Armed Apes, Hapless Humans, and a Devastated San Francisco Star in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' Trailer
The stage is set for the epic (as in planet-changing epic) war between humans and apes in the full trailer for “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” the sequel to 2011’s solid franchise reboot, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
As you can see in the trailer, “Dawn” is a very different creature than its lab thriller predecessor (which banked a tidy $481 million worldwide), as director Matt Reeves brings the same kind of melancholy, moody tone to this postapocalyptic tale that he brought to his underappreciated vampire fable, “Let Me In.”
"Home. Family. Future," muses Caesar the chimpanzee (Andy Serkis), seemingly living a solitary and peaceful life in the woodlands surrounding San Francisco with his ape brethren. However, quicker than you can say "Man is in the forest," this idyllic existence is threatened by the arrival of a group of men. The leader, played by Jason Clarke, insists, "We don’t mean any harm!" despite the fact that he and his companions are wielding rifles.
We then see what life is like back in San Fran upon the aftermath of the release of the virus introduced in “Rise” that has since wiped out a good chunk of humankind. The once great city looks a lot like the post-apocalyptic New York seen most prominently in the original franchise’s “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970) after being teased with that final shot of the Statue of Liberty at the end of the initial “Planet” (1968). Familiar San Francisco landmarks are now reduced to rubble and scattered survivors (including ape-hating Gary Oldman) trying to hold on to something resembling law and order.
[Related: Super Scary Simians Debut in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ Spot]
It’s not that Caesar wants a war. In fact, he sheds a tear as he watches an old home movie with him and Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco), a chronicle of perhaps happier times before all of this virus business. But Man — despite the best intentions of ape sympathizers like the characters played by Clarke, Keri Russell, and “Let Me In” alum Kodi Smit-McPhee — forces Caesar’s hand with rising tensions and a stray gunshot, resulting in the apes rallying (“Together. Strong!”) and descending on the ruined city for their next step in evolution/revolution.
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" opens July 11.
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