Story
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opens with a flashback to the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. There is also news footage of the world in chaos after a human-made simian flu virus wipes out most of the world’s human population.
Ten years later Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his band of genetically modified super apes have multiplied into hundreds. They have created an ape city where they live together in a self-governed and harmonious society. The apes have had no contact with humans since their escape into the wilderness, but this changes when a small group of humans, led by Malcolm (Jason Clarke), comes across the apes while searching for an abandoned hydroelectric dam.
Malcolm and his team belong to a colony of human survivors in the ruins of San Francisco. They want to reactivate the hydroelectric dam to supply the colony with power. When a trigger-happy human shoots one of Caesar’s apes, Caesar orders the humans to leave. To make sure the humans understand, Caesar marches an army of mounted apes to San Francisco, giving the humans an ultimatum – stay away from ape territory or there will be war.
Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), the leader of the colonists, sends Malcolm and some other humans to compromise with Caesar. But there is an ape, Koba (Toby Kebbell), who was tortured and experimented on by humans. He wants his revenge and plots to overthrow Caesar. This results in Caesar’s near-death and an all-out war between the apes and humans.
Themes
Human extinction; viral plagues; experiments on animals
Violence
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes contains action violence, including violence against animals and destruction of property. For example:
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes shows some use of substances. For example:
- A man smokes a cigarette in a couple of scenes.
- Two men drink whisky and one says, ‘This is the good stuff’. They offer the whisky to an ape, who drinks it from the bottle and then spits it out.
Nudity and sexual activity
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes shows some nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- A man and women kiss briefly in a couple of scenes.
- A couple of scenes show a male and female ape hugging each other.
- A female ape gives birth – we see the newborn ape but not the actual birth.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:
- older electronic devices including an iPad and Canon video camera
- Johnny Walker whisky.
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is darker and more intense than Rise of the Planet of the Apes, its prequel. There is more violence, particularly gun violence. Character development is more detailed, particularly for the apes.
The movie is thought-provoking and disturbing in parts, with some violent and scary scenes that make it unsuitable for children under 13 years. Parental guidance could be helpful for slightly older children who are allowed to see the movie.
The main messages from this movie are about tolerance and acceptance of difference, with an emphasis on the fundamental similarities between humans and apes. You could talk with your children about the implications of this message for our relationships with primates.
You could also talk about how a single bad experience can affect an individual’s entire life (whether they’re human or animal), leaving emotional and physical scars. For example, Koba’s desire for revenge comes from being experimented on by humans and leads to his ultimate destruction.