Director: Matt Reeves
Writer: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Stars: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis
Synopsis: The fragile peace between apes and humans is threatened as mistrust and betrayal threaten to plunge both tribes into a war for dominance over the Earth.
It’s been ten years since Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was released in theaters. The follow up to Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and its relevance has only increased in the years since its release. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opens with an epidemic driving the human race to extinction – a piece of science fiction in 2014, that felt all too real in 2024. Directed by Matt Reeves, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the second installment in the rebooted Planet of the Apes trilogy, which extends the story of Caesars’ rule over the apes in San Francisco as the threat of humans return.
There are many elements of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that I could talk about. The motion capture, the environment & set design, the internal politics of the humans and apes… Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a cinematic achievement in all of these categories. Nevermind the unforgettable performance of Andy Serkis’ in the role of Caesar, which deserves praise and study by actors of all ages. While all of these elements are worthy of discussion, there is one element of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes that I can’t stop thinking about: It’s use of sign language, subtitles, and speaking for dramatic purposes.
Every piece of media technically uses speaking for dramatic purposes. The vocal inflection in a performers’ voice is indicative of meaning beyond the words in isolation. Some films will use subtitles for comedic effect; Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail is an example of the inherent comedy that can be mined in our latin based languages. These forms of drama often revolve around communicating an idea to the audience, along with a mood. These are micro-moments that inform an audience member about how characters feel, and are essential components of performance. What makes Dawn of the Planet of the Apes different is how it manages to critique the act of speaking through its parallel villages – and how it uses speaking to create drama in the story, rather than reacting to it.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes revolves around the conflict between the surviving humans of San Francisco – led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) and Malcolm (Jason Clarke) – and the ape village established by Caesar (Serkis) in the first film. Early in the film, there are two scenes which parallel one another: each side is trying to find out how to live with the other nearby. While these scenes highlight the tension rising between the two factions, and seem to narratively do the same thing – both sides don’t want war, but will fight for their survival – there is an interesting difference between the two cultures that I adore. In Caesar’s village, when the apes are discussing what to do, the ‘council’ all communicate in sign language. Everyone has an opportunity to speak and to listen – and as Koba (Toby Kebbell) attempts to rile up the other apes in the village towards war, Caesar is called to finally speak – and Caesar ends the cacophony of laughter and monkey noises with a stern no, before returning to sign to his council. Spoken word, in the village of apes, is framed as a near violent act of controlling one another. This is in direct contrast to the human village – who are all shouting for answers while attending an assembly in the courtyard while Dreyfus attempts to calm them down. Dreyfus can’t get a word in over the assembly, and has to resort to using a megaphone to get everyone’s attention and ‘buy time’ for Malcolms team to get the hydroelectric generator online.
These two scenes become drastically different because of the role of speech, and the dramatic weight offered to the one who speaks in each scene. In the human city, Dreyfus is barely clinging onto any political control over the humans – the only thing preventing mass panic to lead to internal violence. And for the apes, we see how Caesar is treated with complete reverence, and how Caesar chooses to allow all apes to communicate their ideas through quiet, engaged listening. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is impactful to me because of how it depicts culture, and the culture of speaking.
The third act of Dawn of The Planet of the Apes goes one step further in solidifying this theme of speaking as violence. I will be discussing brief spoilers in this paragraph. In the third act, Koba violently enacts a coup, and instills himself as leader of the apes, before leading the apes into war. To solidify these actions, Koba always speaks to the colony of apes – whether it’s in a one-on-one discussion or to the entire group. Sign language is rejected by Koba – and Koba uses the reverence to Caesar to turn the conflict into a war of zealotry – not hurting humans is dishonoring Caesar. Even after Caesar returns, Koba still elects to speak against Caesar – using his voice as a platform to gain a following among apes.
The consistency of these interactions creates a theme of speaking as control – and leadership as the choice to listen, not speak. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a powerful film about culture, and what it means to lead and to follow. Koba chooses violence intentionally as a leader and is led to control by hate, which Koba enacts through speech and fear. Malcolm is a leader within the smaller group in charge of fixing the dam, and chooses to lead with curiosity and trust – key factors which allow the group to interact with Caesar successfully. Dreyfus is a leader who attempts to shepherd people through creating promises of safety, but ultimately is unable to gain the reverence of his people outside of these promises. And lastly, Caesar is a leader who chooses non-violence and peace above all else. “Ape don’t kill Ape” is the motto of Caesar’s village, and Caesar’s determination to not use violence creates an environment where all voices must be heard.
There are few blockbusters which manage to communicate so much through the use of languages, and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes manages to tell a much larger story outside of this one stylistic choice. In an election year where the leadership of the United States is once again in question, I appreciate how one stylistic choice can inform an audience of what strong leadership is and looks like. Film is a magical medium because of each of these tiny decisions that forms something larger. I don’t know who was responsible for this decision – it could have been Matt Reeves as a director, it may have been Andy Serkis as an actor coming in from the previous film, it may have been the writers, Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver. But what I do know is the impact of this decision on the film, which is positive, nuanced, and brilliant.
