Dawn of the Planet of the Apes *SPOILERS*

When word of the revival of this classic franchise first reached my ears, I wasn't sure what to think. After the new Star Trek films, part of me was hopeful. However, I, like an logical person, know that remakes don't always live up to their predecessors.

I remember watching Charlton Heston trying to survive the much evolved planet that he landed on only to find out that it was Earth. I was only a kid then and the idea of it all entertained me so much. However, I have since grown up and although I appreciate the good action movie with no greater meaning to it at all except for the explosions, I love a good movie that I can analyze, with meaning and depth.

The first remake was great. The relationship between Will, his father and Caesar tugged at my heart. However, this film has brought it to a new level. The relationships between Caesar, his son, Koba and Malcolm are all things you want to see develop.

In addition, through the film, you see a variety of themes that are executed with precision. Forgiveness, how we fear the things that we don't understand and the good people and creatures in our world being few and far in between.

I think what really clinched this movie together for me was at the end when Caesar and Malcolm stand together. As Malcolm informs Caesar that the human military has been contacted, Caesar tells Malcolm to go. He tells him the humans will not forgive and there is no avoiding the war now. Malcolm is disappointed and says that he thought they had had a chance to work together and coexist peacefully. Caesar says, "I did, too." I wish I had a clip of it, but it is a really amazing scene. I think it speaks volumes of the human race and how no matter how many good, strong leaders we have, there will always be people who screw up the peace and push for war.

And finally last but least, we can't forget Andy Serkis.

The man is a genius. He is so talented and expressive it's down right scary. Although Caesar is an ape, Andy brings such humanity to him it's astonishing. You can almost always tell what he is feeling or why he is doing the things that he does without any dialogue or in this case (most of the time) sign language.

I highly recommend this movie. The acting from everyone isn't the best, but seriously, guys...Andy Serkis. If you're not a broke high school student or college kid, I suggest buying the DVD. If you are broke, rent it for sure. It's good for some excitement, or if you're like me, a little philosophical thinking.