“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” serves as an excellent example to which science fiction and action films to aspire. It was fast-paced and intelligent with excellent visual effects throughout.

Ceasar, played by Andy Serkis, has made the Muir Woods home for himself and his race of super apes 10 years after a simian virus wiped out a majority of humanity. Meanwhile ,the members of humanity immune to the virus have survived by living in the ruins of San Francisco. Although the groups are at odds, the humans need permission to go through the ape-controlled land to gain access to a hydroelectric dam that could power the city. Although a human-ape alliance would be beneficial to both parties, things quickly escalate and the uneven relationship between the groups is thrown further into disarray.

I’m a big sci-fi fan, so I was very pleased to see how well “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” did with the great story set up in 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.” Although I would have liked to see more about the 10-year interval during the apex of the infection, I still enjoyed the atmosphere that the film did an excellent job creating. San Francisco is constantly dark and rainy, and the decaying landscape of the city does a great job showing what is left after humanity is mostly wiped out.

One of the biggest draws to this film is the amazing performance by Serkis as Ceasar. The human actors do well, but Serkis really stole the show for me. He is much less emotive than he was in the first film, but his constant mistreatment by humans is clearly seen. Caesar and Koba, who is played by Toby Kebbell, are both portrayed with darker personalities and the CGI captured their emotions very well. Every ape in the film was motion-captured by an actor and the film gains an extra level of realism because of the work they put into making the apes seem authentic.

Overall, I really enjoyed “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.” I like action films with a message, and it was good to see that the film still remained entertaining and non-preachy while advocating the benefits of peace. It is definitely worth the price of admission, especially for a fan of 3D movies.

5 out of 5 Stars