Rise of the Planet of the Apes

James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo

Dir. Rupert Wyatt
Scr. Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver

Sometimes I weep for the sheer unoriginality of the Hollywood machine. This film, for instance – a reboot of a film that’s already been rebooted (see Tim Burton’s 2001 version of the 1960s original, earning and deserving a dire 45% on Rotten Tomatoes). But just when you’re crying over the pages of the latest copy of your favourite movie mag, Hollywood proves it can still surprise you. This prequel is an emotional rollercoaster, showcasing some of the most stunning motion capture CGI you will ever see and shows that, with a good script and a clear vision, life can be breathed into a franchise that seemed long dead.

While working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease, Will Rodman (Franco) is forced to adopt and care for a genetically-enhanced baby chimp, Caesar (Serkis, via motion capture). This act of compassion (to prevent the baby being killed along with his mother and other experimented-upon chimps), coupled with a generous helping of blind arrogance (attempting to contain an animal that shows such an extraordinary level of cognitive ability) leads to what can only be described as all hell breaking loose. If you’re familiar with the original movie, you know what happens next and it’s not good news for humanity. This film, a true prequel, stops short of spelling it out completely but gives the audience enough clues along the way.

While the original Planet of the Apes preached lessons about human culture, Rise seems to be a stark warning about the seemingly limitless power of science and the dangers of messing with Mother Nature. It’s a little hard to be truly sympathetic towards or concerned about the humans of the story though. With the exception of Rodman’s Alzheimer’s-afflicted father (Lithgow), there’s not really a human of great appeal. The guiding light of this story is Caesar – his emotional and intellectual journey of discovery. This is thanks in no small way to the work of Serkis and the team at Weta Digital; the former giving Caesar nuance and power and astonishing expressiveness, the latter giving this chapter of the Apes franchise something it has been sadly lacking – “real” apes.

The acting here is a bit of a mixed bag. For me, many of the human elements in this story were two-dimensional. But perhaps that was the whole point. Humans bad, apes good. Or something like that. Cox and Felton, as the father and son team who run the ape sanctuary Caesar finds himself imprisoned in, are downright nasty. As is Oyelowo’s Dr Jacobs, Rodman’s boss who is driven by dollar signs. And while Rodman is not so obviously a bad guy, he is arrogant and driven and doesn’t truly redeem himself until the finale. Good to see the beautiful Pinto (from Slumdog Millionaire), as Rodman’s veterinarian girlfriend, but she is underused in a story that doesn’t have a lot of room for human to human relationships. Lithgow, as always, is brilliant.

This is a well-paced, compelling, surprising film. There’s a pleasing balance between the drama and the action, with a strong enough script to ensure the two are convincingly bound together. In the end, Rise is memorable and entertaining – what more do you want from your blockbuster? Highly recommended.

----------------------

Dodge Landon: Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!