Rise of the Planet of the Apes0

Well it has been a pretty good year for movies all round and especially the American summer blockbuster. But when I heard that there was going to be a new Planet of the Apes movie I didn’t exactly go bananas. Yes there will be a lot of ape/monkey puns in this article so consider yourselves warned.

Now it’s not that I have anything against the Planet of the Apes franchise, in fact I remember sitting down with the movie box set a few years back and going through all six movies in a weekend. But the sad fact is that there really hasn’t been a movie that has lived up to the original 1968 film. I’d say they gradually got worse and by the time the fifth movie came out (Battle for the Planet of the Apes 1973) the series felt as bad as it was going to get. That is until we were proven wrong when in 2001, Tim Burton took a crack and made a movie so bad that flinging poo at each other would have been more entertaining, and would have made more sense too. Seriously I still can’t work out that ending. So when I heard that they were making another movie all I could think was “Pull the plug already.” Also it was to be a prequel, the hardest, riskiest thing to do in cinema. Oh and all the apes would be CGI. I thought “well this could be a really entertaining train wreck”. Then I saw it last night and Wow! It is completely stupid just how good this movie is… Seriously. There is no reason this should be as good as it is. On paper it just sounds terrible. This movie isn’t just good, I’d go as far as to say that it’s one of the best this year. Big call I know. It’s kind of bugging me that most of the movies I’ve been reviewing lately have been good. Really want to tear something apart. When is that new Adam Sandler movie coming out?

The film basically follows James Franco as a scientist (I know just go with it) testing a potential cure for alzheimer’s on apes. Sciencey stuff happens, Franco’s research is put on hold and he ends up with a baby chimpanzee to look after. That chimp is Caesar, who comes to grow up with Franco and his alzheimer’s afflicted father played by John Lithgow. But as science would have it, Caesar is no regular ape, he has heightened intelligence to rival most people. Now this first part of film is great as you see the relationship build between Caesar and the other characters. Make no mistake Caesar is the star of this movie. He is the focus of the film and gives the best performance in the movie. So through one of those dangerous misunderstandings that only happen in the world of movies, Caesar is taken away from his loving family and kept at an ape sanctuary. This is where he experiences the cruelty of MAN! Feeling abandoned, this super smart chimp sees how his kind are treated and he finally says enough. Then we all know what happens, Chimpocalypse.

So what makes Rise of the Planet of the Apes so good? Well believe it or not it isn’t the ground breaking character animation the studio has been boasting. The character animation they use for the furry protagonist is outstanding and I do agree that it’s that next level we’ve been waiting for since Gollum. But it really is the script and the characters that makes this such an enjoyable film. The relationships Caesar builds are heart warming and seeing him witness his world fall apart even got me choked up at points. Considering that this is a prequel that is very hard to do. After all how can you become emotionally invested in these characters when you know where it ends up. Namely Charlton Heston on a beach crying in front of the Statue of Liberty. But it’s amazing that without any dialogue you feel everything Caesar is feeling, and by the time the apes are ready to throw down you can’t blame them at all. In fact you kind of have to root for them. Go banana!

This is a summer movie that isn’t a summer movie. Sure there is a big spectacular pay off at the end but this movie takes its’ time to let you get to know all the characters, so when things finally do get out of hand it all means so much more. Now there are a lot of nods to the original movie, but this is a prequel in the same way Batman Begins was a prequel. Sure it fits into the other movies but if you want you can just keep going and call it a reboot. Apparently Rise of the Planet of the Apes is doing quite well so looks like another one will be on the way. Oh and if Andy Serkis keeps doing outstanding performances like Gollum, King Kong and Caesar he’s bound to be up for an award, even if you never get to see him. I can’t believe I’m saying this about a Planet of the Apes movie, but this is a must see. Just forget about the awful Tim Burton thing. See you next time.

Rowan

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