Back in 2001, the world gave a collective cringe upon watching one of the poorest attempts at the reboot of a classic franchise.

Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes" somehow managed to take the legacy of the enduring original film and massacred it. Which is why 10 years later, there was some hesitance over another reboot, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," this time with CGI apes and a complete disconnect from the original franchise.

But it worked.

The 2011 film, which starred James Franco and Andy Serkis as Caesar, was a masterful display of CGI acting. The box office receipts were decent enough to encourage a sequel, and three years later, here we are with the latest installment of the franchise.

And what a beauty it is.

Short of perfect, "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is undoubtedly the best blockbuster film of 2014 and one of the finest sci-fi action thrillers of the 21st century.

At the end of the first installment, a flu has started to contaminate the human race. By the start of "Dawn," the human race has almost been completely eradicated by the disease and only a small colony has any chance at survival. However, their power supply is running short, and the only hope is to reactivate a dam in the middle of the forest.

It seems like an easy enough plan until the humans realize that the dam is next to the home of apes led by Caesar (Serkis). The two sides reach a fragile peace, but that slowly falls apart as intolerant parties on both sides work to break it.

The film starts off with one of the most breathtaking sequences in cinema this year. The first image is an extreme close-up of Caesar's eyes, and the camera slowly tracks away to reveal his ape kingdom. Moments after, the major characters are established during a hunting party, and the entire way of life of the simians is portrayed for the ensuing 15 minutes or so.

From the start, director Matt Reeves proves to be unafraid of showcasing emotional moments (a common theme throughout the film), and his most memorable event in the opening sequence features the birth of Caesar's child. If the ultimate thesis of the film is that man and ape are not so different from one another as external appearances might indicate, then this scene is easily the most poignant means of displaying it. The communication in this sequence is done through sign language and subtitles, further immersing the viewer and creating a sort of calm and tranquility.

The first utterances of dialogue actually disrupt this peacefulness as they come from a human mouth and feature a confrontation between the two species. The editing brilliantly transitions to the human world and introduces its major characters and world. The contrast between the calm of the ape world and the instability of the human realm is quite striking and really brings the entire conflict into sharp focus.

James Franco is gone from this film, but in his stead is Jason Clarke's Malcolm, who is mystified by his first encounter by Caesar. He is the traditional hero. His character may not be as complex, but he gives the film a moral compass that dovetails beautifully with Caesar's own complexity.

Andy Serkis, who truly dominated the first film, tops his portrayal of the ruling ape. Caesar is far older and thus more broken down. He struggles with keeping the peace among his fellow monkeys, but also seems nostalgic about the loss of his connection to the human world. That he must conciliate the two makes his journey all the more powerful. While the film certainly places a great deal of focus on how Caesar and Malcolm come together and work toward peace, it aims for a larger scope as it also showcases how the two major characters must overcome their own personal crises at home.

And this is what really sets the film apart. There is a huge cast of characters on both sides of the species line, and all of them are fully fleshed out. Caesar's son Blue Eyes is conflicted by his father's love for humans and his admiration for the vengeful Koba. Koba might go down the path to the dark side, but his dawn comes from a truly complex world filled with trauma; you might wind up hating him, but you always understand him.

Meanwhile, Malcolm's son Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is a loner that struggles with the loss of his mom, while Malcolm's girlfriend Ellie (Keri Russell) is trying to get Alexander to accept her as his new mom while dealing with her own loss. Dreyfuss (Gary Oldman) is a man fighting for the survival of the human race and is willing to make any sacrifice, no matter how small, to see out his mission.

The visual effects are top notch. The motion capture performances are so authentic and wonderful that one easily forgets that they are still CGI projections; in fact, they do not look like computer animated characters at all. Every detail is so fleshed out that the line between the computer and reality is completely blurred. It suits the theme of the film in a rather nuanced way.

There are some fantastic plot twists, including one that will unsettle audiences (and maybe remind them of history) and the pace of "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is unrelenting.

"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" is brimming with tremendous tension and emotionality. Reeves certainly pushes the emotional content to its edge, but never devolves into manipulative sentimentality. At its core, this film is a story about family and community portrayed through wondrous acting; the top rate action is just a massive bonus in a riveting and unforgettable movie.