The voice in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer speaks about hope and the determination to persevere and rebuild, but there’s more than a subtle hint of something else being said here, as the tone of the speech sounds like an attempt to motivate people to fight. And behind those words, after a glimpse of chaos, is a slow zoom out of Caesar’s face and behind him, his growing army of apes who are awaiting his command, which he gives just before the screen goes black.
"We’ve been through hell together. We spent four years - four years! - fighting that virus and then another four fighting each other. It was chaos. But you all know what we’re up against. And I want you to know, it’s not just about power. It’s about giving us the hope to rebuild and recreate the world we lost."
It’s a chilling trailer that actually feels almost like a teaser, if not for that quick sequence of chaos mixed in there to give us a small sample of the state of the world when this story picks up, and the man demanding to speak to Caesar.
At the end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, after the confrontation on the bridge, Caesar and his small but intelligent army of apes escaped into the forest, while a virus — unknowingly spread by Tyler Labine’s Robert Franklin and James Franco’s cranky pilot neighbor — began to make its way across the globe. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ trailer indicates that this virus plagued people for four years, resulting in an additional four years of fighting and chaos. And then there are the apes.
In the speech we hear, he says "It’s not just about power…" which seems to be a clue that this monologue is an effort to convince humans to fight against the apes, not only for power but (supposedly) for hope that mankind can start over. I’m not sure I’m buying it, but it certainly looks like Caesar’s ready for a fight and his army is on board.
Directed by Matt Reeves, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes arrives in theaters July 11. It stars Judy Greer, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, and returning to portray Caesar, Andy Serkis. Check out the previously released posters here.
