Sometimes, stories about humankind are best told from a nonhuman perspective. For instance, movies about artificial intelligence have touched on this theme, like Alita: Battle Angel, Extinction, and I Am Mother.
In 1963, a French novel by Pierre Boulle titled La Planète Des Singes was published and became the basis of 20th Century Fox's 1968 classic, Planet of the Apes, which spawned multiple sequels, a remake by Tim Burton, and a film series reboot. While the film iterations have their own fascinating origin stories and original characters, the movies are all studies in humanity, compassion, leadership, and wisdom.
All the Planet of the Apes films have compelling storylines, but my top favorite is Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the second installment in the reboot film series, with Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty), Gary Oldman, and the incredible Andy Serkis as Caesar. You don't necessarily need to see the first film (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), but you will appreciate the sequel even more when you understand where the characters came from, particularly Caesar, Rocket, Maurice, and Koba.
Directed by Matt Reeves (The Batman) and released in 2014, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes doesn't just have amazing visual effects and performances. It has some incredibly moving, powerful, and poignant scenes that it's kind of hard not to get emotional watching them. It's an ironic twist that in a story about humankind, you root for the nonhumans. Despite the violence, I think all nine Planet of the Apes should be seen at least once, but even if you're not a fan of the film franchise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an absolute must-see.
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