In retrospect, Rise of the Planet of the Apes had a pretty ideal beginning: Everybody expected it to be dumb and stupid, so when it turned out to be awesome, it not only benefitted from an unexpected swell of good word-of-mouth and good reviews, but also did well enough to garner some sequels.

This summer's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, on the other hand, is at a totally different place: Expectations are high for it to be as good as its predecessor, which is a pretty tall order. But if there's anything the Planet of the Apes movies have proven—and I say this loving them more than any grown man should legally be allowed to—it's that sequels (or "reimaginings") aren't exactly its strong suit.

All that said, holy shit: If Dawn actually ends up being as good as the latest trailer makes it look? It's going to blow the first one out of the water. This thing looks great, he said, clapping like a goddamn monkey.