Dawn of the Planet of the Apes feels a lot like it’s predecessor, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in that despite its status as a franchise summer blockbuster, it’s looming July release feels under the radar. That may change tomorrow though, when the film’s theatrical trailer is scheduled to go public. As studios are now apt to do, 20th Century Fox has released a series of short clips prior to the trailer itself, but you may be surprised by what they show. Hit the jump for more.
[Update: Those desperate for actual footage from the film can rejoice, as another brief teaser promoting the trailer launch tomorrow has been released. We’ve included it at the bottom, following the original article.]
In case you weren’t aware, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes place a decade after Rise of the Planet of the Apes, during which time a “simian flu” epidemic has destroyed the human population. Each of the three teaser videos below offer a time-lapse perspective of major cities—London, San Francisco and New York—that shows the dramatic effect the flu has had on society. What were once major metropolitan areas have now evolved (or devolved) into ape-friendly jungles.
If I had to choose how I would like my “pre-trailer” teaser video, I much prefer the more thematic, abstract approach the above videos demonstrate. These videos are unique to the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ marketing campaign, and while they don’t offer actual footage from the film, the videos do a great job at establishing an eerie, tense tone without spoiling any story beats. This is in stark contrast to what fans typically get—a rapidly edited series of scenes from the trailer itself—completely devoid of tone or context. I don’t know about you, but instead of leaving me wanting more like a teaser is supposed to do, teaser-teaser trailers just leave me feeling pissed off.
Be sure to look for the new Dawn of the Planet of the Apes trailer tomorrow using the hashtag #DawnOfApes. Caesar and friends return July 11.