Reviews & Ratings for
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

When this movie first came out in 2014, I initially didn’t like this much. Not that it wasn’t good or well made, but it was very different from the first part and it took me a while to get used to that idea.
Recap:
Caesar and his apes are now living in the wild far away from the humans whose society has been decimated by the ‘Simian flu’ a virulent drug released in the previous film known as ALZ113. With the humans gone, Caesar is looking after his family and the apes who follow him.
Chaos ensues when caesar’s son comes across a group of desperate humans trying to restore power to the nearby dam.
One thing leads to another and Koba, an ape who has undergone lab experiments previously, tries to dethrones Caesar and then start a war with the last remaining band of humans.
Caesar is almost killed and then he has to fight back in his weaken state against Koba to establish his supremacy and regain control of the apes.
Review:
I did not love this movie as much as the first part, but this is still a damn good movie. It’s not on my all-time favorite list, but as a sequel to this Ape-Trilogy, it’s a solid entry. Lots of action, great scenes and very good direction makes this movie a must watch. Caesar’s words, although minimal, are very powerful when he uses them. This is a credit to the film makers.
Not to mention the CGI is now almost flawless. A close up of Caesar’s digitally rendered face shows no signs of any CGI. He looks and seems fully real.
The plot is not fast paced, but the implications of the story are very dramatic. The action scenes are really solid and then climactic fight in a half-finished tower is quite satisfying.
But the reason I didn’t like this film is because it is only HALF a film. They leave the end open for the next part which I am about to see today. Without the next part, this sequel ends on a wobbly footing. Possibly the sequel will make this film much better. That is yet to be seen.

Rating: 7.5/10. Pretty solid film, with an open ended climax which leaves you wanting for more. I honestly did not want to re-visit this film before the sequel released as it always leaves me wanting for more and a closure on the story. Now 3 years after release, that’s possible and that let’s me enjoy this film a lot more.

First of all the movie disappointed as James Franco wasn't there. But, somehow it managed his absence. Second, the story was straightforward with no much suspense and thrill. I was expecting a good fighting sequence between Koba and Caesar, but that went in vain. Don't expect much for the 3D effects. However, as the movie moves on, it seems that the producers didn't have much options to carry on story. Caesar is now a strong leader of the ape clan. In all, one time watch, not anywhere close with the first part. Hope the coming parts will have more thrill and excitement.