 Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is a revolution; an action-packed epic featuring stunning visual effects and creatures unlike anything ever seen before. At the story's heart is Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug's creator (James Franco), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and imprisoned. Seeking justice, Caesar assembles a simian army and escapes -- putting man and primate on a collision course that could change the planet forever. The five original Planet of the Apes films—and even the bafflingly bad 2001 Tim Burton remake—are essentially B-movies with unobtainable A- level aspirations. They're campy and far out and (mostly) entertaining, of course, but you can't take them seriously at all. Charlton Heston in a loincloth? Those goofy rubber masks? You damn dirty apes? I mean, monkey suits aside, we're not talking 2001: A Space Odyssey- grade sci-fi here. Today's audiences are a bit more savvy, though, and for this year's unlikely reboot—Rise of the Planet of the Apes—20th Century Fox has opted to take the series in a slightly more sophisticated direction. Operative word: slightly. Yes, there are still talking apes, comically overambitious scientists, and a chest-pounding simian uprising, but you get the keen impression that director Rupert Wyatt and screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver wanted to make this new film seem as plausible as possible, starting with the world as we know it and gradually increasing the sci-fi dosage, hoping that by the time the apes go head-to-head with the San Francisco P.D. on the Golden Gate Bridge, we've thoroughly suspended our disbelief. There's a sense of realism here that the previous movies could never even have tried to muster. Much of the credit goes to the famed WETA Workshop—which created the most realistic CGI apes yet seen on screen—and motion-capture all-star Andy Serkis, who gives a terrific performance as Caesar, the chimpanzee whose mental state is artificially enhanced by a lucrative wonderdrug. Storyline: At the story's heart is Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug's creator, Will Rodman (James Franco) and a primatologist Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and imprisoned in an ape sanctuary in San Bruno. Seeking justice for his fellow inmates, Caesar gives the fellow apes the same drug that he inherited. He then assembles a simian army and escapes the sanctuary - putting man and ape on a collision course that could change the planet forever. Written by emauger1 Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Casey Broadwater on December 13, 2011 -- The five original Planet of the Apes films—and even the bafflingly bad 2001 Tim Burton remake—are essentially B-movies with unobtainable A- level aspirations. They're campy and far out and (mostly) entertaining, of course, but you can't take them seriously at all. Charlton Heston in a loincloth? Those goofy rubber masks? You damn dirty apes? I mean, monkey suits aside, we're not talking 2001: A Space Odyssey- grade sci-fi here. Today's audiences are a bit more savvy, though, and for this year's unlikely reboot—Rise of the Planet of the Apes—20th Century Fox has opted to take the series in a slightly more sophisticated direction. Operative word: slightly. Yes, there are still talking apes, comically overambitious scientists, and a chest-pounding simian uprising, but you get the keen impression that director Rupert Wyatt and screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver wanted to make this new film seem as plausible as possible, starting with the world as we know it and gradually increasing the sci-fi dosage, hoping that by the time the apes go head-to-head with the San Francisco P.D. on the Golden Gate Bridge, we've thoroughly suspended our disbelief. There's a sense of realism here that the previous movies could never even have tried to muster. Much of the credit goes to the famed WETA Workshop—which created the most realistic CGI apes yet seen on screen—and motion-capture all-star Andy Serkis, who gives a terrific performance as Caesar, the chimpanzee whose mental state is artificially enhanced by a lucrative wonderdrug. Though it borrows bits and pieces from most of the films that came before, especially 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Rise starts from scratch and asks us to forget that the other movies even exist. ("Done," I say.) There's no attempt to work this film into the franchise's pre-existing timeline—which is rather shaky to begin with—and certainly no ties to Burton's aborted reboot. This is a baggage-free outing and—if 20th Century Fox gets its wish—a clean start for a whole new series. There's already buzz about a sequel moving forward. James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist doing Alzheimer's research at an ultra-high-tech pharmaceutical laboratory outside San Francisco. His elderly dad, Charles—played tenderly by John Lithgow—is suffering from progressively worsening dementia, and Will aims to stop the disease in its tracks with a new drug/virus called ALZ-112, which has caused the I.Q. of his chimpanzee test subjects to shoot off the charts. There's only one problem—when a mother chimp goes berserk trying to protect her newborn son, the company's hardass CEO (David Oyelowo) mistakes the virus for the cause of the aggression and terminates the program, ordering all of the test chimps to be put down. Will can't bring himself to kill the infant—who genetically inherited the increased intelligence from his mother—so he brings him home, names him Caesar, teaches him sign language, and raises him like a child, much like the researchers in the documentary Project Nim. It soon becomes apparent that Caesar has a highly advanced consciousness; he's capable of articulating complicated thoughts, he displays empathy—see the scene where he re-teaches Will's dad the proper way to hold a fork—and he has an inherent sense of self. As he gets older, he even begins to assert his personhood. When Will tries to load him into the rear cargo section of his Jeep station wagon, Caesar ambles into a proper seat and signs defensively, "Am I a pet?" His self-awareness becomes truly tragic when—after beating up a neighbor in Charles' defense—he's taken out of Will's custody and imprisoned in a crowded and filthy primate "sanctuary." We should stop here and point out that Andy Serkis—who, though motion capture technology, gives real movement and expression to the otherwise computer-generated creation of Caesar—is brilliant and absolutely the soul of the film. He becomes a chimp, loping around on all fours, baring his teeth, and moving with that loose gait that's so particular to primates. The uncanny valley hasn't quite been crossed, but there's something about Caesar that makes him this close to being totally believable. I think it's his eyes; they convey the genuine depth of thought that's so necessary to making Caesar a character we identify with and support. Since we have no experience with highly sentient creatures other than ourselves, Caesar's intelligence begs several provocative questions: What is he? What rights does he have? Is it ethically acceptable for him to be owned? The film poses these and leaves them for the audience to ponder, along with other ideas the script raises—most notably speciesism, the morality of animal testing, and the evils of a pharmaceutical industry interested more in profits than saving lives. Rise of the Planet of the Apes only grazes the surface of these topics— this is still a summer blockbuster after all—but it's good to see a big-budget action movie that leaves you thinking instead of simply numb and shell- shocked from endless superhero-assisted explosions. That's not to say Rise is short on intensity. This is a briskly-paced film that has several thrilling action sequences, including the aforementioned assault on the Golden Gate Bridge, which pits a tribe of "awakened" great apes against a SWAT team, a helicopter sniper, and San Fran's horseback-mounted, nightstick-swinging finest. I wouldn't want to give away the point-A-to-point-B details of how Caesar and the apes make their great escape, but let's just say it involves Caesar getting his sneaky paws on an advanced strain of the consciousness-raising virus. Also, look out for Tom Felton—yes, none other than Harry Potter's Draco Malfoy—as a sadistic primate sanctuary guard who reprises Heston's damn dirty apes line and gets a literally shocking comeuppance in return. Looks like Felton has been permanently typecast as "cruel, self-important ass whom everyone hates." The film gets a lot right—the special effects, the more realistic tone, Andy Serkis' performance—but it's hobbled by two things. First, the human characters are barely developed and almost completely trivial to the plot. This is partially intentional, I'm sure, as our sympathies are supposed to lie primarily with Caesar, but it would help if Will was more than just your average, over-ambitious B-movie scientist. And I haven't even mentioned his primatologist girlfriend, Caroline (Freida Pinto), simply because she doesn't really do anything worth noting. The second stumbling block is an overwhelming sense of incompleteness. This story obviously isn't over, and at the end we're left with a big, shoulder-shrugging well, what's next? Your move, 20th Century Fox. You've got me hooked, now don't leave me hanging. A reboot of the Planet of the Apes series was honestly the last thing I wanted from 20th Century Fox—after the disaster that was Tim Burton's 2001 remake—but lo and behold, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is actually okay. Granted, it'll be a lot better in retrospect if Fox comes through with a bigger, better sequel that expands on the ideas started here, but even if this is the last Apes movie we see for a while, I'm fairly happy with how it turned out. The film looks and sounds fantastic on Blu-ray, and comes with a generous supply of value-expanding special features, including two audio commentaries. Recommended! Cast Notes: James Franco (Will Rodman), Freida Pinto (Caroline Aranha), John Lithgow (Charles Rodman), Brian Cox (John Landon), Tom Felton (Dodge Landon), David Oyelowo (Steven Jacobs), Tyler Labine (Robert Franklin), Jamie Harris (Rodney), David Hewlett (Hunsiker), Ty Olsson (Chief John Hamil), Madison Bell (Alice Hunsiker), Makena Joy (Alice Hunsiker [Teen]), Sean Tyson (Animal Control Officer #2), Jack Kuris (Boy in Muir Woods), Tammy Hui (Bridge Driver). User Comment: TSTARX from New York, NY, 5 August 2011 • To sum it up, a very powerful film falling just short of being a masterpiece. However, the only flaw in the film is that the film could have been just a bit longer! I am really hoping for a director's cut because there should have been a few more character development scenes between father and son, boyfriend and girlfriend, and even Ape and Human. I felt the movie was paced a bit too quickly but nevertheless, still contains very fleshed out characters driven by excellent performances throughout, from Lithgow, to Franco, to Cox and especially by Andy Serkis. Cesar is by far the best animated character in the history of cinema. His facial expressions tell it all! You feel his rage, his fear, and his child like innocence through his wonderfully animated eyes. Not only is the C.G.I. good, but the character is written very well in general. You will go through all of those emotions yourself as you witness his journey. All I can say is that I now know why I try to walk my dog without a leash as much as possible. This movie just confirmed it for me! Through the film, you will understand what Cesar is feeling and why. The invisible character of the film is humanity itself, and at times, feels like a study of human nature. Plot wise, it is very well told. I thought there was nothing cheesy about the script, although not as intelligent as the original, but not dumb either. There is some science fiction in the film, and other than the experimental drug, there was some other surprising Science fiction plot elements in it too which might lead into the sequel; if there is one of course, and I think there will be. For the skeptics who think the film would be cheesy seeing all the apes battle armed policemen then think again. I too, was a bit skeptical at first, wondering how the apes would defeat an entire police force, but when you watch the film your doubts would dissipate. Just remember the physical ability of apes and how powerful the apes are, and how much more powerful they would be if they had brains! The action was very good, but as good as it was, I'd trade it in for more plot development. There were a bit too many plot jumps in the last 30 minutes, but all in all, it was directed very, very well. Coupled with a good score, mellow at times, but highly dramatic which heightens the tension. Speaking of tension, there is a lot of it in this film. If you're an animal lover like I am, then be warned; You will be in tears 30 seconds into the opening scene. I also wanted to mention the original film even though it's tough to compare the two. This is an origins story that actually makes the original better. The original was more about the plot than the characters and they each stand apart and alone with their own merits and flaws. It was nice to see a few homages to the old classic, and don't be surprised if you see a character from the original as well. I highly doubt this film will disappoint the fans of the original and TV series! It will have you climbing trees! Summary: The most emotional Planet of the Apes film. IMDb Rating (12/07/11): 7.8/10 from 93,284 users
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