The world is at the brink of war and there seems no way to stop it. Apes and humans have proven in movie after movie that they just cannot get along. Since 1968 when George Taylor (Charlton Heston) met Cornelius (Roddy McDowell) and Zira (Kim Hunter) in the original Planet of the Apes, we’ve all known that this is so. So how could we be surprised that in 2014 a movie would come out that shows not only how the war began but that apes and humans are mortal enemies. The Newest iteration in the franchise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, is no exception. Apes have developed a peaceful community where Chimpanzees, Gorillas and Orangutans can live in peace. That is, naturally, until humans come too close. Humans just seem unable to leave well enough alone. It is true though, that the apes carried the virus that decimated humanity over the entire planet. So it is no wonder that the species are not on good terms. In Dawn, humanity is stuck for power. The batteries, fuel and generators are running out and breaking down. There is a solution: send people to an old damn near the city and start the turbines. Water power should solve the problem. Unfortunately the apes are already there. In a surprise meeting a scared human shoots an ape and nearly starts a war. Malcolm (Jason Clarke), desperate for electricity to power San Franscisco again, and believing that the apes may be reasoned with, risks his life approaching their leader, Caesar (Andy Serkis). Caesar, of course, is not so easy to approach. He rightly distrusts humans but see some of his “father,” Will Rodman (James Franco), the human that raised and taught him. Koba (Toby Kebbell) has different plans. He hates the humans and destroys any chance for peace between the species. You’ll have to watch this excellent film to see how. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a wonderful re-imagining of the franchise and a great follow up to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn is packed with great performances, terrific action sequences and phenomenal CGI. Andy Serkis is brilliant in Dawn. I thought no one could ever top the great Roddy McDowell as Caesar but Serkis manages it. His performance as Caesar is nothing less than awe-inspiring. His face conveys even the most subtle emotions and forces it home with a great vocal performance. McDowell was hampered by the makeup of course but still… Serkis rises to near Oscar level. Toby Kebbell’s powerful performance was even more surprising. As the deservedly hate driven Koba he was utterly amazing. Passionate vitriol oozed from every pore. His face was grim, his voice bitter and captivating and his body language thrilling.   both from body language, eeast even more. He was great in  with a passionate hate-filled performance that chilled me to the bone. I cannot wait to see him in Warcraft and The Fantastic Four. The human characters were less impressive. Jason Clarke was fine as the protagonist, Malcolm, but he is no Charlton Heston or even James Franciscus. Both are in the original franchise and brought much more to their perspective roles. He just does not have the screen presence or gravitas. Keri Russell, as Malcolm’s wife Ellie, had more presence but suffered from too small a part and too little screen time. Pay attention to Maurice (Karin Konaval) when you see Dawn, and you should, because he is a wonderful character and we should see lots more of him. I’m puzzled though about the inclusion of the veteran character actor Gary Oldman. He’s one of the greats but was an afterthought in this movie. It feels like someone one said, “Hmm, who could we add to make the movie a bigger draw without giving him much of a part. Let’s do Oldman!” At least I’m sure he got a nice paycheck, but he should have been the human lead. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is really good but it is unbalanced. The ape characters are too good for the humans not to be. Maybe with Oldman in the lead and an a really good human villain Dawn moves from a 4 out of 5 stars, to an easy 5. I think you should definitely see the film in the theater but 3D is optional. Final Warning: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has all the beef of the originals, but none of the cheese!