It's a great science-fiction film, full-stop, and one of the year's very best movies so far.”
Drew McWeeny·HitFix
“Here's a rule that has gradually become clear to me: Any film that begins with one of those fake-news montages, where snippets of genuine CNN footage are stitched together to concoct a feeling of semi-urgency around its hackneyed apocalypse, already sucks even before it gets started. This one makes a dutiful attempt to struggle back from that suckage, but it all ends in yelling.”
Andrew O'Hehir·Salon.com
Accolades
Genres
Action, Adventure, Drama
Cast & Crew
Matt ReevesDirectorAndy SerkisCaesarJason ClarkeMalcolmToby KebbellKobaGary OldmanDreyfusKeri RussellEllieKodi Smit-McPheeAlexanderNick ThurstonBlue EyesKarin KonovalMauriceTerry NotaryRocketDoc ShawAshJudy GreerCorneliaLee RossGreyMichael GiacchinoComposerMark BombackWriterRick JaffaWriterAmanda SilverWriterMichael SeresinCinematographyStream
Rent & Buy