DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014)

Amazing, how the reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise is producing such terrific films - this one being no exception.  A fan of the original series, I was wholly impressed with its predecessor, but Dawn easily lives up to it, with the level of special effects achievable in film today worthy of these stories ... yet not overshadowing them, instead giving you a backdrop of mostly-ape characters that you grow to love and care about even more than their human counterparts.  Here, ten years after a pandemic (the "simian flu") has killed off most of the world, in San Francisco a remaining faction of humans must access a dam in order to keep their power going - and find it rests in the middle of the forest land apes have called home since Caesar led the revolution years ago.  Will peace, or war, will win in the end?  With both sides having both friends and enemies within their own camp, it comes down to Caesar and the human's leader Malcolm (Jason Clarke) to try and keep things civil even as war is plotted from within.  Brilliant film. (rated PG-13)  A

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES trailer