Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

Rated PG-13 (Violence, Terror, some Sexuality and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 45 Minutes

Cast-

Andy Serkis-Caesar

James Franco-Will Rodman

John Lithgow-Charles Rodman

Freida Pinto-Caroline Aranha

Brian Cox-John Landon

Tom Felton-Dodge Landon

David Oyelowo-Steven Jacobs

Tyler Labine-Robert Franklin

Directed by Rupert Wyatt

Rise, Caesar.

When French author Pierre Boulle finished writing his novel “Planet of the Apes” in 1963, no one knew that it would become one of the most recognizable and popular film franchises in modern cinema. The original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston is a science fiction masterpiece, a critical and commercial success that spawned four sequels but while they never quite recaptured what made the first one so special, it at least maintained a consistent quality despite the production budget being slashed with each successive installment. By 1973, audiences had grown tired of the series and the fifth film was advertised as the last entry. However, 20th Century Fox wasn’t quite ready to give up on “Planet of the Apes” just yet and remade the original in 2001 with Tim Burton at the helm. While it was a financial success, reception from critics and fans were mixed and the promise of a sequel never materialized. Now, the studio is trying again with the reboot “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” in the hopes that it will breathe new life in the franchise. I was initially very skeptical when the film was announced and feared that it would drag a once-venerable series through the mud by having all the apes rendered in CG through motion capture. How wrong I was as “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” exceeded all of my expectations not just with the artistry and the facial animation of its motion capture technology but the amount of emotional depth being conveyed for what is essentially a computer construct made up of nothing but pixels. While its story doesn’t do anything wholly original, the film is made memorable thanks to Andy Serkis’ brilliant mo-cap performance. 

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a scientist working at a large pharmaceutical company in San Francisco named GEN-SYS, who is developing a cure for Alzheimer's disease which his father, Charles (John Lithgow), suffers from. The cure, a genetically engineered retrovirus dubbed ALZ-112, is tested on a chimpanzee nicknamed ‘Bright Eyes’ who quickly begins developing increased intelligence. Impressed by these results, Will’s superior, Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo), allows him to present his proposal for human trials at the next board meeting. The next day, while Will presents his findings, Bright Eyes turns hostile and goes on a rampage, disrupting the meeting and forcing security guards to put her down. An angry Jacobs orders all the chimps to be put down but Will later discovers that Bright Eyes was only protecting her newborn baby, whom she thought was being threatened. The chimp handler, Robert Franklin (Tyler Labine), cannot bring himself to kill the baby and instead gives him to Will, who takes him home and names him Caesar (Andy Serkis). Amazingly, Caesar has inherited his mother’s high intelligence and learns quickly, even communicating with sign language. Will decides to test the ALZ-112 on his father and he is miraculously cured but begins to regress five years later as his immune system begins attacking the retrovirus. Charles, in his dementia, mistakes the neighbor’s car for his own and damages it, angering the neighbor. Caesar sees him being pushed down by the neighbor and attacks him. After the incident, Caesar is taken by animal control and forced to reside at a primate facility run by John Landon (Brian Cox). Will promises that he will do everything he can to get him out but Caesar begins to lose hope as he is treated cruelly by the other apes and John’s son, Dodge (Tom Felton). Left with no choice, Caesar begins to plot an escape to free his brethren, sparking a revolution that will change the course of Earth’s future. 

One of the reasons the original “Planet of the Apes” remains so well-regarded was that it cleverly reversed the roles of man and ape with the latter becoming the dominant intelligent species on the planet. The series was also famous for its timely social commentary and while it was never subtle, it added a nice layer of depth to the proceedings. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is less a reboot and more a remake of the fourth film, 1972’s “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes,” but the original series always suffered from inconsistencies and noticeable logic gaps, something that is resolved in the new film. An irresponsible scientist with noble intentions accidentally unleashing something dangerous upon humanity isn’t exactly inspired material but it’s really a means to an end, a springboard for the film’s main theme. At one point, Caesar questions Will about whether he sees him as a pet or an equal and it’s a veiled way of addressing people’s perception of others based on pre-conceived notions or simply appearance. Since he is looked upon as nothing more than an animal, he is not bound by the same rules that govern humans and will be put down if he proves to be a danger to others, regardless of how intelligence he is. As Caesar rapidly develops, he begins to resent being kept on a leash and views this bondage as something akin to slavery. This belief is reinforced when he finds himself locked in a cage all day with his brethren at the primate facility and abused by Dodge for his amusement. When Caesar finally does throw down his shackles, its representative of a slave standing up to his master, and he feels he has no choice but to use violence in order to obtain freedom. I appreciated the irony in having Caesar show mercy to his enemies, forbidding his ape comrades from killing humans during their escape but the humans have no qualms about killing them. 

Fans of the “Planet of the Apes” franchise will enjoy the various references to the original series but it also makes this film rather predictable. We know what will happen because we’ve seen it all before. Plot strands are set up for future sequels, such as the global pandemic that will eventually push humanity to the brink of extinction and the space shuttle Icarus being lost in space is also glimpsed. However, what will stay with most audiences is the stunning motion capture performance of Caesar by Andy Serkis. Unlike the previous films which utilized traditional makeup techniques, the apes are all rendered in CG courtesy of Weta Digital, the visual effects company behind “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and “Avatar.” The apes themselves look stunningly real, every individual strand of fur realized and is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing but Serkis is the one who shines. He isn’t limited to providing physical movements but also expressing emotion in a character who cannot communicate beyond sign language or grunting. Every facial movement, big and small, is painstakingly captured. When Will is forced to leave Caesar at the primate facility, Caesar gets angry and frustrated at being left behind and honestly, I felt tears well up because Serkis does such an amazing job that transcends from being a mere visual effect to becoming the emotional heart of the film. For a CG character to elicit such a reaction from me is a credit to both the actor and Weta Digital. Only “Avatar” managed to strike such a chord. This kind of technology is a lot more useful compared to 3D, which is quickly being driven to the ground with lazy post-conversions.  

As for the human cast, they certainly pale in comparison to the apes yet James Franco manages a decent performance considering the fact that he has to work with an actor wearing nothing but a sensor suit. As the main antagonists, David Oyelowo and Tom Felton come off as cartoonishly over-the-top and some of the dialogue they recite isn’t all that well-written. Brian Cox and Freida Pinto are underused and are extraneous at best. John Lithgow is fine and captures the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s really well. Ultimately, they play second fiddle to Serkis and the CG apes. While the “Planet of the Apes” franchise contained action, it was generally low-key and look awkwardly paced to modern audiences. The film is largely driven by dialogue compared to most summer blockbusters but the climatic face-off between Caesar’s apes and the human forces is thrilling to watch. 

Released on August 5, 2011, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” has received positive reviews with 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics wrote that the film ‘breathes unlikely new life into a long-running franchise’ thanks to ‘Rupert Wyatt's stylish direction, some impressive special effects, and a mesmerizing performance by Andy Serkis.’ Earning $91 million at the worldwide box office so far, it should have no problem recouping its $93 million production budget and making a nice tidy profit to allow for a sequel in the near future. Although its plot is a run-of-the-mill cautionary tale of science run amok, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” makes up for it with a surprising amount of emotional depth and seamless use of visual effects, serving as a reminder of how much it can improve a film when utilized properly and an example of what a reboot should be.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5

“You're trying to control things that are not meant to be controlled.”