Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is better on some levels than the previous installment just because of the focus on the ape community and the criticism of human arrogance and violence. I would say it's simply more fun to watch the apes for the majority of the story.
HOWEVER, the reboot is sorely lacking on a lot of levels. I don't think Dawn of the Planet of the Apes or Rise of the Planet of the Apes pass the Bechdel test for two solid films in a row very quietly misogynistic and male centered to an annoying degree. Even with the woman doctor character she exists only to serve males except for a brief interchange with a female ape - and the two ladies don't even talk directly to one another.
This is a far cry from the 1968 original where a female ape is one of the driving principal characters. Pretty sad to take such an obvious step backwards along with the lame CGI shoot outs that are dumb and unrealistic.
HOWEVER, the reboot is sorely lacking on a lot of levels. I don't think Dawn of the Planet of the Apes or Rise of the Planet of the Apes pass the Bechdel test for two solid films in a row very quietly misogynistic and male centered to an annoying degree. Even with the woman doctor character she exists only to serve males except for a brief interchange with a female ape - and the two ladies don't even talk directly to one another.
This is a far cry from the 1968 original where a female ape is one of the driving principal characters. Pretty sad to take such an obvious step backwards along with the lame CGI shoot outs that are dumb and unrealistic.