Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

PG-13

2014

2h 10m

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

317 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Ten years after simian flu wiped out much of the world's Homo sapiens, genetically enhanced chimpanzee Caesar and his ever-growing band of followers has established a thriving colony just outside San Francisco in Muir Woods. Meanwhile, a small band of human survivors emerges, which forces Caesar -- as leader -- to grapple with the dual challenge of protecting his people and re-establishing a relationship with the remaining human population -- the latter being Caesar's secret wish.

Critics Consensus

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.

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Shadow and Act Staff

Shadow and Act

09/14/2022

The fact that “Dawn of The Planet of The Apes” is a summer tent-pole with a brain and a conscience shouldn’t be this refreshing...

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

03/21/2017

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is still the best big budget summer movie of 2014.

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David Sims

AV Club

09/22/2016

Dawn is not interested in staging conflict for the sake of it, and the misunderstandings and tensions that drive the plot don't always feel like contrivances.

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JD Duran

InSession Film

08/19/2024

A

While Dawn of the Planet of the Apes can certainly stand on it's own two legs, the character building and set-up from Rise, makes Dawn a little bit more potent.

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Benjamin Wiebe

InSession Film

07/25/2024

A-

Positive, nuanced, and brilliant.

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

04/07/2024

5/5

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" maintains a credible tone of seriousness over farce while operating as evocative post-apocalyptic science fiction.

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Brighton N

@RT09904023 6d

In the end, if you love the other Planet of the Apes movies or just want a great post-apocalyptic action film that can stand on its own, I strongly recommend this fantastic film. It is one of my favorite sci-fi films, and while it isn't perfect, it is my third favorite film in the series and one of the greatest action movies of the past decade. Check out my more in-depth review at The Reel Ranker by searching "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" ;)

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Dixie M.

@DMDarne123 May 21

This movie of the best interesting movie I have ever watched in theater. Back in 2014

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Steven fc T

@RT97215757 May 19

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is, in my opinion, the highest point of the entire saga. The movie perfectly combines action, war and psychology, showing the conflict between Caesar and Koba in an incredible way. Caesar is a strong and intelligent leader, while Koba is one of the best villains in the franchise: tragic, terrifying and understandable at the same time. The war scenes are spectacular, but the movie works especially well because of its emotional side and its themes about trust, fear and power.

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Cvera T

@RT87409037 May 18

a great sequel. a lot of unexpected turns are taken, great storyline, great acting, great build up. caesar (who is my absolute favorite) is a great mercenary, often giving it when it isn’t deserved—but to protect his kind, he will give all that’s necessary. because humans are merciless. a lot of scenes gives me chills. one of my favorite scenes is in the beginning, where Maurice is teaching the young apes but they aren’t paying attention 😂 it’s cute but also depicts the nature of their evolution, especially what we know about the virus from the previous film. The apes can only get smarter.

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Kristofer K

@kbkaizer May 13

It's a typical good leader vs. bad leader story, but with apes; and some pretty good special effects.

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Jaycen D.

@JDtheGoat Apr 9

Idk if this is a hot take or not but to me this is the weakest from the trilogy. I just think the movie genuinely can move at a snail’s pace at some moments.

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Matt Reeves

Director

Andy Serkis

Caesar

Jason Clarke

Malcolm

Gary Oldman

Dreyfus

Keri Russell

Ellie

Toby Kebbell

Koba

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Trailer 1

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Trailer 3

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Teaser Trailer 1

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Trailer 2

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Synopsis

Ten years after simian flu wiped out much of the world's Homo sapiens, genetically enhanced chimpanzee Caesar and his ever-growing band of followers has established a thriving colony just outside San Francisco in Muir Woods. Meanwhile, a small band of human survivors emerges, which forces Caesar -- as leader -- to grapple with the dual challenge of protecting his people and re-establishing a relationship with the remaining human population -- the latter being Caesar's secret wish.

Director: Matt Reeves
Producer: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Chernin Entertainment, Ingenious Media
Rating: PG-13 (Intense Sci-Fi Action/Violence|Brief Strong Language)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 11, 2014, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 1, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $208.5M
Runtime: 2h 10m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos