Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
- -A group of scientists in San Francisco struggle to stay alive in the aftermath of a plague that is wiping out humanity, while Caesar tries to maintain dominance over his community of intelligent apes.
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[vc_row][vc_column][wpsm_woobox id=”47451″][/vc_column][/vc_row]by Ginger Shelby
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the long awaited final battle to determine who shall inherit the earth. Caesar is at it again, only this time, he is leading a band of highly evolved super apes. There are only a few survivors of the devastating virus that struck several years earlier. After that apes and humans reached a fragile peace, but this peace was not destined to last. In this last final battle, it is Caesar and humans in the final conflict. One will inherit the earth and one will face total destruction. It proves to be an exciting movie, but is if a good one for the entire family? This Parental Guide to the movies has the answer.
First off, the plot of this movie is war and destruction. There are too many bullets to count, explosions and violence throughout. The goal of each side is to do nothing but destroy the other. Humans face a foe that is larger than life, more powerful than they are and that is bent you their destruction.
The MPAA rated this one as PG-13 for sci-fi action and brief, strong language. The movie does deal with the birth of apes as a new race. There are some references to the facts of life and a female ape gives birth. They do not show the birth. They show before and after. There is some partial nudity among the apes. The apes in the movie are not animals, but are very human-like in their actions and features. It is difficult to consider them animal characters. Aside from these sexual references, the characters are seen smoking and drinking. There is the occasional foul language that slips out during some intense battle scenes.
The movie is filmed to be dark, intense and disturbing. The city is decrepit and dirty, more like the feeling of the future aftermath of the war in the Terminator movies. The humans were the ones to break the peace treaty. It was a tense situation, but the humans were the ones who did not keep their word. Yet, the movie seems to forget this fact and they then portray them as the victims. The humans have allowed the earth fall into disrepair. The apes see themselves as on a noble mission to save the earth. This movie reverses the roles of the aggressor and victim. In doing so, it makes that point that there are two sides to every issue.
In the final analysis, this movie may be too scary for those under 8 to 10 years old due to the intensity of the battle scenes. However, for older preteens and up, this movie poses some interesting points to consider about the idea of war and conflict. It carries some themes that echo recent real life events. It is a deep and sobering look at the impact that the actions we take collectively will have on our own future. It is well done, but it may not be the best movie for the younger members of the family.