Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

If only the VFX team could have painted better story motivation or character development onto a script filled with dialog more on-the-nose than dots on Serkis.  Brilliant effects (excluding over-ambitious deer) hardly make up for a film so over-simplified that any ape could understand it (and declare war in response).

The Road

Bleak post-apocalyptic future peppered Hurt Locker style with big stars in small roles. Aragorn’s performance can’t match his previous roles despite enormous amount of screen-time devoted to emotional suicide discussions. Like No Country, exceptionally loyal adaptation of a McCarthy book. Should be titled The Day After the Day After Tomorrow.