Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Directed by Rupert Wyatt
Written by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Starring James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, Andy Serkis
Release Date August 5th, 2011
Published August 4th, 2011
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the surprise movie of 2011. What you think is going to be a goofy action adventure about apes and James Franco evolves into this shockingly thoughtful examination of what it is to be sentient. The performance of Andy Serkis as the lead ape Caesar easily rivals his extraordinary Gollum in the Lord of the Rings series and deserves honest awards consideration.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes acts as something of a prequel to the 1968 Planet of the Apes; even making reference to the Mars mission of the original film as having been lost in space. James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a scientist working for a drug company and hopeful that he has created a cure for Alzheimer's.
Unfortunately, as Will is seeking final permission to begin human trials following successes with a very special, now super intelligent ape, Will’s ape test subject flips out and has to be put down after a violent rampage. Naturally, everyone believes the rage was a side effect but in fact the ape believed that her newborn was being taken from her.
Though he is supposed to put down all of the apes, Will takes the newborn ape home with him. At home, where Will lives with his Alzheimer's afflicted father (John Lithgow), Will names the ape Caesar and soon discovers that Caesar displays the same extraordinary intelligence his mother had.
Years pass and Caesar grows smarter and stronger. A slight injury to Caesar leads Will to meet Caroline, an ape expert, and soon a small family has begun to form. Also during this time Will has begun work on a new version of his previously successful drug that he begins testing on his own father with stunning success.
The scenes of familial bliss, Caesar’s growing up and Will’s dad’s recovery are observed with great care as if director Rupert Wyatt honestly believed these scenes were as important as the obligatory violent siege that is promised by the film’s title and marketing campaign.
Many directors would not take as much care as Wyatt does to make these scenes resonate. Most directors would signal their impatience about getting to the violence and the exciting rampage; Wyatt takes care to deliver characters who will make the siege late in the film really mean something.
The best work in the film comes from Andy Serkis who brings a stunning level of sentience and poignancy to Caesar. Serkis’s careful movements, his remarkable eyes, give this ape character a reality, a soulfulness that is entirely unexpected. Considering his previous work as Gollum it shouldn’t be surprising but the level of humanity that Serkis brings to Caesar is shocking.
The human characters are good; James Franco brings a very important sincerity to Will. His earnest affection and loving protection of Caesar are necessary elements needed to sell the surprises of the third act. Freida Pinto is a slightly more functional character as is John Lithgow as Will’s dad but each character is decent and caring and most importantly, they have our sympathy.
Through these characters and their affection for Caesar we feel okay caring about him. If Franco were winking about being in a movie with an ape and how inherently goofy that idea is we’d drop out of the movie and be unable to care the way we do. Instead, Franco plays it surprisingly straight, honest and earnest.
The villains are cardboard, stock characters with little to no subtlety. There is the corporate magnate (David Oyelowo) who is willing to risk ending the world in pursuit of a buck and then there is Draco Malfoy aka actor Tom Felton as the caveman ape handler who tortures Caesar into leading an ape revolution.
If Rise of the Planet brought a scintilla of subtlety or complexity to these villains the movie could be a District 9 level quality blockbuster. That film humanized aliens in a most unique and affecting manner just as Rise of the Planet of the Apes humanizes apes in the most unexpected and compelling manner.
I wasn’t sure if I even liked Rise of the Planet of the Apes immediately after I watched it. Sitting with the film for a few days I was struck by what stayed with me about the movie and the reservations that fell away. At first I was wondering if I could really take seriously a movie about Apes and a few days later I couldn't escape the complex and thoughtful performance of Andy Serkis.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes may not be the Summer Popcorn Blockbuster you are expecting but see it and I am sure you will find as I did that this is both a compelling character piece and a thrilling bit of action adventure. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a Summer blockbuster with a brain.
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