Metacritic Movie Ratings
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 100

  out of 100

  VarietyGuy Lodge

  An altogether smashing sequel to 2011's better-than-expected “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” this vivid, violent extension of humanoid ape Caesar’s troubled quest for independence bests its predecessor in nearly every technical and conceptual department.

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• 100

  out of 100

  Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern

  The film forges ahead, in vivid 3-D, with such energy, expertise and thunderous conviction that you readily accept its basic premise — the pell-mell emergence of great intelligence, plus moral awareness, in primitive bodies — and find yourself exactly where the filmmakers want you to be, swinging giddily between sympathy for the apes and the humans in what threatens to become all-out war.

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• 100

  out of 100

  The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthy

  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes manages to do at least three things exceptionally well that are hard enough to pull off individually: Maintain a simmering level of tension without let-up for two hours, seriously improve on a very good first entry in a franchise and produce a powerful humanistic statement using a significantly simian cast of characters.

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• 88

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  It's a provocative sci-fi action film with dynamite special effects, a powerful humanistic theme with echoes of real-life social conflicts, and a truly wondrous performance by Serkis.

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• 88

  out of 100

  Chicago Sun-TimesRichard Roeper

  This is an “Apes” for the ages.

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• 75

  out of 100

  Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips

  Whatever audiences think of it, I'd say the latest "Apes" picture is just that: a solid success, sharing many of its predecessor's swift, exciting storytelling and motion-capture technology virtues.

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