Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed By: Rupert Wyatt

Screenplay By: Rick Jaffa, & Amanda Silver

Genre: Sci-fi/Action

Running Time: 105 minutes

Release Date: August 5, 2011

7/10 Dropps

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a reboot to Planet of the apes movies that have now spanned over 40 years. Right to the point, this version is blessedly better than the god-awful 2001 remake helmed by director Tim Burton but still light-years away from the classic 1968 original; where the vision of Charleston Heston screaming at a destroyed statue of liberty ripples through to this day.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, focuses on Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist who has been developing a potential cure for Alzheimer’s disease. He begins to test on chimpanzees but a test goes wrong and those subjects are killed. However, the offspring of one of the subjects survives and Will decides to raise it. The chimp now called Caesar (Andy Serkis, in motion capture), has shown giant leaps in intelligence and after some conflict he is placed in a private primate facility, which is essentially a prison. The guards mistreat the apes, the other apes treat him as an outcast, and the facility boss’s son is apparently a sadist who hates apes. Caesar escapes, locates a vial of the cure and uses it to enhance the skills of the other apes. The apes, now free, attack several humans and flee to plan their next cause, meanwhile the cure has unleashed a global pandemic among humans.

First off, the special effects for the film were stunning, as Weta Digital (the SFX company behind Avatar) outdoes themselves again. Andy Serkis, the man behind Gollum from The Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as King Kong in the remake, uses the technology to truly make Caesar an incredibly sympathetic character. The film needs this as Caesar is essentially the main character, who is supported by a human cast who the audience will struggle to care for. James Franco’s Will Rodman is a tad bit undefined and remarkably bland for someone who just ushered in the fall of man. Frieda Pinto plays Caroline Aranha, Will’s primatologist girlfriend, who is of little use to the story, and whose relationship to Will is still hazy. Tom Felton plays Draco Malf… oh wait… no… he plays a mean-spirited bully whose actions are never truly explained, as he takes solace in being a total dick… so… ok, Draco Malfoy is in this film.

There are plenty of things to gripe about in this film. The first of which is that for an action movie this film is missing… well… action. There is really only one action scene in Apes, in which the apes overpower forces and storm the golden gate bridge. It was a brilliantly composed action scene that was well worth the wait of the film up to that point, but it was still only one scene. Second, the Apocalypse warning at the end of the film felt extremely rushed, as it came quickly as if it were just an afterthought (which when the subject matter includes the end of human life as we may know it, is a grand miscue). Lastly, and perhaps the films greatest flaw, it isn’t in any way deep. The original Planet of the Apes was pretty cheesy with its low special effects capabilities and subject matter, but it was profound when it wanted to be. James Franco’s character just floats over the big issues, it doesn’t dive into the philosophical ramifications of his actions. Hey, buddy you just caused the end of the world… Thoughts on that? There was no talk about them playing god, or any similar cautionary tales about evolution. There were no scenes with Will Rodman drinking himself to death in guilt or shame… there was nothing.

In the end, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, does enough to keep you satisfied but really leaves you wanting more. Which I can attribute to the state of the industry today, the rushed ending almost forces if not outright demands a sequel. The film is intentionally light so that they can lure you back to the theaters next year with what is essentially the part 2 of this film. It’s a shame because with a few more pieces this movie could have been great, instead they have audiences shouting like a desperate Charleston Heston.
-Mat Karako