Rise of the Planet of the Apes

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS

Andy Serkis recently stated in an interview that motion capture is like make-up. The actor acts and the visual effects are applied later. At first I was a little reluctant to embrace this view. Then I saw Serkis' performance in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the latest ‘reboot’ to hit our cinema screens, brought to us from British director, Rupert Wyatt. Forget James Franco or Freida Pinto. Serkis is the star here and it’s time that motion capture was recognised as a legitimate form of acting. Surely Serkis will receive some sort of recognition for his performance. It is, quite frankly, the best use of motion capture that Weta Digital has ever put onto film, beating even that of James Cameron’s Avatar.

Serkis plays Caesar, an orphaned chimpanzee with enhanced intelligence, made possible through the testing of a genetically engineered retrovirus applied to his mother. As scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) battles to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, he becomes increasingly ignorant of the repercussions that his experiments are having on his test subjects. Soon, the battle for supremacy begins as Caesar leads the rebellion against humanity.

Apes is driven by character, saving its action for the third act. This, of course, is part of its brilliance. Caesar’s life is documented by Wyatt in documentary type style before unleashing the uprising that is teased throughout. Indeed, the title for the film was originally Caesar before Twentieth Century Fox changed it to be a recognisable instalment in the well known franchise. (The less said about Tim Burton’s remake the better).

Serkis is terrific as Caesar.

I cannot praise Serkis’ striking ability to bring an emotional, three dimensional depth to a character that is visually made up of CGI, enough. Serkis’ genius resides in his eyes. In essence, they betray his character’s emotion when compared to the misleading façade that Caesar attempts to demonstrate to his human counterparts. His confusion at his mistreatment, his yearning for the safe haven he has learned to call home, his thought process and hatred of his enemies is all portrayed through his eyes. It is an incredible performance, and once again I shall reiterate the need for motion capture to be recognised at some of the more prestigious award ceremonies. You only need to catch a glimpse of the trailer to see what I mean. Human antics are present within Caesar; interesting questions about the bonds between the animal and the human and the boundaries between them are posed whilst the ethics, the moral philosophy and the wrongs of animal testing are also hinted at. It is, however, only a slight hint. Wyatt stops short of plaguing us with the political messages that he could easily promote in a film like this.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a drama and not, I would argue, the action film that the premise implies. The tension builds, at times, to unbearable levels and the turning point, the game changer of the film, where Caesar embraces his Spartacus-esque position as the rebellion’s leader is a fantastic, shocking, gritty and raw moment. “Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!” Tom Felton’s character screams at Caesar as the tables turn and the animals rise to dominance. “No!” Caesar shouts back, the first words spoken by the ape. This is drama at its best, executed perfectly and a nostalgic look back at the quote made famous by Charlton Heston in the original film. (I'm pretty sure the audience gasped here, such is the intensity). Many viewers looking for cheap thrills may prefer less time spent on Caesar’s hardships and more time dedicated to the action, most prominently the stunning final battle that takes place on the Golden Gate Bridge. Quite rightly, however, this is not the case.

James Franco puts in a disappointing performance.

The human cast is what prevents me from giving this film a perfect five stars. Franco has little to do in the final hour. We catch quick glimpses of him running around looking for his former chimp friend but his performance is disappointing, especially after his turn in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. Freida Pinto, last seen in Slumdog Millionaire (another Boyle film) is dull at best and brings nothing new to the table while Brian Cox just looks bewildered for the majority of his screen time. Tom Felton has a little too much Draco Malfoy in him for his performance to be taken seriously but in all honesty, it is hard to overshadow Serkis. Indeed, the 'ape only' scenes are some of the best that the film has to offer. John Lithgow, however, is heart breaking in his portrayal of a father afflicted with Alzheimer’s. Wyatt handles the subject tastefully and with sincerity. It is interesting that he includes the degradation of the human mind against the evolution of the ape’s intelligence. Symbolic? Yes. Gratuitous? No. Apes, at its core, deals with a son trying to save his father. It revolves around one man who attempts to achieve the impossible whilst trying to deal with the repercussions of his hubristic nature.

I hoped for a shot of a post uprising world yet Wyatt does not humour us with such events. This is only the rise of the apes and not the complete take over. One of the last images of man and ape standing side by side is an iconic one, and leaves the viewer to image what will happen next. Yes, the original films tell us what will occur in the far future, yet I cannot help but think that there is a missing chapter in between this prequel and the first film of the classic saga that will link all of the chapters in a definitive way. If there isn’t, it’s one hell of a jump, even with the scene that plays over the end credits, of which I shall not spoil.

  

Many have raved about this film. Some of the praise I find a little excessive. This isn’t a classic but along with Super 8, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the better summer blockbusters to hit our screens this year. Terrifying, touching, emotional and raw, Wyatt’s film is essential viewing, if only to see how it pays homage to the original. I enjoyed it and I believe Fox will turn this into their next summer franchise. Expect sequels.

My Rating: * * * *