Things about Dawn and Rise of the Planet of the Apes that Left Our Jaws Dropped

Have you noticed this about these two instalments of the chimpanzee Caesar’s story—Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes? Why does dawn come after the rise? Isn’t it usually the other way around? Anyways! That is not what we are here to talk about. We are here to discuss some lesser-known facts about the Dawn of the Apes. Curious yet?

Apes Firing Machine Guns, like really?

This lasting impact or like we say the climax of the movie is always the last scene of the movie. Eeerr! Well this was supposedly meant to be a terrifying scene but we cannot help but ignore the amusement here. So the scene goes like this, the ape in question advances towards two armed men. Much to their delight, the ape starts entertaining them acting drunk. They were so caught up in the act that they forgot all about their armour- the big mean machine guns. The next thing we know is the ape is with the machine. And not forgetting to mention, those apes can operate those machine guns as if they were born for it. It’s reminiscent of the intense scenes in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where the apes’ intelligence and strategic prowess are fully displayed.

Wait Can those Apes Talk….and Read too?

We went holly molly when Caesar finally spoke to James Franco’s character in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After watching Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, we feel that apes are evolving unimaginably. In one scene, we notice an ape reading a book with a human child. And by reading out, we do not mean ‘trying his hand at reading’. The ape is at peace, reading out and discussing the book’s main plot. In another scene, where the humans and the apes meet in a pivotal scene, Caesar clearly says that his comrades do not want to fight, but they mean war if it comes to defending their land- the forest.

The Visuals that Makes us go WHOA!

We don’t muddle our heads when we know what goes on behind the scenes. But it is impressive when we take a moment to unravel things like this. In movies like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the ape civilisation’s visual transformation must be fully credited. It combines ape-like solid performances and the brilliant use of visual effects. We cannot help but use the word ‘but’ here. The actual images or visuals can tickle your funny bone. The actors are seen using arm’s stretchers to emulate the ape’s walk, and it is just too hilarious for words. We can see them transform into apes right before our eyes.

The Giant Army of Apes

When you notice the large number of apes presented in the movie, it will make you say that the sky is truly the limit. The scene where a human opens the door and, much to his astonishment, notices an army of apes assembled for a conference. Hold on! Flashback! Did we just mention ‘army of apes?’ The sight is reminiscent of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, where apes form an organised society with an imposing presence. The fleet looks even more significant than the living beings gathered at Noah’s Ark. The ape count is appalling and blinding.

Behind the Scenes madness!

We all know that the movie contains serious content, but that did not stop the crew from having their share of fun. Here are some goof-ups on the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes sets. This is a funny tale behind the scenes of the apes shown riding their horses. The horses would freak out every time Andy would scream ‘APES’. They would tread over the side, so one actor was scared to work with the horses. So, in the end, they had to shoot that scene with all their eight characters on step ladders from Home Depot. Seeing the finest actors saying out their lines standing in step ladders was a silly affair. These are some of the fantastic moments of the movie.

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Anoop Chaphekar

Last updated: January 2, 2025

A Fine Arts Graduate, Anoop brings 20+ yrs experience in the VFX and Animation industry. He brings his expertise in Animation-VFX for Television Commercials to Visual Effects for feature films, TV and Web series.