( CNN ) -- `` Dawn of the Planet of the Apes '' is already making critics cheer . The follow-up to 2011 's surprise hit `` Rise of the Planet of the Apes '' wo n't open until July 11 , but early reviews and strong box office predictions are setting it up for a splashy debut . As the sequel to `` Rise , '' `` Dawn of the Planet of the Apes '' takes place 10 years following the events of that 2011 movie . In this future existence , the apes , led by Andy Serkis ' Caesar , have built a functioning society in the woods of California 's Bay Area , while humans have suffered a severe blow from a global virus . When the survivors stumble upon the apes ' community , there 's an initial attempt to keep the peace , but it is n't long before the dawn of a war . In addition to Serkis , who received plenty of praise for his work in `` Rise of the Planet of the Apes , '' `` Dawn '' also stars Jason Clarke , Gary Oldman and Keri Russell . Interestingly , it 's not the human cast that 's really driven critics bananas . `` Few blockbusters this summer are likely to provide an image as stirring as an angry chimp on horseback , leaping through a wall of fire with a machine gun blazing in each hand -- in 3D , '' The Guardian 's review begins . `` Both the forest settings and post-apocalyptic San Francisco are rich in detail and atmosphere , the action sequences are thrilling without being flashy , and the apes themselves are uncannily expressive , particularly their eyes . ... We 've arrived at the stage where the soulful expression on the face of a virtual chimp can conjure more sympathy than a real , emoting human . '' HitFix 's Drew McWeeny goes as far as to call `` Dawn '' one of the best movies of 2014 , thanks to its combination of digital expertise and talented direction from Matt Reeves . While McWeeny entered his screening just wanting `` a solid and respectful follow-up , '' what he got instead was `` a film that digs deep , that challenges not only the notion of what a studio blockbuster looks like but also how sequels are supposed to work in a commercial world , a movie about real ideas with a spectacular sense of character and mood . 'Dawn ' is not just a good genre movie or a good summer movie . It 's a great science-fiction film , full-stop . '' And the effort to make the apes as realistic as possible `` pushed performance into a whole new realm , '' McWeeny continues . `` It 's one thing to pull off one or two characters like this , but ... to bring to life dozens of characters , and to have them all register as fully as they do here , is a remarkable accomplishment . Add to that the idea that so much of this was shot outside , on real locations , and you end up with something that destroys any boundaries in terms of what can or ca n't be done at this point . '' To put it another way , `` 'Dawn ' is to 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes ' what 'The Empire Strikes Back ' was to 'Star Wars ' â€ ” it 's that much better , '' says The Hollywood Reporter . `` [ D ] irector Matt Reeves ' synthesis of brains and brawn kicks it over the goalposts and out of the stadium ... Whatever anyone might think about the film as a whole , there is no question that Andy Serkis gives the most expressive , soulful , deeply felt performance of a non-human character the big screen has ever offered as the mature Caesar . '' With praise like that , it 's no wonder box office prognosticators are imagining huge returns when `` Dawn of the Planet of the Apes '' opens on July 11 . According to Variety , many observers believe `` Dawn '' will easily grab a $ 54.8 million opening , with BoxOffice.com placing its bets that `` Dawn 's '' first weekend will land close to $ 70 million .
`` Dawn of the Planet of the Apes '' has strong early reviews . The movie is the sequel to 2011 's surprise hit ` ` Rise of the Planet of the Apes '' Critics praise the performances , direction and digital work . It also marks a return for director Rupert Wyatt who helmed the first film in 2012.