Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rating: * * * * ½

I recently had the privilege of going to see a midnight screening of director Rupert Wyatt’s revision of the classic Planet  of the Apes; the rather aptly titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Clutching a thermos full of black coffee in one hand and a pre-paid ticket stub in the other, I joined the queue of people eagerly awaiting this advanced screening. Easily one of the most highly anticipated theatrical releases of the year, expectations were certainly high.

Starring James Franco (127 Hours), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings) and John Lithgow (Shrek), the film follows a young Neuro-scientist; Will Rodman (Franco) as he strives to find a cure for Alzheimers in a laboratory in San Francisco, whilst caring for his father who suffers from the degenerative disease. Various strains of a virus designed to encourage the regeneration of brain cells are tested on Chimpanzees in order to assess the long-term effect they may have on humans.  When a baby chimp is taken into Will’s care, we are shown the shocking result of this genetical engineering on the animal’s intelligence. The exceptional chimp in question, Caesar (Serkis), is looked after for many years and becomes a beloved member of their family.

When Caesar attacks a neighbour whilst trying to protect his family, he is pulled from his home and taken to a ‘primate sanctuary’ by animal control. Forced to live with other less advanced apes and subject to much maltreatment, Caesar and his peers eventually decides to fight back.

Anyone familiar with the original 1968 movie starring Charlton Heston, concerning a planet in the future on which speaking Apes rule over a minority of humans who are enslaved as their prisoners, will appreciate this prequel’s attempt to provide a meaningful and realistic backstory to the seemingly unfathomable events of former features and series in the franchise. Rise of the Planet of the Apes chronicles the beginnings of the shift in the balance of power between the two species that will ultimately lead to the subordination of the human race.

The film plays heavily on your sympathy for the simians (not least with the arrival of an unbelievably cute baby Ceasar at the beginning of the film), having it seem on first glance that they are suggesting you ally yourself with these badly mistreated creatures. Humans are portrayed as monstrous and barbaric, while Serkis’ Caesar is the gentler, victimized specimen. In fact, audience members were not quite sure if they should feel bad that a Gorilla took down an entire helicopter full of armed Policemen, instead worrying for the animal’s safety. However, I would not stretch to say the film forces you to choose the ‘side’ of the Apes, rather it serves to help you understand the justifications and motives for their rebellious and aggressive behavior.

What helps this plight enormously is yet another incredible performance by Andy Serkis. No stranger to playing a Primate, having played the part of the titular protagonist in Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake of King Kong. Thanks to exceptional performance capture technology, Serkis manages to find the impactful happy medium between the animalistic and the human. His facial mannerisms are clearly distinguishable, adding emotional and empathetic depth to the character. Though the rest of the actors delivered solid performances (notwithstanding the somewhat superfluous existence of Pinto’s ‘love interest’), the Apes really did steal the show.

Packed with action from the very first scene, this 105 minute feature is expertly shot with powerful cinematography and intelligent photographic technique. In a scene depicting Ceasar running through the forest and swinging from treetops, his movements remain perfectly fluid whilst the background imagery shifts from season to season, illustrating the passing of time beautifully. These sequences of harmony and aesthetic delicacy are juxtaposed later with rather menacing visual sequences of the Simian uprising that work together to create a directional narrative with thrilling escalation. Viewers are left with the overwhelming feeling that they are witnessing a revolution; a social uprising of an oppressed population. You almost forget they aren’t human.

A lesser film would not have been able to pull this extraordinary notion off with such graceful execution without becoming farcical, instead Wyatt’s efforts here are action-packed with both pathos and resonance.

Overall, the film is incredibly entertaining from start to finish, teaming explosive action with emotional and sensitive subject, Rise of the Planet of the Apes gives you a whole lot of bang for your buck.