The Dean of Cinema

Written by Dean Zarbaugh II

Evolution Becomes Revolution. A highly intelligent chimpanzee named Caesar has been living a peaceful suburban life ever since he was born. But when he gets taken to a cruel primate facility, Caesar decides to revolt against those who have harmed him.

I’ve always been a fan of the Planet of the Apes films and even spent time at some of the locations from the original film including the beach made famous at the end of the film, which isn’t too far away from where Jim Morrison’s cave retreat he would go to when seeking inspiration or to get away from LA life. The idea of apes evolving beyond humans is one that has always fascinated me and Rise takes things to a whole new level.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt, Rise of the Planet of the Apes brings the franchise into the 21st century. Wyatt does a great job bringing the audience into Caesar’s struggle to find where he belongs. I hate animal testing and the labs that perform them. We shouldn’t be treating living beings like test subjects. Rise focuses on this inhumanity and the eventual effects it will have on the apes. Caesar was raised in a loving home, and shows mercy to humans when appropriate because of this. Compare that to Koba’s life spent in labs being prodded by humans as a test subject and you can see how different their outlook on humans is. The scene of Caesar standing up to his oppressors in the sanctuary and saying “no” still gives me chills every time I watch. The battle on the Golden Gate Bridge is an action-packed thrill ride that keeps you on pins and needles throughout. I love how the apes use a multi-pronged attack to ensure maximum chances of victory. “Apes together strong” in action.

The script from Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa is equal parts emotional, thrilling and intense. They make you feel for these characters and root for them to succeed. Each ape has their own personality that comes through in the story. They focus on the greed of companies like Gen-Sys and how they don’t care how many animals they have to hurt or kill to get results that can make them rich. Gen-Sys is the perfect bad guy for the world we currently live in where companies like Gen-Sys are the norm and sell out our best interests for top dollar.

James Franco stars as Will Rodman, the pharmaceutical chemist desperate to cure his father’s Alzheimer’s condition. John Lithgow plays his father, coping with the disease that slowly eats away at his brain. Lithgow gives a heartfelt and heartbreaking performance as Charles Rodman. Alzheimer’s is a terrible condition that I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. While Will’s heart is in the right place, his actions have disastrous consequences, not only for Charles, but Caesar the other apes, also. Freida Pinto plays Caroline, Will’s love interest and primatologist. Together, they show Caesar love and affection, but Caesar has trouble grappling with how he fits into the family.

The star of the film is Andy Serkis (Gollum) and the visual effects done by Weta Digital, the VFX house that shot to stardom thanks to their work on the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson’s King Kong and more. Through motion capture technology, they were able to digitally capture the incredible performance by Andy Serkis and transform it into Caesar. Serkis is fantastic as Caesar and gives a raw, honest and real performance as the revolutionary ape. There are a number of scenes that Serkis sucks you into Caesar’s inner turmoil. What is he? Is he Will’s pet? Is he an independent being? Weta was awarded an Academy Award for their work on Rise and deservedly so, their work is phenomenal and the bar by which all others measure themselves.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a fantastic start to a powerful trilogy, showing the beginnings of the ape revolution and Caesar’s rise to top ape. It leaves you wanting to know what comes next for both humans and apes. It sucks you into Caesar’s effort to find his place in the world and doesn’t let you go until the final frame.

Grade:
B