Movie Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

It was, of course, Tim Burton who coined the term ‘re-imagined’ when he decided to put his unique stamp on a Planet of the Apes remake in 2001. This was in an attempt to distance his movie sufficiently from the revered original and of course cut the shackles of needing to worry about continuity and as it turned out, a plot that made any sense. ‘Re-imagining’ has has become part of the vernacular when discussing the flurry of re-boots, sequels, prequels and spin-offs now the order of the day for savy production houses. The original Planet of the Apes movie and its four sequels were constructed to create an story that tied together the past and future into one coherent loop. Come 2011 and while the title ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ might suggest an effort to slot into this loop, the movie is in fact a stand-alone creation and an origin story for a new series. The movie does however make time to act as an homage to the movies from the 1970s so that fans can count the visual touches, names and dialogue adapted from the originals. This is perhaps a convoluted way to tell you that you can see this movie without any prior knowledge but equally there will be plenty of nods for those in the know.

Events start with James Franco, as Will, a determined scientific researcher with an almost perfect formula to treat Alzheimers disease. The formula is tested on some unfortunate apes and events spiral downward from here. This sequence of events is not a quick set-up for a movie full of action and destructive apes. It is a pretty slow build, as we get to know Caesar, a baby ape taken in by Franco. Caesar’s intelligence and ability gradually become apparent to those around him and the ape struggles with his desire to be recognised as the competent animal he is and not just a pet. There is a sense of foreboding throughout this and violence does come, just to be clear.

The movie looks great; clean and crisp and of this world so that the ‘what-if?’ scenario is made someway feasible, even if the science behind the story is fairly throw-away. It feels unnecessary to remark on the quality of the apes; yes, they are a creation of WETA and the movie could fall and rise on their believability but they are so perfectly created and gel with the rest of the movie and the human characters that they can be spoken of almost exclusively in terms of character. And the ape characters are a triumph. Caesar, portrayed by Andy Serkis, is front and centre and his development during the middle part of the movie, his plotting and his interaction with a troop of other apes, is when the movie is at its most interesting and exciting. The human characters are paper thin in contrast and it seems when people turn up, so do plot holes. Franco is solid but a flip in his characters motivations half way through the film really jars and is the biggest blemish in the film. His bond with Caesar becomes less and less convincing as the story gets bigger and that crucial link between man and ape that fuelled much of the original movies is sadly missing here. Freida Pinto is utterly wasted while Tom Felton (in his first post Draco Malfoy role) and John Lithgow make more of an impact, but this is not their story. Felton does get to deliver a famous line in the most obvious tribute to the first movie and there is a great pay-off; although this might divide the purists.

Come the end, the insistence on setting up a sequel might leave you wanting in terms of story. The closing credits tell you that the film makers have a big vision for this story. The journey there though is enjoyable and engaging and tied up with a great sequence as the apes set upon San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. Overall, a late reward from a mixed-blockbuster season.