Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

PG-13

Released Jul 11, 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 homosapiens, genetically enhanced chimpanzee Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his ever-growing band of followers have 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.

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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

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...

Sep 14, 2022

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Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

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

Mar 21, 2017

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David Sims

AV Club

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.

Sep 22, 2016

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JD Duran

InSession Film

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.

Rated: A

Aug 19, 2024

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Benjamin Wiebe

InSession Film

Positive, nuanced, and brilliant.

Rated: A-

Jul 25, 2024

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Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

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

Rated: 5/5

Apr 7, 2024

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Stephen L

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is a gripping, visually stunning sequel that deepens the emotional and thematic weight of its predecessor. The film masterfully balances intense action with thoughtful storytelling, exploring the fragile peace between humans and apes with striking nuance. Andy Serkis delivers an outstanding motion-capture performance as Caesar, bringing depth and complexity to the character’s internal struggle. Director Matt Reeves crafts a tense, immersive world where loyalty, survival, and the inevitability of conflict drive the narrative. Smart, emotionally resonant, and technically breathtaking, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes cements itself as one of the finest modern sci-fi epics.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/17/25

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JD L

This is definitely the best movie of the bunch! Caesar is becoming more and more like a human and has a dominating presence. The relationship between Koba and Caesar is super interesting and makes Koba the best villain this franchise has seen. This movie is really the last straw for the humans… or what’s left of them.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

Audience Member

... the perfection that exists during these minutes of film... this is PRIME Planet of the Apes... ENTHRALLING - THOUGHT-PROVOKING - EMOTIONAL - DEEP - This is where the concept needed to be taken all along. A natural balance of characters; the multiple layers of conflict that Caesar navigates and faces; the focus on Caesar himself and the world that he's created; and all of these elements in harmony to tell the story...

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/25

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Madam D

One of the best of this franchise. Great plot, acting & special effects.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/01/25

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Aqill I

Great post apocalypse film matt reeves has make a good film that i have see

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/24/25

Full Review

Brayden G

Intense Action packed movie and I love it with some emotional scenes. Best modern Planet of the apes film so far

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

Full Review

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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 3

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Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Trailer 1

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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 homosapiens, genetically enhanced chimpanzee Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his ever-growing band of followers have 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: Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Screenwriter: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Mark Bomback
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

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