You Say You Want a Revolution

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is to the Planet of the Apes series what Batman Begins (2005) was to the Batman franchise. Sadly, Tim Burton was attached to both and didn't finish the race with the baton in his hand. (In my utopian film universe, Burton would get to make a third Batman film and at least a sequel to the 2001 Planet of the Apes film). This new movie in the series is definitely the best film of the series since the original film, Planet of the Apes (1968).

You don't need to watch any of the previous installments to watch this. But watching them won't hurt as you will be able to catch all the homages in this one (Take your paws off me you damned dirty ape!). When the word "No" is used in this film I had goosebumps (trying to avoid spoilers here). I could hear audience letting out a collective gasp in the theater. Surely, the director Rupert Wyatt is in full control of his craft. This is a film which is so ably directed that any lesser director would have taken the same material and the film would have actually been bad. He gets the tone absolutely right, it plays like a well-constructed piece of music which when it reaches a crescendo, it makes your heart soar or in this case, scares you to the bone while you're still emotionally vested in it. The Golden Gate bridge action set-piece is spectacular. This is terrific filmmaking.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is essentially a re-imagining of Conquest of the Apes (1971), the fourth film in the series. Not a remake but a new film with a new origin story. Will (James Franco) is a genetic engineer who is developing a cure for his father's ailment. While he tests it on chimpanzees he discovers that it has increased their intelligence. Caesar is the chimpanzee and that will decides to adopt. He can even communicate in sign-language. In this sense, this film can be compared to Nolan's Batman series as it makes them more real, more logical. (Film reality, if you may nitpick). As much as this film a commentary on the unjustness of animal testing, it is also a tale of the adopted child acting out and finding his true home. You root for the apes and the humans but not at the same time. (Apes more because of Caesar).

Caesar, played by the motion-capture lord Andy Serkis. Serkis has played Gollum and King Kong before, and will be seen as Captain Haddock in The Adventures of TinTin due for a November release. This is Serkis' best performance. How do you judge a performance of a CGI character you ask? Watch the film and you will get your answer. This is a wonderful marriage of CGI, character acting and live-action. Caesar is a character so enigmatic I can still see his face in front of my eyes. The gentle eyes of a child, the silent rage of a teenager and the dynamism of a revelatory leader. I fail to remember an actor who performed this feat in live-action recently. Serkis should be recognized this year for his work and contribution. Albeit, the film suffers from the underwritten characters of the homo sapiens. Especially that of Tom Felton and Freida Pinto. Caroline (Pinto), apart from voicing some philosophy, is there to look good and unevenly romance Mr. Franco. But Franco salvages some of the reputation he lost with the Oscar hosting debacle.

I absolutely love the first five films (with the second film being the only one that I didn't like). I even enjoyed the Tim Burton remake. Even if you haven't seen any of the films I would strongly recommend watching the first film, Planet of the Apes (1968). It is a sci-fi classic and proudly owns a spot as one of the greatest twist endings in cinematic history. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a striking entry in this dying franchise, even if some may not think this is a great film, I'm sure they agree that it has breathed a new life into the series. Sequel, please?

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