Mark Keresman August 2014
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
In addition to ICON, Mark Keresman is a contributing writer for SF Weekly, East Bay Express, Pittsburgh City Paper, Paste, Jazz Review, downBeat, and the Manhattan Resident.
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We humans think we’re hot…stuff. We think the Deity gave us this world and no one’s going to take it away…right? That’s one of the routes science fiction takes, showing us a world where the power structure is rent asunder or turned upside-down, known as the “dystopian future” sub-genre. In the original Planet of the Apes (1968, screenplay by Rod Serling), an astronaut crashes on a planet in which primates are the dominant species and humans are dumb beasts of burden. [SPOILER ALERT] The twist? At the conclusion, the astronaut finds the proof that he’s NOT on an alien world, but planet Earth centuries in the future, after the planet had been ravaged by an atomic war and apes evolved over humans.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has a slightly different premise—it’s not a sequel or remake but a “reboot.” A contagion spread by lab apes, has wiped out most humankind. An ape, raised and taught by a kindly scientist, becomes the alpha male of a pack of primates, the former “residents” of zoos, circuses, and laboratories. These primates have developed the power of rudimentary speech and grasped the concepts of riding horses and rough architecture, forming a society in the Southwest USA. Most them believe the humans are gone forever. Most of the USA—and presumably the world—is covered by vegetation. There are human survivors, those lucky saps that have an immunity to the plague, living in what’s left of San Francisco. Naturally, these two societies come into conflict—while the humans have plenty of leftover munitions, the apes have the numbers and incredible agility. Regarding the conflicts, in each society there are those with the “Wipe out that threat NOW, once and for all!” mentality and those that plead for restraint, cooperation, and peaceful coexistence.
The apes: Led by Caesar (Andy Serkis), sort of a primate Don Corleone—a wise leader who rules with a stern hand in a furry glove. He’s gentle and patient with those he loves and a brutal s.o.b in a fight, and he tries to reason-through a “situation” before using violence. Raised by the aforementioned kindly scientist, he has a bit of a soft spot for humans. Koba (Tony Kebbell), his good friend and second-in-command, was abused by humans and he’d just as soon exterminate all of them. The humans: Led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) is Caesar’s opposite, except that he’d just as soon attack the apes and remove any potential threat. Calling for peaceful resolution are Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and his lady-love Ellie (Keri Russell); complicating things is shoot-first-ask-questions-later Carver (Kirk Acevedo). On each side there are nervous and agitated types…and things go from bad to good to bad and worse still.
In some ways Dawn is almost Shakespearean—the leaders of two clans want what’s best for their respective peoples, and each side is hampered by individuals’ blind hatred and agendas. Is the ruthless Koba urging the humans’ demise for the good of his people and/or for revenge, or are those things merely pretexts to grab the reigns of power from the moderate Caesar? (How many dictators have committed atrocities under the guise of goodness? How about King Richard III?)
But how’s the movie? Mostly very, very good—decent to great acting, actors truly resemble people (not models) and primates, and while there’s violence there’s nothing gruesome, no gee-whiz special effects or “The ape’s behind you!” moments. Scenes of kindness are genuinely touching (Malcolm’s son reads to a curious orangutan, Ellie helps a sick ape) and there are almost Hitchcock-ian moments of urgent suspense when you just know something bad is going to happen but how bad will it be? Most of the emphasis is on the relationships between assorted characters—Caesar and his eldest son, who’s a combination of Fredo and Michael Corleone (the seed of greatness is there but his actions are both brave and dumb; he gets caught up in Koba’s war-fever); Malcolm and Ellie are weary but try to retain their kindness and humanity in situations where some have lost theirs; Maurice is an intelligent orangutan fiercely loyal to Caesar and tries to keep an open mind about humans. Even in the midst of terrible strife, characters on both sides keep trying to find reason-based solutions as opposed to further bloodshed (and there’s plenty of that), while some characters seem to relish mayhem. Caesar lives up to his name—regal, giving and commanding respect. Director Matt Reeves does two things many Hollywood directors don’t do: He concentrates on telling a story and values characterization over special f/x (the f/x are very good indeed), nauseating camera movements, and quick cuts.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a rare bird: Intelligent science fiction that concentrates on people (apes are people too) and situations over dodgy “science”; it’s got enough action for action fans, enough “meat” for drama-heads, and the characters come off as, well, people, not models that got into acting…and for a change, here’s a dystopian future that looks grubby, including many of the people.