Ah the nostalgia this scene provokes. Too bad they couldn’t recreate this scene in Tron Legacy as well as they recreated it here using only Duct Tape. Oh well. Creations such as this really speak to the effect of popular culture on the world around us…sometimes it’s even awesome! Enjoy!
Welcome to my very first movie…or anything review, ever. Eventually I plan on reviewing a great many of my favorite (and no so favorite) movies, books, TV shows, and so on from this ever growing world of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Please send me any comments or feedback that you have, I’m always interested in your opinions. So here we go!
Overview:
A reimagining of the old Charleton Heston series, Rise of the Planet of the Apes attempts to give that original series an origin story, and set the stage for that eerie post-apocalyptic world filled with hostile, intelligent apes.
The Story:
The main plot revolves around Will Rodman, played by James Franco, a neurologist bent on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, and a cure for his affected father, played by John Lithgow. It follows Franco as he experiments and develops likely cure “viruses” designed to repair human brain tissue. Not to give too much away, one chimp, Caesar, the story’s real main character, is born as a second generation recipient of the virus and thus develops enhanced mental capacity that exceeds most humans. The story continues as Caesar grows up with full human awareness, but as an outcast amongst them, eventually leading to Caesar’s incarceration (in an ape animal control shelter) as a dangerous animal. Hate and distrust for humans develops, and Caesar with his human intelligence gradually turns his back on humans and organizes a revolution utilizing other chimps. He accomplishes this by exposing them to newer versions of the same virus (developed by James Franco) that gave Caesar his own awareness. By the end of the movie the now organized chimp rebellion has escaped various chimp containment facilities (i.e. the zoo, the testing lab, and the animal control facility), and escaped into the red wood forest north of San Francisco. Meanwhile, the same virus which now gives the Apes their enhanced mental capacities also infects and kills off humans, thus beginning the fall of man-kind and the rise of the apes.
The Acting:
As said before, the real star of the movie is the chimp, Caesar, played through movement and facial expression by the brilliant Andy Serkis. But the focus is on the minimal acting elements and subtle changes in ape culture as the movie moves forward making the evolution of Caesar very real and very interesting. On the other hand, other acting performances (with the exception of the always delightfully off kilter John Lithgow) are bland and cardboard compared to the subtle nuances of the maturing Caesar. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it truly highlights the remarkable job done with ape character development making their rise to prominence more believable and interesting.
The characters:
The movie is made less about the action and visual spectacle, and more about the phenomenal character development of Caesar. It charts his innocent beginnings, all the way through to his angry and impassioned revolt from the captivity of the humans.
The downside of both characters and acting come with some of the blatantly stereotypical choices of characters made to represent the darkly influential elements of humanity. The money grubbing business head of the pharmaceutical company that develops the Alhiemer’s cure is interested in nothing but money for the sake of money, and you can almost hear the cash register chime every time he speaks. Similarly, the sociopathic handler in charge of the apes at the animal control shelter is so unnecessarily cruel and malicious with no clear reason or motivation that you want to slap your head in frustration for the insulting way they portray the “evil” side of humanity.
The Action and Plot:
The rising action of the movie is all about Caesar’s evolution as a thinking, cognizant being, and it is done amazingly well. Dramatic action, in terms of the ape revolt, all happens within the last half hour of the film, but it does not suffer for it. Even die-hard action fans will be satisfied by the narrative pacing and interesting development of the main character.
Visuals:
Mostly the computer animated apes are stunning, though it does float back and forth between times of amazing visual integration, and jarringly out of place green screens that pull you away from your suspended disbelief.
Sound:
A hallmark of excellent soundtracks has always been pure integration with the action and setting of the film. In Rise of the Apes, I never remember hearing the music at all, and this is a good thing. Great soundtracks are not heard because they are used to support and move along each scenario. Music that is too obtrusive often takes away the movie itself.
Overall:
I was impressed by Rise of the Apes. In a summer filled with large scale block busters and highly visual blow-em-ups, this may be the best of them all. A fascinatingly realistic rise of awareness and character development through compelling situations make for an excellent film. And while some supporting elements from the other actors and characterization could have been better, they definitely weren’t enough to dampen my appreciation for the film. Unlike many films this summer I was never once bored, never looked at my watch to check the time, never stifled a yawn because of a lagging scene. The narrative pacing was exceptional, the cinematography was engaging and really brought you into the emotions of each scene. An all around great movie. Go see it!
Thanks for reading! This is my first review. Any comments, questions, suggestions, or overall feedback are greatly appreciated so that I can improve as I do more.
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Dorne Fiction 