Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by Matt ReevesA growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth's dominant species.
Where to Watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Ratings & Reviews
- VarunOctober 19, 2024This is hands down one of the best blockbuster movies ever made. I didn’t think this would reach masterpiece status for me before I watched it. Full spoilers ahead. That 2 minute intro had me thankful I survived Covid and quarantine. And then the eyes of Caesar pop up on the screen and instantly made me excited. There’s only one word needed to describe his presence, BADASS. This is one of the best auras a character has exuded in movie history. He not only commands the family of all apes, but also each second and frame of this movie. That early scene where he just stands up to show his dominance towards Koba, it literally made me wanna bow down to him too. How many other blockbuster movies have characters that reach out to your emotions like that? The apes’ home was really well designed. The cityscape reminded me so much of The Last of Us. There was lots of moral complexity here, being careful not to portray humans and apes as just good or bad, and that makes for a much more interesting and unpredictable conflict. Koba is such a good villain with a really convincing case for his viewpoint at the start of the film that leads to an unredeemable descent into cruelty. All the other characters were great too, from Maurice to Blue Eyes and even the humans. They explored tons of themes here. All it takes is one asshole or saboteur to ruin the peace of hundreds. The role of military power plays a big role in the volatility of territorial disputes. I loved that line where Caesar says Koba only learnt hate from humans and nothing else. This movie really goes through the whole beautiful spectrum of life. Every second manages to be entertaining and infused with emotions and also the action is just fantastic. I saw a lot of parallels with Avatar and this is honestly the better movie to see for those human vs nature themes. Another parallel was the ending of the film panning towards the protagonist’s eyes and again the VFX is so unbelievably good, it makes you feel something almost unexplainable, like within 5 seconds you contemplate the human/animal dichotomy and your own nature. Any movie that makes me go WHOAAAAA at multiple different times instantly enters my GOAT lists, I can’t recommend it enough and I’m really hoping the next 2 sequels I’m about to watch maintain the same level of masterful direction.
- HumptyFebruary 23, 2025Koba is a beast!
- hpyo0October 11, 2025Good storyline. It's very entertaining to watch.
- Tubeman72September 30, 2025In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes we are ten years further since the events in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Almost all humans were killed by a deadly virus. While the survivors tried to rebuild their lives, they did not have problems with the apes, and the apes did not have problems with them. But now the humans are running out of energy. To find new energy sources, they must go through the territory of the apes. When human and ape meet again, it is clear that the apes have evolved a lot, and their group has grown very large. The leader of the apes is Caesar. In the first film, he already had a strong bond with a human. He did not fully lose his trust in people and wants humans and apes to live together in peace. He is even willing to help humans survive. But some apes are still very angry at humans because they were once locked up in laboratories. They no longer believe in human kindness. Because of this, war will break out. In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes the WETA technique, also used in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is perfected. It is amazing that no real apes are used, but everything is created digitally with WETA’s performance capture. This technique, which records expressions and movements and translates them to the computer, was also used in films like Avatar, King Kong and The Lord of the Rings. Big praise goes to Joe Letteri and his team, who made the visual effects. Also Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar, is not new to this technique. He also played digital characters in the films mentioned above. He is again an expert in showing deep emotions, even as a character that does not really exist. The apes are much more advanced than we would expect in our world. Before, they could already talk with sign language. Now most of them can even speak full sentences. The realistic human qualities and lifelike digital apes give the viewer a chance to fully enter this new world. The bond between humans and apes is very believable and gives the film an extra layer. The idea that life is about love, friendship and family is shown as much more important than differences between races of any kind. Even for people who are not fans of fantasy films, this movie is worth watching. Director Matt Reeves made Dawn of the Planet of the Apes an extremely exciting and moving film, which is in no way less than its predecessor Rise of the Planet of the Apes by Rupert Wyatt.
- Kevin WardJuly 2, 2025Et tu, Koba? This was even better than I remembered. VFX still look fantastic ten years removed. Koba looks completely menacing, but those moments when he’s feigning ignorance to gain access to the weapons cache are brilliantly realized. It’s a wonderful portrayal of how the actions of a few bad actors can seriously degrade the trust and goodwill of opposing forces. This was a really great film to revisit with my kids. They were gripped from start to finish.
- mickerdooAugust 4, 2025The effects and characterization of the apes makes this one work. A bit too much foreshadowing makes it predictable. But still impressive.
- Nathan MagretaJune 26, 2025This film continues to spread the message of the human/animal power balance with even more of what made the first film so good.
- darsanJune 13, 2025"caesar... weak" "koba... weaker" the visuals,the score, the story is just PEAKK and it's even better on re-watch.
- Spaceman JoeMay 29, 2025The dynamic between Caesar and Koba is some of the best written character in any movie I know of. It reminds me of Professor X and Magneto in X Men First Class
- Mister ArnMay 17, 2025Caesar's CGI acting is incredible, and the special effects are amazing. The script/interaction with the humans makes it average.
- The Movie HaterApril 11, 2025It was bad. Don't watch it.
