Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes

August 1st 2011 07:04

It’s time for another Hollywood reboot! Ten years after Tim Burton’s ambitious re-imagining, Planet of the Apes (2001), which failed to impress anyone, except fans of Tim Roth, we get UK director Rupert Wyatt who made the excellent prison flick The Escapist (2007) helming a screenplay from producers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver who penned the monster flick The Relic (1997). Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) is a re-envisioning of the Planet of the Apes (1968) prequel Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972). It’s a total overhaul really, but it takes the key concept as inspiration; that chimps, gorillas, and orangutans will eventually take control of the world, and this is the story what will lead, no doubt, into a new bunch of movies taking inspiration from the original Planet of the Apes movie series.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes James Franco

James Franco as Will

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a genetic scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. He has a personal reason to be successful, his father Charles (John Lithgow) suffers from it. Will uses lab chimpanzees as guinea pigs, and he’s made a break through. But a marauding chimp sabotages the corporate presentation aimed at securing much needed funding. It’s back to the drawing board for Will.

Andy Serkis (under the CGI) as Caeser

A baby chimp from the dead mother who caused the upset is saved from being put down and is reluctantly taken into custody by Will with help from his new girlfriend, a zoologist, Caroline (Freida Pinto). Charles takes a real liking to the gifted young ape and names him Caeser. Seven years pass and Caeser is now a very smart adult (and played through motion capture by Andy “Mr. Motion Capture” Serkis). It’s time for the seeds of revolution to be planted.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Freida PintoCaeser

Freida Pinto as Caroline

I’m a fan of the original movie series (I also loved the spin-off television series as a lad), so I came to this reboot concept with trepidation. As limited as the original movies in various capacities, they hold a strong cult appeal. It’s dangerous to fuck around with cult movies. On the whole I enjoyed watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes, but I do have reservations. Apparently it cost around 90 million, but I’m not quite sure where that money was spent, as it didn’t appear to be a hugely elaborate production. Much of the action is interior, and many of the exterior scenes seemed like they were shot on sound stages. I guess the whole motion capture and CGI business bumped up the production costs. James Franco probably commandeered a fairly large fee coming off the success of 127 Hours (2010), and John Lithgow wouldn’t have come cheaply either.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes David Oleyowo

Jacobs (David Oleyowo) wishes he'd thrown a sickie

But there is something hollow about the movie, and at times the direction and narrative felt pedestrian, like a TV pilot. As impressive as the motion capture CGI work is, I couldn’t help but feel strangely cheated. The skin might look realistic, but there’s nothing any CGI can do successfully in trying to mimic the life of a creature (or person) through their eyes. It is for this reason – and the only reason - that Burton’s Planet of the Apes works better, because you have a person behind a prosthetic mask, and as such you can see the actor’s eyes. This was the same for the John Cambers brilliant special effects make-up work on the original Planet of the Apes' movies. I didn’t like all the motion controlled camera work used during the ape action sequences either; it gives the visual impression of a video game, all too fluid and “perfect”.

Take no prisoners! (Oops, wrong movie)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Golden Gate

The Golden Gate and the famous SF fog are featured extras!

The performances are pedestrian as well, with Freida Pinto’s love interest role about as thankless as you can get. I did enjoy the sly nods to the original Planet of the Apes’ series; the setting is San Francisco, the ’68 movie is screening on a television in one scene (kinda weird), and in another scene a TV news bulletin announces that a manned space mission to Mars has turned to tragedy with all communication to the spacecraft, named Icarus (a reference to the one from the original series), lost. There’s also a female chimp called Cornelia, although hers isn’t a speaking part (perhaps she and Caeser get together ...?). The Icarus news sets up a possible second re-boot/remake of Planet of the Apes, with the astronauts returning to earth in a future where the apes speak and rule the world, and humans have all but died out following a pandemic.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes gorilla attack

Aldo's fearless ancestor perhaps?

I strongly doubt all the original movies will be remade, with more chance of the most dynamic narrative and conceptual elements being amalgamated. I’m very curious how they will proceed. The chronological way forward would result in a remake of Battle of the Planet of the Apes (1973) that featured the original Caeser fighting for peace amongst the gorillas, the chimps, and a clutch of mutant humans, then we’d get Planet of the Apes where the astronauts arrive back on earth in the future and meet Cornelius (son of Caeser) and his mate Zira, then we’d get Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), resulting in the nuclear catastrophe, followed by Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971), where Cornelius and Zira manage to resurrect the astronaut’s crashed spacecraft (dubbed the Icarus) and riding on the cosmic wave of the atomic bomb they travel back in time through a wormhole and pop out after the spacecraft had left, but now with a baby chimp being born who can speak, thus completing the casuality time loop that will enable the revolutionary conquest a la Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Confused?

Here’s the trailer:

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Posted By: Bryn - Category: movie reviews

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Comments

12 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by anish

August 2nd 2011 17:27

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how did you activate chitika ads on the top banner??

Comment by Bryn

August 2nd 2011 22:08

Horrorphile

anish, I don't see any chitika ads on the top banner.

Comment by anish

August 3rd 2011 16:47

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yes, indeed now they have disappeared! But they were definitely there yesterday. I noticed because I know that horrorphile does not show Adsense ads.

Comment by anish

August 3rd 2011 16:49

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And there they are Again!!!! (I just reloaded the page after comment posting. the automatic stuff).It is located in between your site logo (photo) and the body.

Comment by anish

August 3rd 2011 16:51

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In fact, the Chitika ID is possibly Horrorphile but not sure as I am not familiar with their code.

Comment by Bryn

August 3rd 2011 22:39

Horrorphile

I see them! I'll ask Jon about it.

Comment by JohnDoe

August 7th 2011 17:14

Film & TV on DVD

Fine review Bryn,

Found this to be far cooler than it had any right to be.

The emotional connection with Cesar is what did it for me. I know you disagree but I was Impressed with the feeling behind the CG eyeballs. Also pleased with the way the latest camera techniques provided a real window into the sensation of swinging through trees....a worthy remake/reimaging that updates the original by using the technology to enhance plot points and character moments instead of overblown action.

Comment by Bryn

August 7th 2011 23:10

Horrorphile

You were more impressed with it than I ultimately was. I didn't reach that level of emotional connection. But I still enjoyed the movie.

Comment by gothic

October 26th 2011 03:43

i just gotta ask was this really necessary? im sorry but the new realistic look of the apes kept me from taking it seriously. the first pota remake was better because they didnt cgi real looking apes, and that wasnt great either cause walburg was in it. i have to invoke my no modernized rule on this one. has hollywood run out of ideas and remakes are all we have to look forward to from now on?

Comment by Bryn

October 26th 2011 06:45

Horrorphile

gothic, you best wake up and smell the coffee ... remakes/reboots/re-imaginings /re-envisionings/sequels/preq uels have been steadily monopolising the mainstream movie market place over the past ten years.