Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a 2014 American science fiction action film directed by Matt Reeves and written by Mark Bomback and the writing team of Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

It stars Andy Serkis as Caesar, alongside Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

Principal photography commenced that April and lasted until that July, with filming locations including Campbell River, Vancouver Island, and New Orleans.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes premiered on June 26, 2014 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and was theatrically released worldwide by 20th Century Fox on July 11.

The apes, all bestowed with genetically enhanced intelligence by the virus, establish a colony in the Muir Woods National Monument near San Francisco, led by Caesar, along with his lieutenants Maurice, Rocket, and Koba.

A group of humans, led by Malcolm, unknowingly enter the apes' territory in search of a hydroelectric dam that would restore power to their community in San Francisco.

Malcolm convinces Dreyfus, the community's leader, to give him a chance to take a small team to the forest to negotiate with the apes and access the dam.

The fragile truce briefly falls apart when Carver is discovered to have kept a hidden gun and is thus forcibly sent away, but trust is restored when Ellie saves Cornelia, Caesar's ill wife.

Taking command, he leads the ape army to San Francisco, where they plunder the armory and mount a full-scale assault on the humans.

Malcolm holds Dreyfus and his men at gunpoint to give Caesar enough time to retake command by confronting Koba at the top of the tower.

"[12] Wyatt also stated that he wants it to take place eight years after Rise, as a whole new ape generation can be born, and explore the dynamics of Caesar and Koba's relationship.

[15] On May 15, 2012, it was announced Scott Z. Burns had been hired to do rewrites on the original screenplay by Rise writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

[17] On September 17, 2012, there were reports that director Wyatt was considering leaving the sequel due to his concern that a May 2014 release date would not give him enough time to make the film properly.

[21] In December 2012, after the departure of director Wyatt, James Franco speculated that he would not return for the sequel as his character Will Rodman, saying "Now Rupert's not a part of it so my guess is I won't be in it.

[23] In April 2014, when asked by IGN about the fate of Franco and Pinto's characters, producer Dylan Clark said they died due to the Simian Flu.

[24] In February 2013, actors Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, and Kodi Smit-McPhee were cast in lead roles for the sequel, set ten years after the events from the first film.

In addition to the apes, Weta created other digital animals, such as a herd of elk, a grizzly bear, and CGI doubles of the live horses.

[44] A viral marketing campaign for the film launched in July 2013 included a "simian flu" website[45] and mock PSA videos.

[47] A novel titled Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Firestorm, written by Greg Keyes, which is also set between the events of the first two films was published in May 2014 by Titan Books.

It allows players to create and customize a simian flu virus to infect the world and eradicate humanity whilst helping apes survive.

[50] Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was a success at the box office with many critics calling it "the summer's best popcorn film",[51] and Deadline Hollywood commented saying it is "a franchise that will keep going and going, unless they screw it up".

The website's critics consensus reads, "With intelligence and emotional resonance to match its stunning special effects, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes expands on its predecessor with an exciting and ambitious burst of sci-fi achievement.

[70] Guy Lodge of Variety said, "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, with incoming helmer Matt Reeves conducting the proceedings with more assertive genre elan than Rise journeyman Rupert Wyatt.

"[71] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter stated that the film "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.

"[72] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph said, "There's evident patience and intelligence to the filmmaking all over, as well as an engagement with genuine ideas about diplomacy, deterrence, law and leadership.

"[74] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe wrote that "in bearing, speech, and agonized expressiveness, Serkis's Caesar conveys the conflicts of a king with almost Shakespearean grandeur.

"[76] Less favorable reviews included Andrew O'Hehir at Salon.com who wrote, "Here's a rule that has gradually become clear to me: Any film that begins with one of those fake-news montages, where snippets of genuine CNN footage are stitched together to concoct a feeling of semi-urgency around its hackneyed apocalypse, already sucks even before it gets started.

[79] After seeing his cut of Dawn, 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment signed Matt Reeves to return as director for a third installment of the reboot series.