Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Movie Review

Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Movie Review

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rating: 8/10
Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton, Brian Cox, John Lithgow Andy Serkis
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Modern day San Francisco and Will Rodman (Franco) is a troubled scientist, working on a cure for Alzheimers disease and using chimps as well as illegally using his father (Lithgow) to see if the ALZ 112 cure works.
When one of the chimps which is showing signs of growing intelligence thanks to the trials in the lab breaks out and is killed, Rodman discovers she's protecting a baby - whom Rodman promptly takes home and raises as his own test subject.
Three years later and Caesar the test subject is also showing signs of inherited intelligence and has learned sign language - however, when Caesar attacks a neighbour protecting Rodman's dad, he's locked up in a primate sanctuary.
But it's not long before Caesar's plotting a break out from the chimpanarium his human captors have imprisoned him in...
A reboot of the Apes franchise was in no way on my radar after the somewhat messy Tim Burton/ Mark Wahlberg attempt back in 2001 - but quite frankly, this reboot is perhaps one of the best of the series - and one of the best reboots of a flagging franchise I've ever witnessed.
That's mainly, it has to be said, due to the work done by WETA in creating the chimps and Andy Serkis' motion capture suit work as the lead Caesar. We've now reached an age where digital technology can do pretty much anything and can do it astoundingly well.
While the early digital realisation of the baby chimps is something akin to a Mogwai/Ape cross and a little creaky, when Caesar ages and comes into his own, it's really an astonishingly good cinematic moment (even if early shots of him careering around a home are unnecessary and feel shoehorned in as if to show off what the tech can do) as the ape rises up and begins to emote. There's so much feeling conveyed in Caesar's eyes that you can't help but connect with the primate and his kin and for that, those involved in this film really do need huge kudos as it's never easy to get an audience to empathise with digitally created creatures.
Most of the humans are really confined to second fiddle in this to be honest and some pretty unsurprising stereotypes are rolled out as well; the boss of the genetic research company rolls out such clichés as "I run a business - not a petting zoo" and "You make history - and I make money". Coupled with Tom Felton's cruel cage master, that side of the story is somewhat predictable, clunky and a little jarring. Plus when you throw in a couple of plot holes - convenient lapses of security aid some of the narrative but will irritate some, there's clearly some further evolution of the script needed.
That said, director Rupert Wyatt (who did the superb The Escapist) is in need of praise for helming this origin story, which tips a hat to the mythology as well (if you're an Apes fan, there's some pretty sly and cool nods to the franchise in the past - look out for them, you won't be disappointed) but also for helming a terrifically well paced and reined in blockbuster. The final set piece is also to be commended as it breaks some of the conventions of Hollywood blockbusters and dials down the action which actually adds to the tension and suspense of the film.

All in all, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the best blockbusters of the season; it's a thrilling, emotion filled and intelligent ride which reinvigorates the franchise and has got me salivating for a potential sequel.