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CLIP
The clip starts at 1:14:18 and lasts until 1:18:57. If you want to watch till the end of the battle, watch until 1:23:29.
Dawn of the planet of the apes is a film of friendship, leadership, betrayal and people and apes trying to rebuild their lives after great tragedy and loss. It continues a growing trend of Hollywood infusing big blockbusters with emotion and thought-provoking action that leaves you satisfied in both the action and emotional departments.
In the clip this session focuses on we see Gary Oldman as Dreyfus, the surviving human’s leader. Conflicted in his trust of the apes, Dreyfus is struggling with loss and the resulting hard shell that it has created around him. It would be unfair to depict Dreyfus as the villain of the film, instead he is simply someone trying to survive in the new world - sadly for Caeser (the apes’ leader) and humanity, he is unwilling to trust anyone. In the clip Dreyfus watches his group celebrate the return of electricity, and in doing so he is able to see pictures of the family he has lost. In contrast to the human’s happiness, we see the apes marching to war towards the camp. Dreyfus moves into action as he tries to defend his camp.
Show the clip and then break off into small groups, or discuss the following questions as a larger group:
• Have you ever been in a situation where you haven’t trusted someone? How did it make you feel?
• If you were in Dreyfus’s position, how would you have acted?
• Should we defend ourselves with violence if we feel under threat?
• Should the apes have equal rights to the humans in the film? Why?
Turn to Micah 7:1-7. After you have read through the passage, return to your groups and discuss the following questions:
• This passage appears to give quite a negative view on trust - is it as bad as it makes out?
• Should we only put our trust and hope in God and not people?
• Can we trust a God that allows us to suffer?
• Verse five says not to have confidence in a friend - is this is verse that we are meant to apply to our own lives?
Watch the whole of the film if possible, the clip will work better in context.
