New ‘Planet of the Apes’ dawns on cinemas

The eighth film in the ‘Planet of the Apes’ franchise, which began in 1968, follows the battle between man and ape for control over planet Earth.

‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ features chimps that speak and ride horses but, underneath, there is a deeper message to be understood, as director Matt Reeves explains: ‘I think the similarity between the apes and the humans is that both sides are grappling with their own nature and they’re both grappling with their impulsive, animalistic, violent side and the other part of them that is capable of empathy and connection and that is really the human condition.’

Andy Serkis, the British actor who plays Caesar, the leader of the apes, talks about how he understood the movie from his character’s perspective: ‘This movie is all about empathy and understanding the other. Caesar, the leader of the apes, is an outsider to both worlds, to both species and is placed in a position of trying to avoid conflict. I do think it’s a movie for our times. I think it’s against any form of fundamentalism or absolutism.’