There’s a lot to go ape about while watching “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” in 3D with Dolby Atmos, which went bananas in the opening weekend with nearly $73 million at the U.S. box-office and more than $100 million worldwide.
The follow-up to the 2011 “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (not to be confused with the 2001 remake of the original “Planet of the Apes”) gets off to a dynamic start with terrific shots of visual depth and immersive sounds as Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his community of apes move strategically through the jungle on leaf-covered branches and limbs. One almost literally feels the sights and sounds of the jungle from every direction – above, behind, to both sides — as the apes challenge each other in their approach to the discovery of humans they thought had died out in the San Francisco area from an outbreak of simian flu at the end of the previous movie (several years have elapsed).
Technically, this is the high point of the film, which proceeds to a rather unoriginal plot in which a few humans and a few apes develop a guarded trust with each other that is broken by hotheads of both species.
But the production value and the characters themselves are impressive and intriguing enough to hold your interest. And there are fun bonuses throughout, including flashbacks to “Rise,” fun songs like The Band’s classic “The Weight” written by Robbie Robertson, and the engaging performances by Serkis and Gary Oldman.