Friday, August 26, 2011
Michael Allen
Writers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Pierre Boulle.
A lot has changed since the first Planet of the Apes film in 1968. Make-up effects have been substituted with CGI and Charles Heston is no longer a staple of these films. Instead, James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist dabbling in a cure for Alzheimer's. The result is a more intelligent ape, who becomes the dominant species in this entertaining prequel. Released August 5th in theatres and still going strong, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one part drama, one part science ficiton and one part thriller. This reviewer wishes there were more thrills early, but this film does not disappoint despite a foible or two.
Rodman is experimenting with chimpanzees in a sterile, privately owned lab. This scientist is using synaptogenesis to fight the degenerative progression of Alzheimer's. A secondary motivation, his confused father, is the impetus under which Rodman works. However, other, more nefarious characters hope to exploit the experimental drug ALZ-112 and the later ALZ-113 for profit, as a cure to Alzheimer's would surely bring in the big dollars. Things go wrong. One of the experimentees is brought out of the lab and into the human population. His name is Caesar (Andy Serkis) and he has a plan for ape, orangutan, and chimpanzee world domination. They each receive mental enhancements, thanks to ALZ-113. Caesar's name is a signal of what is to come e.g. leadership, expansion.
Franco (127 Hours) is generally a great actor, but here he only stands out in the final frames as a sympathetic friend to Caesar. He is not completely believable as a genetic scientist. As well, John Lithgow, as Charles, does not command the screen like he used to. Instead, the monkeys steal the show, with Andy Serkis forefront. It must be hard for the other actors to stand up against CGI enhancements, which are at the core of the film. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is just not as dramatic as it could be early, nor as tense as it should be late.
Yet, this is an entertaining film through and through, despite a cold reception by most critics e.g. Mick LaSalle ("The San Francisco Chronicle"). As well, this film really sets the stage for the many other films including the aforementioned Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) and many others. There is mention of astronaut George Taylor's (Charleton Heston, Mark Wahlberg) fated voyage to the planet Mars, in newspaper clippings and video footage. As well, the iconic Statue of Liberty, seen buried in the previous films, is held by a scheminig Caesar as a toy. There are many lines of dialogue from Planet of the Apes: "get your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape" and "it's a madhouse!," but this is a film all of its own; there is some intelligence in the development of humankind's demise. Truly an entertaining watch, The Rise of Planet of the Apes is a great summer movie, based on its storytelling, tone and execution.
Still playing in theatres, fans of sci-fi need to check out Rupert Wyatt's (The Escapist) latest film. Full of interesting messages of humankind's teetering superiority, this is a film that will likely be followed up with future sequels. This film incoporates some mediocre acting early and there are some initial slow periods, but this is a film that will stay with you after the credits roll. See this one in theatres to experience the computer enhanced details, for the full powerful effect of the imagery.
Overall: 7.5 out of 10 (the film could have used an edge, but rated PG-13 for kids, Franco could have researched his role a little more, he is good in later shots, this is an enjoyable film overall).
The film's homepage can be found here:
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes Homepage
Other critic reviews:
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Reviewed at the San' Fran' Chronicle (Mick LaSalle
Rise of the Planet of the Apes Reviewed at the Washington Post (Michael O'Sullivan)
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Posted in: 2011,2011 release,acting,movie review,movie review 2011,rise again,science fiction,thriller
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