***1/2 stars
Maybe it was the low expectations. Maybe it's because of Andy Serkis and his brilliance with motion captured performances, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes is surprisingly one of the funnest times you'll have at the movies all summer.
Andy Serkis is something else. A brilliant actor, and sometimes it feels like no one even knows how brilliant he really is. I always had this vision that if I ever met him, I would joke around and say, "Oh, so you're the guy who does the voice for Gollum?" Obviously, and deservedly, he would probably punch in the face. But realistically, I would probably tell him that he is changing the movie business for better and for always. First Gollum, then King Kong, and now Caesar, the ape who changes the world for worse and for always.
That doesn't go without saying that Caesar is a tragic soul who has a deep love for his human, Will Rodman (James Franco), a neuroscientist who desperately tries to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. His father Charles (John Lithgow) has been a long time sufferer from the illness, which roots the story that Will is doing this to save the one he loves. He develops a virus called ALZ-112 and tests it on chimpanzees in a San Francisco lab. Just when he thinks he has found the cure, the side effects cause one of the chimpanzee's to go on a lunatic rampage, causing the destruction of the project.
However, the reason for the chimpanzee's behavior is because she feels her baby, Caesar, is threatened. When Will's boss Steven Jacobs (David Ovelowo) demands that all the apes be put down, Will's collegue Robert Franklin (Tyler Labine) cannot muster the courage to follow through with this order and kill Caesar. Instead, he secretly passes him off to Will, who raises him. Through all this, Caesar has gained his mother's overwhelming intelligence after years of learning and TLC from Will. Caesar is something so rare it's as if he can be the one who changes everything we humans have come to believe.
Years later, Caesar, still living with Will, and who is very close with Will's father, sees Charles suffering from his disease out in public. He accidentally stumbles into a neighbor's car and tries to drive it, causing severe damage to the vehicle. When the owner of the vehicle yells and pushes him around, Caesar, seeing this from the attic window, flies outside and violently injures the man in an attempt to protect Charles. At this point, Animal Control is called in and Caesar is sent to ape prison.
Here comes the revolution. Caesar, feeling betrayed by Will and the world, gathers up the apes in the prison cells around him in what soon becomes the fight for the control of the planet. It's amazing that the interaction between the apes are more compelling than the humans. Again, this is because of the amazing Andy Serkis. It's sad that his performance will never be recognized by the Academy. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he mentioned that he would be angry if the AMPAS created a motion capture performance category, as he believes performances like this are on par, if not more challenging, than a regular performance by an actor. I don't blame him. It's the same frustration I'm sure Pixar has with the best animated feature category.
Are we naive enough to believe in this day-and-age that these performances aren't real? He's not just doing the voices. He is Caesar, and without him, you may as well use the same animation you see in Curious George.
I wouldn't call Rise of the Planet of the Apes a great film, but it certainly is great fun. More fun than I've had at Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Cowboys & Aliens put together. It's a patient blockbuster, one that takes the time to establish the emotions of the characters, the wit of their interactions, and the necessary details to create a satisfying payoff, all of which come together in a third act that will have you banging your chest with excitement. It also accomplishes the rare feet of having me eagerly anticipating a sequel. How often can you say that?
Andy Serkis is something else. A brilliant actor, and sometimes it feels like no one even knows how brilliant he really is. I always had this vision that if I ever met him, I would joke around and say, "Oh, so you're the guy who does the voice for Gollum?" Obviously, and deservedly, he would probably punch in the face. But realistically, I would probably tell him that he is changing the movie business for better and for always. First Gollum, then King Kong, and now Caesar, the ape who changes the world for worse and for always.
That doesn't go without saying that Caesar is a tragic soul who has a deep love for his human, Will Rodman (James Franco), a neuroscientist who desperately tries to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. His father Charles (John Lithgow) has been a long time sufferer from the illness, which roots the story that Will is doing this to save the one he loves. He develops a virus called ALZ-112 and tests it on chimpanzees in a San Francisco lab. Just when he thinks he has found the cure, the side effects cause one of the chimpanzee's to go on a lunatic rampage, causing the destruction of the project.
However, the reason for the chimpanzee's behavior is because she feels her baby, Caesar, is threatened. When Will's boss Steven Jacobs (David Ovelowo) demands that all the apes be put down, Will's collegue Robert Franklin (Tyler Labine) cannot muster the courage to follow through with this order and kill Caesar. Instead, he secretly passes him off to Will, who raises him. Through all this, Caesar has gained his mother's overwhelming intelligence after years of learning and TLC from Will. Caesar is something so rare it's as if he can be the one who changes everything we humans have come to believe.
Years later, Caesar, still living with Will, and who is very close with Will's father, sees Charles suffering from his disease out in public. He accidentally stumbles into a neighbor's car and tries to drive it, causing severe damage to the vehicle. When the owner of the vehicle yells and pushes him around, Caesar, seeing this from the attic window, flies outside and violently injures the man in an attempt to protect Charles. At this point, Animal Control is called in and Caesar is sent to ape prison.
Here comes the revolution. Caesar, feeling betrayed by Will and the world, gathers up the apes in the prison cells around him in what soon becomes the fight for the control of the planet. It's amazing that the interaction between the apes are more compelling than the humans. Again, this is because of the amazing Andy Serkis. It's sad that his performance will never be recognized by the Academy. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, he mentioned that he would be angry if the AMPAS created a motion capture performance category, as he believes performances like this are on par, if not more challenging, than a regular performance by an actor. I don't blame him. It's the same frustration I'm sure Pixar has with the best animated feature category.
Are we naive enough to believe in this day-and-age that these performances aren't real? He's not just doing the voices. He is Caesar, and without him, you may as well use the same animation you see in Curious George.
I wouldn't call Rise of the Planet of the Apes a great film, but it certainly is great fun. More fun than I've had at Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides , Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and Cowboys & Aliens put together. It's a patient blockbuster, one that takes the time to establish the emotions of the characters, the wit of their interactions, and the necessary details to create a satisfying payoff, all of which come together in a third act that will have you banging your chest with excitement. It also accomplishes the rare feet of having me eagerly anticipating a sequel. How often can you say that?
1 comment:
Without giving away the ending, I was upset that the "real" ending happened as the credits ran and as people started filing out blocking our view. I saw the comparison to War of the World, where the creates couldn't survive our germ filled world...and of course other movies where a virus wreaked havoc.
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