Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - Review

When watching this movie again, about half way through, I said out loud, "Man, I forgot how perfect this movie was." That's my review. See you again soon. Just kidding, but seriously. This movie is perfect. This is a movie that is intriguing from start to finish, has great, interesting characters all with their own backstory (both human and ape) and a villain who's both menacing and deep and complex. On top of that, their is so much at stake for both the humans and the apes that everything they do or say is backed with so much emotion that you get extremely sucked in. That's why when the "sort-of ridiculous" action scene starts with apes on horseback with machine guns, your eyes can't leave the screen. That's why this movie works for me. You are able to see why both humans and apes act the way they do and they are both justified. Humans hate the apes for taking their world and the virus that has killed many of their friends and family, and the apes hate the humans for experimenting on them in labs, keeping them in cages and mistreating them in anyway shape or form. You see both sides of the equation meaning double the motivation and double the stakes. That's why the sad moments feel extremely sad, the dramatic moments feel extremely intense and the action scenes feel exhilarating. This is one of my favourite movies of all time! This, watched right after Rise of the Planet of the Apes makes for a great, gripping story. As for the third entry, stay tuned.