Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Trailer: GMO Apes vs. ‘Conservatives’

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer with Andy Serkis as Caesar. In Matt Reeves’ dystopian thriller Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the relatively few human survivors of the Simian flu apocalypse are pitted against the genetically modified apes under the leadership of the chimpanzee Caesar (Andy Serkis). Just like early 21st-century “conservatives” pining for the first half of the 20th century – a time when everybody (apes included) knew their hierarchical place – in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer the human leader Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) wants to retrieve the good old days when humankind reigned supreme. But will Caesar’s army allow that to happen?

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer: Pitting GMO apes against GMO-eating apes

The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer – or rather, teaser trailer – has been unleashed. Caesar and his fellow genetically modified apes find themselves threatened by a bunch of genetically modified food-eating apes (i.e., humans) who survived the pandemic and chaos of the previous decade.

For whereas GMO-eating apes used to wage war against one another because of their different tribal affiliations, favorite god(s), football teams, etc., they’ve now banded together to face off against another The Other: those hairier, more formidable, and more evolved GMO apes.

Check out the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer below.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer with Andy Serkis as Caesar and Gary Oldman as Dreyfus. Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver were credited for the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes screenplay, which shares a number of key elements with J. Lee Thompson’s Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973), set in a post-nuclear-holocaust Earth.

Yearning for humankind’s ‘lost world’

“I want you to know, it’s not just about power,” we hear Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) declare in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer. “It’s about giving us the hope to rebuild, to recreate the world we lost.”

Now, is that man insane? Why on earth would anyone want to recreate this world? So GMO-eating apes can once again watch their favorite reality TV shows, post pictures on Facebook, and get drunk at sports bars?

Really, how could anyone in their right mind not root for Caesar and his fellow GMO apes?

True, they might end up not being much better than the less hairy, less intelligent, less evolved GMO-eating apes, but they surely could be no worse.

‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ cast

Directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes features the following:

Best Actor Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 2011).

Andy Serkis (as Caesar). Jason Clarke. Judi Greer. Keri Russell. Angela Kerecz.

Toby Kebbell. Kodi Smit-McPhee. Kirk Acevedo. Kevin Rankin. Keir O’Donnell.

The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer was released nearly seven months prior to the film’s domestic opening. The 20th Century Fox release comes out in the United States and Canada next July 11.

Shortly after that, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes will debut in about a dozen countries, including Russia, The Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Singapore, and the U.K.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt, the first movie in this reboot of the old Planet of the Apes series, the box office hit Rise of the Planet of the Apes, starred James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, and Andy Serkis.

‘Planet of the Apes’ movies

Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, and James Whitmore starred in Franklin J. Schaffner’s iconic 1968 sci-fier Planet of the Apes, based on Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel.

The Twilight Zone producer Rod Serling and formerly blacklisted screenwriter Michael Wilson (Friendly Persuasion, The Bridge on the River Kwai) co-wrote the screenplay.

There would be four increasingly less popular sequels:

• Ted Post’s Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1969).
• Don Taylor’s Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971).
• J. Lee Thompson’s Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1973) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).

Tim Burton remade Planet of the Apes in 2001, with Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, and Helena Bonham Carter in the leads.

Similarities to ‘Battle for the Planet of the Apes’

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has a similar premise to that of Battle for the Planet of the Apes, written by John William Corrington and Joyce Hooper Corrington, with Paul Dehn receiving “story” credit. In the cast:

Roddy McDowall as Caesar. Claude Akins. Natalie Trundy. Paul Williams. France Nuyen.

Veteran Lew Ayres (All Quiet on the Western Front, Johnny Belinda).

Filmmakers John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, The African Queen) and, in a minor role, John Landis (An American Werewolf in London).

Divergent movie with Theo James and Shailene Woodley. The clip below indicates that Neil Burger’s film version of Veronica Roth’s novel Divergent is supposed to become the Twilight Saga of the mid-2010s – or so the Summit/Lionsgate combo hopes. Besides a pretty American actress (Shailene Woodley) playing the central character and a good-looking English actor (Theo James) as her romantic interest, it seems that Divergent, like New Moon and Eclipse before it, will have pop tunes giving it a soap opera feel.

‘Divergent’ movie clip: Countless thrills as Theo James shows ‘it’ to Shailene Woodley

“Do you want to see it?” Theo James’ Tobias Eaton (a.k.a. Four) asks Shailene Woodley’s Beatrice Prior (a.k.a. Tris) before removing one of his garments in this new Divergent movie clip. “That’s amazing!” she tells him.

No, for better or for worse, it’s not what you’re thinking.

The “it” in question is an enormous tattoo that covers nearly all of Theo James’ back. Which goes to show that Shailene Woodley’s character is rather easily amazed.

All the while, Ellie Goulding’s “Dead in the Water” plays in the background – or rather, the song is heard in the foreground, as it’s about as loud as the dialogue exchange between James and Woodley.

See and hear the Divergent movie clip/music video below.

https://youtu.be/wF5DXvApbuU

Divergent movie clip with Theo James, Shailene Woodley, and Ellie Goulding’s “Dead in the Water.” Like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Divergent is set in a futuristic, none too cozy American city, Chicago, where the young Beatrice Prior, a.k.a. Tris, eventually comes out as a “divergent” woman – i.e., she doesn’t fit into any of the pre-set social castes representing specific human traits. Later on, Tris uncovers a nefarious plot to upend her society’s deceptively functional system. Theo James plays a Dauntless caste trainer, Tobias Eaton, a.k.a. “Four,” who becomes attached to Tris.

‘Divergent’ movie: ‘Thrilling action-adventure’ or ‘Twilight’ revamped?

Chances are you wouldn’t be able to tell just by watching the soap opera clip above, but Divergent is being sold as a “thrilling action-adventure film set in a future where people are divided into distinct factions based on their personalities.”

Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Pictures will be releasing Divergent, based on Veronica Roth’s bestselling book series, next March 21.

The film’s target audience is clearly the same people who turned the Twilight movie franchise, based on Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling book series, into a cultural phenomenon a mere five years ago. Of course, with the addition of those who were 8 or 9 years old back when Catherine Hardwicke’s first Twi-entry came out.

So, besides all the futuristic action-adventure thrills, Divergent will offer romance and passionate kisses; a good-looking young hero played by a British actor (Theo James instead of Robert Pattinson); a pretty, brown-haired, young heroine played by an American actress (Shailene Woodley instead of Kristen Stewart); and overly conspicuous pop songs.

Missing, admittedly, are shirtless, heat-discharging werewolves.

‘Divergent’ movie cast

Directed by Neil Burger – of the Bradley Cooper thriller Limitless and the well-received Edward Norton mystery-drama The Illusionist – the Divergent movie was adapted by Evan Daugherty and Vanessa Taylor.

Besides Shailene Woodley and Theo James, Divergent also features:

Best Actress Academy Award winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, 2008).

Zoë Kravitz. Ray Stevenson. Miles Teller. Tony Goldwyn. Maggie Q. Ansel Elgort. Ashley Judd.

Jai Courtney. Christian Madsen. Ben Lloyd-Hughes. Ben Lamb. Justine Wachsberger. Mekhi Phifer.

Oscar trailer “Here We Go!” In order to remind everyone that Oscar 2014 is just around the corner, talk show hostess and sometime actress Ellen DeGeneres (the sitcom Ellen, the feature The Love Letter) walks and 250 tuxedo-clad dancers dance to the sound of Fitz and the Tantrum’s “The Walker.” A lively promo for the generally DOA Oscar show.

Oscar trailer: Ellen DeGeneres is ‘The Walker’

Moving on from the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer and Divergent clip to the 2014 Oscar trailer “Here We Go!” featuring talk show hostess Ellen DeGeneres and 250 tuxedo-clad, nimble-limbed dancers moving their bodies to the sound of Fitz and the Tantrum’s “The Walker.”

The trailer was directed by Paul Feig, among whose credits are the hit comedies Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, and The Heat, with McCarthy and Sandra Bullock.

Now, if the Academy can come up with such a sleek, exuberant Oscar trailer/musical number, why can’t they come up with an equally sleek, exuberant show – or, at the very least, equally sleek, exuberant Oscar ceremony musical numbers?

‘Here We Go!’ Oscar trailer & behind-the-scenes interviews

Below are Ellen DeGeneres as The Walker (conveniently wearing sneakers) and 250 enthusiastic dancers in the 2014 Oscar trailer “Here We Go!” in addition to interviews with DeGeneres and Paul Feig, and a behind-the-scenes clip.

Oscar trailer: “Here We Go!” with Ellen DeGeneres.

Oscar trailer: Behind the scenes.

Oscar 2014: Nominations in January

The 2014 Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 16. Among the likely contenders in the film, acting, directing, and/or screenwriting categories are the following:

• Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity.
  Cast: Sandra Bullock. George Clooney (who, really, doesn’t have a chance).
• Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave.
  Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor. Michael Fassbender. Brad Pitt. Lupita Nyong’o.
• David O. Russell’s American Hustle.
  Cast: Amy Adams. Bradley Cooper. Christian Bale. Jennifer Lawrence. Jeremy Renner.
• Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street.
  Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio. Jonah Hill.
• Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is the Warmest Color.
  Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos. Léa Seydoux.
• Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine.
  Cast: Cate Blanchett. Sally Hawkins.
• John Wells’ August: Osage County.
  Cast: Meryl Streep. Julia Roberts.
• Stephen Frears’ Philomena.
  Cast: Judi Dench. Steve Coogan.
• Joel and Ethan Coen’s Inside Llewyn Davis.
  Cast: Oscar Isaac. Carey Mulligan. Justin Timberlake.
• Spike Jonze’s Her.
  Cast: Joaquin Phoenix. Amy Adams. The voice of Scarlett Johansson (who, really, doesn’t stand a chance).
• John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks.
  Cast: Tom Hanks. Emma Thompson.
• Alexander Payne’s Nebraska.
  Cast: Bruce Dern. Will Forte. June Squibb.
• J.C. Chandor’s All Is Lost.
  Cast: Robert Redford.

The Oscar 2014 ceremony will be held on March 2.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website.

Image of Andy Serkis’ Caesar in the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer: 20th Century Fox.

Shailene Woodley and Theo James Divergent movie image: Summit Entertainment | Lionsgate Pictures.

2014 Oscar trailer “Here We Go!” image: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Trailer: GMO Apes vs. ‘Conservatives’ + Theo James Shows ‘It’ All in Divergent Clip” last updated in July 2018.