Film review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I’ll admit, if you’re looking at it from the outside, there’s not a lot going for this film. The title is a mouthful that might conjure up bad memories of Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes from 2001. You might have seen the poster–depicting a freaky-looking ape defiantly raising his fist while San Francisco smoulders in the background—and assume it’s a Godzilla-style destruction fest. You might have even seen the trailer, confirming your fears from the poster: crazed apes running rampant across the city after a botched science experiment.
It’s a shame really, because the film was excellent, and not at all indicative of the marketing material. Much of the action that filled the trailer is at the end of the final act. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an emotionally-rich sci-fi and an impressive franchise reboot.
The film opens with Will Rodman (James Franco) finally finding success after five years in a research project to cure Alzheimer’s Disease, of which his father Charles (John Lithgow) is afflicted. One of the test apes reacted positively to the vaccine but, after dangerously protecting her newborn, causes the trial to be shelved. One important side-effect is that the vaccine increases brain function, making apes smarter than humans. When all the test apes are being euthanised Will saves the baby chimp who has inherited the vaccine from his mother and raises him at his home with Charles. He names him Ceasar.
And so begins the journey where Ceasar grows and becomes part of the family, loved by Will and Charles but becoming increasingly aware that he doesn’t belong. While Will manages to restart the research project after successfully treating Charles in secret, an accident leaves Ceasar separated from Will and kept in a hostile and corrupt animal control facility. Here he is particularly antagonised by a handler named Dodge (Tom Felton A.K.A ‘Malfoy’ from Harry Potter—let’s face it, he’ll play the bad guy for the rest his career), and he gains the perspective that the rest of his kind are oppressed by humanity.
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes focuses primarily on the relationship between Will and Ceasar. This wouldn’t have been possible without our very own WETA Digital’s incredible expertise. The motion-captured CGI apes look positively real. It’s not just the visual realism that is impressive, Ceasar’s character is also astonishingly realistic. His movement, sounds and mannerisms create emotional depth that is incredibly moving and, at times, frightening.
Most people know at least something about The Planet of the Apes saga and there are hints to this throughout the film. Thankfully there’s a great deal of restraint here and the ending is stronger because of it. There are certainly some cliché sci-fi moments in the film but all-in-all it’s a definite must-see at the movies—there’s detail here that shouldn’t be missed.
