Banana Scoop

I am not very familiar with this franchise, nor do I have any loyalty to it.  The most I’ve seen of Apes is the Tim Burton film with Marky Mark and I wasn’t too impressed with that.  And upon hearing the tongue twister prequel of a title, I wasn’t very interested in this installment either.  I was given the opportunity to watch any movie and from good word of mouth I chose this one.  Few movies can tickle my fancy by giving me odd protagonists to root for.  And for one hour and forty minutes I found myself rooting for CGI ‘Monkeys’.  And I honestly enjoyed every minute of it.

When I was a child, I could go to the zoo and be completely fascinated by the animals there.  As I grew older, I shrugged the whole zoo thing to something for the children.  When I watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I felt like a child again, captivated by the movement and aura of the apes.  During the time of the film, I was completely entertained for the entire hour and 40 minutes and never found a dull moment.

The film focuses on an ape named Caeser (Andy Serkis) and his rise to power [lol Roman reference].  Caeser is gifted with intelligence from a drug given to him by his surrogate father, Walt (James Franco), who works as a scientist in a laboratory.  An eight year bond is broken between Walt and Caeser when an unfortunate accident occurs and Caeser is sent to an ape pound.  There, Caeser learns the true way humans look at apes and develops a way for the apes to rise up against their captors.

In terms of who the main star is, once you watch the movie you’ll soon realize Serkis as Caesar pulls more emotional weight than his costars, Franco, Frieda Pinto, John Lithgow, or Brian Cox.  CGI apes compared to the original human/makeup apes may sound like an unconvincing B-movie, but the work Serkis does as Caesar is award worthy.  From facial expressions to movements, Caesar is captivating in every way and is highly reminiscent of Avatar’s technology.  His supporting cast does well to fit their roles, but the focus on the apes is what made the entire film as captivating as Caesar.

You can't computer generate pure emotion

Seeing Tim Burton’s version of Planet of the Apes, the plot was imaginative, yet unbelievable and corny.  I don’t know what the originals were like, but if they spawned a vision like Burton’s, the source material couldn’t have been any more corny or unbelievable.  I only bring up believability because Rise of the Planet of the Apes thought provoking plot and execution reminds me that we probably aren’t that far from the technology for this set of events to happen.  I understand testing on chimps is very popular and work is being done on brain regeneration and the cure for Alzheimers is being researched.  The idea of brain stimulation doesn’t seem too far and the rate they’re studying on chimps, a super smart chimp that gets an idea of individualism doesn’t seem too far fetched.  This is one of the main reasons Rise of the Planet of the Apes is so entertaining.

The film isn’t short on action either.  The trailer advertises a lot of the exciting parts, but these are mostly included towards the very end of the movie.  Some could consider the beginnings to be slow, but I never found a dull moment and all the build up  led to the exciting climax and resolution.  Throughout the movie, the treatment of the apes begins to make humans look like the bad guy.  And when the apes rise against the humans, we can’t help but root for them as they use weapons and beat humans senselessly.  It’s a defining moment when you understand the biggest difference between humans and animals is the fact we can use tools and comprehend situations while animals can’t.  When you give animals this ability, their immense strength and will to survive make them a far more formidable foe or in this case a stronger hero.

Try and see an average human throw a spear at a van

With a thought provoking plot, a hero worth cheering for, and satisfying action, Rise of the Planet of the Apes demonstrates a film that soars on all levels.  The movie sets itself up for a sequel and I wouldn’t mind letting Caesar send goosebumps up my arm again with him yelling another, NOOOO!!!!!

5/5 Stars