Reboots are coming so quickly and frequently lately, and they largely feel unnecessary. The Amazing Spider-man didn’t really bring anything new to the table and its sequel sounds like a massive train wreck, while this year’s Robocop remake sounded like it didn’t have anything terribly interesting to offer. It’s rather incredible then that the reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise works so well. Both Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes aren’t much at all like all of the other major summer movie releases we’ve been getting hammered with recently.

I remember the large amounts of praise that Rise received when it first came out, and being a little confused by it. A movie about a super intelligent chimpanzee…was good? You may recall I mentioned having a prejudice against primates when I reviewed the original Planet of the Apes movies last week, so that was very much at play. But I finally decided to give Rise a shot and I was surprised by just how engaged I was with the movie. It was extraordinarily emotional in a way I didn’t see coming, and the way it steadily pushed James Franco’s character aside to put the spotlight on Caesar himself feels like a pretty bold move. I couldn’t believe a movie like that was even made with the kind of budget it had.

After watching the original movies, I was even more taken back by how well done Rise is. It borrows plot elements from Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, yes, but it is NOTHING like that movie. It makes several small, sly references to the original film, sure, but it is largely its own thing. It isn’t a remake like Tim Burton’s lousy attempt from 2001. It isn’t a retread of any of the films that came before it. It’s a fresh new start and a well done update of a lot of the themes and ideas expressed in those original movies without feeling like it’s trying too hard to pander to fans in the way the Marvel films do.

So having watched it, and having watched the original series and developing a much better idea of what this series is all about, I was even more excited for Dawn. I went with a friend on Friday night, and while the theater wasn’t fully packed, there were still quite a lot of people in there and I was a bit in awe at the fact that everyone was quiet, there wasn’t any inappropriate chuckling, and I didn’t notice anyone pulling out their cellphone or anything annoying like that. We were all engaged by the movie.

This movie once again belongs to Caesar and the community he leads. The first 15 minutes or so are without humans or dialogue, focusing entirely on the apes. While capable of limited speech, they communicate largely in sign language. I kind of wish it’d gone on just a bit longer, really. When a human finally turns up, we are just as shocked as they are, and from there the tension refuses to let up. It never becomes about whether apes are superior to humans or not. Rather, it’s about their similarities, but moreso it feels more about the nature of conflict. Nothing is clear cut black or white, there’s good and bad on both sides, and that’s refreshing. As far as big budget special effects movies go, this is by far the most thoughtful one you’re probably going to see this year.

I’ve noticed a few people jeering at the movie for being so dark and taking itself so seriously. Even the moment where one ape rides a horse while firing two rifles at once isn’t quite as ludicrously emphasized as you’d expect it to be. It’s kind of relentless in the way that there’s no levity at all aside from some softer moments. Maybe it is a bit too grim, but I’m okay with that. I cringed at every single dumb joke in Captain America 2 and as entertaining as it was, even some of the well-executed humor in Edge of Tomorrow fell flat for me, so I’m just pleased that Dawn didn’t even attempt any humor at all.

One big highlight for me was Michael Giacchino’s score. I’ve always enjoyed his work, and he does an incredible job here. It may be one of his best, with little nods here and there to the music heard in the original films. Another was the look of the movie: always dark and moody, rainy and foggy. The overgrown ruins of San Francisco, slowly being reclaimed by nature, looks and feels a lot like the Last of Us, a comparison I couldn’t shake off for the whole movie. And while the humans don’t have a whole lot to do in this movie, that’s not to say there aren’t some great moments. Gary Oldman in particular, while delivering his speech that you’ve already heard parts of from the trailers, is phenomenal. He’s shaking the entire time, like he’s about to jump out of his skin, a man trying to hold his community together while he himself is on the brink of falling to pieces. Desperation is unshakeable. The apes only have a rudimentary grasp of English, making their dialogue staggeringly direct and powerful during the few times they actually speak.

There is one thing that bugs me, though: the original movies are based on the premise that super intelligent apes rule over primitive humans in the far future. I’m wondering how the next movie will take us to that point, or if it’s even going to try. Caesar still has compassion towards humanity, he doesn’t want to wipe them out, but this IS Planet of the APES, eventually it should reach that conclusion, right? Then again, these two movies have already gone in a largely different direction from the originals. Anything is possible. That’s one thing that’s remained consistent with this franchise, you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next.