The common thought is that Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes is going to be an absolute monster compared to Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes - both out-thrilling and out-grossing the James Franco-led 2011 blockbuster. The marketing campaign has been appropriately massive, promising bleak forest battles and apocalyptic full-city clashes between humans and apes. But could anything prepare you for the awesomeness that is this latest Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes poster?
Holy crap, man. Jesus wept. Yes, the apes have destroyed the Golden Gate bridge. Yes, they're united against a common enemy. But CHECK OUT CAESAR WITH A RIFLE ON TOP OF A HORSE! What human army is going to be able to combat anthropoid primates firing guns on top of horses? How do you fight that? If the apes truly do rise up against their human tormentors, the fact that they're able to do it like this sort of makes you think its worth it.
This poster, which was brought to us by IGN, also brings up an important question: who are we supposed to be rooting for in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes? The original films slowly grew to allowing the audience to sympathize with the apes against their human enemies, revealing that the humans were merely bull-headed bullies who sought to undermine dissension and individuality. But it was a different time. Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s there was all kinds of Watergate/Kent State type shit in the air. As a result, in the world of filmmaking this was a period when directors began questioning the forces and bosses in charge, and when the audiences followed suit with very little faith in big institutions and the men in suits who control them. When an ape lead an uprising , it was revolutionary.
But revolutions are bad for business in the modern world, and we're in a 21st century time when people actually have to argue whether or not corporations can be considered. Can you make Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to be a movie where humans are the ultimate evil and apes, a metaphor for the oppressed lower class, fight inequality and injustice? The trailer seems to suggest (optimistically?) that the humans have splintered into two separate factions, one seeking peace, the other hoping to annihilate the apes. One has to wonder if there's a possibility that this new series could ever get as bleak as the end of Beneath The Planet Of The Apes. In case you forgot, that particular film ended with the complete annihilation of the planet (thank god for time-traveling apes who allowed the franchise to continue!).
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes stars Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Andy Serkis, Keri Russell, Judy Greer and Toby Kebbell and will in theaters on July 14th.
