(This town is going to the monkeys - literally…)
CAST: James Franco, Frieda Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo.
DIRECTOR: Rupert Wyatt
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and a whole legion of out-of-control chimps - straight ahead…
IT’S LIKE THIS: In this prequel/origins tale to the Charlton Heston classic cheesefest and its even more Velveeta-plagued sequels, we find ourselves in modern-day San Francisco, where uber-hottie scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) is trying to find a way to cure Alzheimer’s and other degenerative brain diseases. Probably having seen DEEP BLUE SEA and noting how its equally-hot heroine Dr. Susan McAlester (Saffron Burrows) extracted Alzheimer’s-busting proteins from the brains of Mako sharks, Will unwisely follows her lead and starts experimenting with… monkeys. Probably thinking they’re a lot less dangerous than sharks. Oh, how wrong you are, Willie boy...
Anyhow, Will tests the serum on one particular chimp called Caesar, whom he raises like a son at home with smoking hot girlfriend Caroline Aranha (Frieda Pinto), a veterinarian. In case you’re wondering why Will is so driven to cure Alzheimer’s, just like with Dr. Susie from DEEP BLUE SEA, he has a relative who has the disease: his father Charles (John Lithgow) - and Caesar just might be the key. Unfortunately, Caesar loses his temper one day and beats the shit out of a douchebag neighbor who seriously deserves it - and its off to Animal Control Shelter for him. Locked up with other apes who are less gifted than him, and cut off from his loving owner Will, Caesar starts to become angry and embittered. And let’s just say there is nothing more dangerous than a pissed-off gorilla with an IQ of 5,000. Watch out...
THE DUDE (OR DUDETTE) MOST LIKELY TO SAVE THE DAY: Will and his gal Caroline. It’s the least they can do for starting this shit in the first place.
EYE CANDY MOST LIKELY TO FIRE UP A WOODY: James Franco and Frieda Pinto - all the way. Just imagine how gorgeous their kids would be…
MOST INTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: Caesar and his comrades overrunning the Bay Bridge. And you thought traffic was the worst thing you had to worry about in Frisco…
MOST UNINTENTIONALLY EXCITING SCENE: Dodge (Tom Felton) the sadistic zookeeper, about to get a serious beatdown from Caesar and his homeys…
HOTTEST SCENE: Well, maybe not “hottest scene”, but more like “most touching scene”: Caesar and Will reuniting at the end - then saying their final farewells. Sniffle…
INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Is our hero Will ever going to cure Alzheimer’s? Or does he have bigger concerns like, oh I don’t know, a worldwide gorilla invasion? And what happens when it a deadly virus becomes involved? How will this fit into the already-fucked-up sequence of events unfolding? Who will survive this madness? Will? Caroline? Charles? Caesar himself? Or will we end up with, ahem, a PLANET OF THE APES? What do you rocket scientists think?
WHY YOU SHOULD WATCH “RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES”: If you are a fan of the original movies and the 2001 remake with Mark Wahlberg, then you need to see this one. It’s probably the best of them all…
WHY YOU MAY NOT ENJOY “RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES”: If you are not a fan of the series or the 2002 remake. If so, this will be a long two hours for you… But you may actually still like it, because it’s a lot less cheesy than the previous films. Give it a try.
BUT, SERIOUSLY: As I mentioned above, you don’t have to necessarily be a fan of the previous PLANET OF THE APES movies to like RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. I am bit ashamed to write that I’ve never seen the 1968 original nor its sequels or the TV series that sprung from them. And while I’m a fan of Mark Wahlberg, I just wasn’t enticed to see the remake that he starred back in 2001 directed by Tim Burton. Bottom line: the concept of “ape people” just didn’t interest me. So, when word filtered out that a prequel to the whole series was in the works, I wasn’t too jazzed up about it.
However, as time passed, we gradually became more and more interested. For starters, the talented James Franco and the gorgeous Frieda Pinto were cast in the leads. It was also reported that the story would be taking place in present-day San Francisco, and would be more of a psychological thriller with action - rather than an outright action extravaganza. Finally, we glimpsed the trailers - and were completely sold. With their blend of eerie suspense and striking visuals (that shot of the apes flying through the suburban treetops is downright chilling), the previews promised something special - and when the film finally came out on August 5 last summer, they delivered on their promise.
The movie, quite simply, is breathtaking. What’s surprising about it, though, is how it turns out to be much more Caesar’s movie and the rest of the apes, rather than Will’s and the rest of the humans. Director Rupert Wyatt makes us spend a considerable amount of time seeing things through Caesar’s viewpoint. We watch him grow up thinking of Will and Caroline as parent figures. We watch him display intelligence, empathy, kindness, and emotion that trumps that of most humans. We watch him fall prey to his anger when confronted by Will’s hostile neighbor. And, finally, we watch as his innocent and open outlook is gradually poisoned by the mistreatment he receives at the holding facility he’s transferred to. The scene where Will finally tries to take him home again, and Caesar’s expected reaction, is one of the film’s most poignant scenes. Suffice it to say, the damage has been done. One of the messages of this film is that sometimes humans are less human than the animals under them.
This isn’t to say that the actors are uninteresting, though. Far from it. James Franco makes for a terrific lead. He’s handsome enough to be the leading man, but also quirky enough to make Will Rodman human and not a boring, cookie-cutter hero. He’s human, and everything he does is rooted in human terms - such as his desire to find a cure to Alzheimer’s because of his father’s suffering. Franco also makes Will’s connection to Caesar a very strong one, something that is never between “pet and owner” but closer to a mix of “brother-brother” and “father-son”. In the end, what Will has to learn is that if he really loves Caesar, he can’t keep him captive even for the noblest of reasons. As with Elliott and E.T.’s relationship in E.T. THE EXTRATERRESTRIAL, Will learns that he has to do what is best for Caesar - even if it means losing him forever and never finding a cure for Alzheimer‘s. Without this strong emotional conflict, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES would not have been as powerful or memorable as it is. In the end, the film's other message is that love is about sacrifice.
As for the rest of the human cast, they are all solid. Frieda Pinto makes for a beautiful cautionary voice of reason. Caroline doesn’t get much to do but warn Will of the bad things that could come out of his experimenting with Caesar, and act as his growing conscience. But she does it well - and gets to pitch in at a crucial moment in the climactic battle on the San Francisco Bay Bridge. John Lithgow is sympathetic as Will’s Alzheimer’s-afflicted father, while David Oyelowo is suitably and subtly smarmy as the corporate shark who only cares about the bottom line. Suffice it to say, he gets what’s coming to him. Finally, Brian Cox and Tom Felton vividly play the diametrically opposed father and son caretakers of the ape facility. Cox makes John Landon decent and kind, while Felton turns Dodge into something approaching a monster. As with Oyelowo’s character, he too gets what’s coming to him, courtesy of Caesar and his friends.
In the end, though, this film belongs to Caesar, who is portrayed with an eerie humanity by actor Andy Serkis. The wide range of emotions and expressions that he gives Caesar are almost a language of their own. He conveys more eloquent feeling with a flicker of the eye, a twitch of the head, or a single sad glance than all the dialogue in the world ever could. And as I’ve said before: that’s acting - and it's often more about what is left unsaid. And Serkis nails the role with an unforgettable performance. Bravo, sir.
Ultimately, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is the perfect film for both fans and non-fans of the APES series: it has enough in common with the previous films to draw the people who liked them, and establishes a very compelling origins story - but is also serious, profound, and daring enough to attract those of us who never cared for the previous movies. In other words - the best of both worlds.
