Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Synopsis:


A team of scientists lead by Will Rodman, have been testing genetically engineered viruses on Apes in the quest to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Will’s Father is also suffering from the disease.
In the process, an infant is born to one of the tested Apes and is found to be incredibly clever, at only a few days old he is feeding himself and using tools.

Raised from birth with Will and his Father, he is named Caesar and becomes disillusioned with his role in the family unit. Is he a pet? Is he just some thing that lives with them? What is his background? Many questions trouble Caesar, and he must come to terms with what Will reveals.


A while later after certain tragedies strike, the now fully grown Caesar is placed in a primate centre where he plots his escape and masters a plan to become the Alpha Male in this new world of Apes in which he now lives.

Review:


I was dubious about the rebooting of the series, especially after the Markymark remake that pretty much killed it off before it began. Man that film was gash!


I’m glad to say though that I was wrong, I was very wrong indeed.


The story is exactly that: A story.
It’s written brilliantly and plays out relatively simply so it’s easy to follow, but the steps that the movie goes through to make the build-up possible is perfectly executed and extremely believable.


There are also homages of the original franchise with occasional glimpses of the Icarus Space Shuttle shown on various news broadcasts and newspapers, some of the Apes’ names seen throughout and a few lines of dialogue too.


The film also successfully builds a sense of philosophy when it comes to Caesar actually being more humane than some of the Humans he comes into contact with.
It’s actually that good you find yourself on the side of the Apes rather than the humans and gives the viewer a completely different depth and outlook to the Apes' Franchise Legacy.


There’s also the side of the Humans laced into it too which allows the viewer to see things from all sides. Good and bad Humans, and also good and bad Apes… it’s very broad in the story telling and emotions of the characters.
There’s also the occasional shock in the plotline too, especially with Caesar’s abilities. At one point I actually said ‘Whoa’ out loud.


One thing missing though is the Female Chimp called Cornelia. There’s a small hint about a connection between her and Caesar, but it’s incredibly glimpsing and I get the impression something was snipped from the final cut of the movie.




The acting is another bang-on-the-money bonus.
James Franco who is mediocre in my book is very likable and engaging. It’s by far his best role outside of 127 Hours. Definitely a worthy leading man.
Tom Felton feels a little typecast as a worker at the primate centre. He does his Draco Malfoy thing from Harry Potter but he’s very slimy and smarmy and really makes for a good ‘baddy’.
John Lithgow makes a welcome appearance as Franco’s ill Father. He’s very loveable and you really make a connection with the character as he flits between normal and confused and frustrates and worries Will at the same time. I loved Lithgow in this film.


By far, of course, the best acting comes from Andy Serkis as Caesar. Imagine King Kong but with more of a personality and man-sized rather than 30 feet tall. Then multiply that performance by 100 and you’re getting relatively close. Serkis is absolutely fantastic.
You can also strangely tell it’s Serkis doing it. The role reeks of him, but in a very, very good way.


Backup comes from Brian Cox as the primate centre owner, Freida Pinto as Will’s new squeeze and David Oyelowo as Will’s Boss. There’s also too-many-to-count mime artists and motion capture people involved, but they all do a magnificent job.




As for the effects, well, where to begin?
You can tell that the Apes are CGI but it’s extremely stylish and works fantastically with the tone of the movie.


The action is another plus point. It’s exciting and very well choreographed. It’s also smile-renderingly paced and contains some imaginative hints by the filmmakers. The end scene on the bridge and how the Apes use their surroundings is also wonderfully original.


The whole lot of action is held together brilliantly though with the acting involved and the fact you care, or hate, the respective characters involved. It’s also all held back in reality and doesn’t go all Hollywood-Michael-Bay-OTT.


The soundtrack is also heart pounding and edgy.


The only downer is that the film is only 90 minutes long. It could really do with another hour, at least.