Publication Information
- Title : Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- Directed by : Matt Reeves
- Produced by : Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
- Written by : Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
- Based on Characters created : by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Premise suggested by Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
- Starring : Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee
- Music by : Michael Giacchino
- Cinematography : Michael Seresin
- Edited by : William Hoy, Stan Salfas
- Production company : Chernin Entertainment
- Distributed by : 20th Century Fox
- Release date(s) : June 26, 2014 (San Francisco), June 28, 2014 (MIFF), July 9, 2014 (Australia), July 11, 2014 (United States)
- Running time : 131 minutes
- Country : United States
- Language : English
- Budget : $170 million
- Box office : $240,751,154
As Malcolm, his wife Ellie, and son Alexander work, they bond with the apes. Mutual distrust of both sides gradually subsides but trust momentarily ends when Carver threatens Caesar's sons with a concealed shotgun. The sides reconcile as Ellie is allowed to treat Caesar's ill mate Cornelia with antibiotics. Meanwhile, Koba discovers the armory and confronts Caesar, questioning his allegiance. In response, Caesar heavily beats Koba, but since he does not kill other apes he chooses to forgive him. Koba returns to the armory, steals an assault rifle and murders two human guards. He then kills Carver, stealing his lighter.
The dam is eventually repaired, restoring power to the city. During the celebration, Koba sets fire to the apes' home. Then while unseen by anyone else, Koba and Caesar lock eyes as Koba shoots Caesar in the chest, causing him to fall from the settlement's main tree. In the panic of the loss of the Alpha and the fire, Koba takes charge, placing the blame on Malcolm's group and orders the apes to war against the humans.
Malcolm's group hides as Koba leads the apes into San Francisco. The apes plunder the armory and charge the tower's gates. Despite heavy casualties, the apes overrun the tower and imprison all the humans as Dreyfus flees underground. When Ash refuses Koba's orders to kill unarmed humans, citing Caesar's teachings, Koba kills Ash and jails all those known to be loyal to Caesar.
Malcolm's group find Caesar barely alive and transport him to his former home in San Francisco. Caesar reveals to Malcolm that Koba shot him, realizing his notion that all apes were better than humans was naive. As he enters the city to find medical supplies so Ellie can operate on Caesar, Malcolm encounters Blue Eyes, who decided to spare Malcom's life, and takes him back with him to the house. Caesar grows nostalgic watching video clips from his childhood on Will's old camcorder as Malcolm learns of Caesar's past.
Blue Eyes then returns to the tower, freeing the caged humans and the apes loyal to Caesar. After leading the apes to the tower unseen, Malcolm encounters Dreyfus, who informs him that his men have made radio contact with more survivors, located at a military base up north, on their way to help fight the apes. The freed apes join Caesar and confront Koba at the summit of the tower.
While Caesar and Koba battle, Malcolm fails to prevent Dreyfus from detonating C-4 explosives underneath the tower. The resulting explosion simultaneously kills Dreyfus and collapses part of the tower. Caesar overpowers Koba, knocking him to the edge of the tower. While lifting Koba from a ledge, Caesar refuses to save him, claiming he is no longer a true ape, and lets him fall to his death.
Malcolm informs Caesar of the impending arrival of human reinforcements. Both lament the lost opportunity for peace. Caesar tells Malcolm the humans will never forgive the apes for the war they started and tells him to leave with his family for safety. As Malcolm slips away into the shadows, Caesar stands before a kneeling mass of apes awaiting the battle to come.
Cast
Apes
- Andy Serkis as Caesar, leader of the apes.
- Toby Kebbell as Koba, Caesar's second in command.
- Nick Thurston as Blue Eyes, Caesar and Cornelia's son.
- Karin Konoval as Maurice, Caesar's friend and advisor.
- Doc Shaw as Ash, son of Rocket, also Blue Eyes' best friend.
- Judy Greer as Cornelia, Caesar's wife, mother of Blue Eyes and a newborn son.
- Terry Notary as Rocket, Caesar's friend and Ash's father.
- Lee Ross as Grey, a follower of Koba.
- Jason Clarke as Malcolm, the leader of the small group that formed a strong bond with Caesar and the other apes.
- Gary Oldman as Dreyfus, the leader of the remaining human survivors.
- Keri Russell as Ellie, a former nurse at the CDC, and Malcolm's wife.
- Kodi Smit-McPhee as Alexander, Malcolm's son.
- Kirk Acevedo as Carver, a former San Francisco water worker and a member of Malcolm's group.
- Jon Eyez as Foster, a member of Malcolm's group.
- Enrique Murciano as Kemp, a member of Malcolm's group.
- Jocko Sims as Werner, the colony's radio operator.
- Keir O'Donnell as Finney, a guard at the colony's armory.
- Kevin Rankin as McVeigh, an ally of Dreyfus.
- Lombardo Boyar as Terry, a guard at the colony's armory.
- James Franco, who played Dr. Will Rodman in Rise of the Planet of the Apes has a cameo via a video from Caesar's childhood.
Development
After the release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, director Rupert Wyatt commented on possible sequels: "I think we're ending with certain questions, which is quite exciting. To me, I can think of all sorts of sequels to this film, but this is just the beginning." Screenwriter and producer Rick Jaffa also stated that Rise featured several clues as to future sequels: "I hope that we're building a platform for future films. We're trying to plant a lot of the seeds for a lot of the things you are talking about in terms of the different apes and so forth."
In an interview recorded after the release of Rise, Wyatt stated, "We want to grow and evolve, in the films that will come after this, to the '68 original." Wyatt also stated that he wants it to take place eight years after Rise, as a whole new ape generation can be born, and explore the dynamics of Caesar and Koba's relationship. According to screenwriter Rick Jaffa, a version of the spaceship from the 1968 Planet of the Apes under the name Icarus was in Rise as a deliberate hint to a possible sequel.
In November 2011, Andy Serkis was the first to be announced as having closed a deal for a sequel to Rise. It was reported to be a "healthy seven-figure deal" for him to reprise his role as Caesar, the ape leader. On May 15, 2012, it was announced Scott Z. Burns had been hired to do rewrites on the original screenplay by Rise writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. On May 31, 2012, 20th Century Fox announced that the sequel, now titled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, was scheduled for release on May 23, 2014.
On September 17, 2012, there were reports that director Wyatt was considering leaving the sequel due to his concern that a May 2014 release date would not give him enough time to make the film properly. On October 1, Cloverfield director Matt Reeves was confirmed as his replacement. Reeves had been working on developing a new Twilight Zone film. On October 18, Mark Bomback, writer of Live Free or Die Hard, was reported to be doing a re-write for Reeves. It was announced on June 20, 2013 that the release date for Dawn was being pushed back two months to July 18, 2014. On December 10, 2013, the film was pushed up one week to July 11, 2014.
Casting
In December 2012, after the departure of director Wyatt, James Franco speculated that he would not be returning for the sequel, saying, "Now Rupert's not a part of it so I don't know. My guess is I won't be in it. Nobody's talked to me since Rupert left." Later, Matt Reeves revealed that Franco would be seen in a cameo in the film. Freida Pinto, who played primatologist Caroline Aranha in Rise, confirmed that she would not be returning for Dawn. In April 2014, when asked by IGN about the fate of Franco and Pinto's characters, producer Dylan Clark said, "I mean, they’re the ones that died," and "They were ground zero of the virus."
In February 2013, actors Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, and Kodi Smit-McPhee were cast in lead roles for the sequel, set ten years after the events from the first film. In March 2013, actress Keri Russell was cast in a role. That same month, Judy Greer was cast as Cornelia, a female chimp and love interest for Caesar. Toby Kebbell, Enrique Murciano and Kirk Acevedo joined the cast during filming. On May 15, 2013, Jocko Sims was cast in a supporting role of military operative Werner.
Filming
Filming began in April 2013 around the town of Campbell River, British Columbia. The location of Vancouver Island was chosen for its similarity to the locations depicted in the film, the forests, and the variety of landscapes. Filming in New Orleans started in May 2013 and continued in July 2013 at various locations such as the former Six Flags park Six Flags New Orleans.
Soundtrack
The film's score was composed by Michael Giacchino. The soundtrack was released by Sony Masterworks on July 8, 2014.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Soundtrack album by Michael Giacchino
- Released : August 12, 2014
- Recorded : 2014
- Genre : Film score
- Label : Sony Masterworks
- Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
All music composed by Michael Giacchino.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Level Plaguing Field" | 2:21 | |
| 2. | "Look Who’s Stalking" | 2:35 | |
| 3. | "The Great Ape Processional" | 4:34 | |
| 4. | "Past Their Primates" | 1:57 | |
| 5. | "Close Encounters of the Furred Kind" | 4:38 | |
| 6. | "Monkey to the City" | 1:16 | |
| 7. | "The Lost City of Chimpanzee" | 3:46 | |
| 8. | "Along Simian Lines" | 5:04 | |
| 9. | "Caesar No Evil, Hear No Evil" | 2:27 | |
| 10. | "Monkey See, Monkey Coup" | 5:12 | |
| 11. | "Gorilla Warfare" | 7:37 | |
| 12. | "The Apes of Wrath" | 4:28 | |
| 13. | "Gibbon Take" | 2:55 | |
| 14. | "Aped Crusaders" | 3:26 | |
| 15. | "How Bonobo Can You Go" | 5:42 | |
| 16. | "Enough Monkeying Around" | 3:35 | |
| 17. | "Primates for Life" | 5:42 | |
| 18. | "Planet of the End Credits" | 8:56 | |
| 19. | "Ain’t That a Stinger" | 1:10 |
Release
The film closed the 36th Moscow International Film Festival on June 28, 2014. In Hungary, the largest cinema chain called Cinema City could not agree with the film's distributor, InterCom, and as a result it will open on July 17, 2014 on significantly fewer screens than similar big-budget productions.
Box office
North America
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was released on July 11, 2014 in the U.S. and topped the box office during its opening weekend and grossed $73 million from 3,967 theaters, which includes $4.1 million from its late night screenings from 2,750 theaters and $27.7 million from its opening day. Thirty-six percent of the film's opening weekend gross came from its 3D showings. According to distributor 20th Century Fox, the audience skewed male (58 percent) and older (55 percent over the age of 25). The film remained number one at the box office for a second week earning $36 million (down 50%). The film's second weekend box office fell almost the same as it's predecessor, when Rise of the Planet of the Apes fell 49% on its second weekend from a $54 million debut to a $27 million second weekend gross.
Outside North America
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was released in over 26 territories and earned $30.4 million on its opening weekend. The film went number one in 14 territories of the 26 locations it was released in. The openings include South Korea ($11.4 million from 910 screens), Australia ($6.6m), India ($1.95 million from 850 screens), Malaysia ($1.9 million from 400 screens), Thailand ($1.64 million from 303 screens), Singapore ($1.3 million from 79 screens) and Philippines ($1.3 million from 226 screens).
The film has continued to be released in other territories after the 2014 World Cup. On it's second week the film earned $61 million.
Critical reception
Upon its release, the film was met with critical acclaim. It currently holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 91% based on 219 reviews with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. The website's consensus reads, "With intelligence and emotional resonance to match its stunning special effects, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes expands on its predecessor with an exciting and ambitious burst of sci-fi achievement." On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating based on top film critics, the film has a "generally favorable" rating score of 79 out of 100, based on 48 reviews.
Guy Lodge of Variety said, "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." Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter stated that the film "manages to do at least three things exceptionally well that are hard enough to pull off individually: Maintain a simmering level of tension without let-up for two hours, seriously improve on a very good first entry in a franchise and produce a powerful humanistic statement using a significantly simian cast of characters.
In the annals of sequels, Dawn is to Rise of the Planet of the Apes what The Empire Strikes Back was to Star Wars—it's that much better." Tim Robey of The Telegraph said, "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." Drew McWeeny of HitFix awarded the film "A+" and said "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."
Sequel
On January 7, 2014, the studio announced a third installment with Reeves returning to direct and co-write along with Bomback with a July 29, 2016 release date. An early licensing promo gave a place-holder title of Planet of the Apes. No official title has yet been announced.
Related Post : Source : wikipedia
