There have been six Planet of the Apes films with the last being in 2001 with Tim Burton behind the camera. Now how in the hell could there be anything else to cover with a story about apes taking over the world? Well perhaps how it all began. Rise of the Planet of the Apes shows us how it all started and does a great job completely rebooting the franchise. Director Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist) uses great style and amazing special effects to deliver an original, fun, smart, and entertaining film.
Taking place in present day San Francisco, Will Rodman (James Franco) and his team are trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, and the work is Rodman’s passion and life because his father (John Lithgow) suffers from it. So they test the stuff on apes and the results are astonishing. Not only does it work, but it enhances the brain. So not only does it fix you, but it makes you better and smarter. Caesar (Andy Serkis) is the first ape to experience this and Rodman hides him at his house and over the years, he makes unbelievable progress. At the same time, he is getting the love and affection from Rodman and his father. Caesar becomes a part of the family, not just a science experiment.
However, after Caesar becomes involved in an incident concerning the safety of Rodman’s father, he attacks an individual and is locked up by animal control for it. He is trapped in captivity in a primate shelter that keeps chimps, gorillas, and orangutans and is run by a shady guy named John Landon (Brian Cox), and his son, Dodge (Tom Felton aka Draco Malfoy), teases and abuses them for no reason. It is here where Caesar begins to create his army and begin the uprising for supremacy. All of them begin to communicate through sign language and once they escape, no human, not even Rodman himself, will be able to stop them.
The entire film builds and builds until the apes have had enough and then the action really kicks in. As the audience, you are sitting and watching what Caesar is put through and how many chances he gave Rodman and the other humans. But over time, he realizes what they are to them—pets. And once enough becomes enough, there is total mayhem and destruction in the city of San Fran and it is awesome to watch on the big screen.
The real story of Rise of the Planet of the Apes is Caesar. Franco and the rest of the human actors are only there to help the story and growth of Caesar and his cause. Now that doesn’t mean Franco, Lithgow and the rest aren’t good in it because they are. Now Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) does not have much to do. She mainly just stands beside Franco and looks pretty. But Franco plays a huge part in the story because it is his compassion yet arrogance that makes Caesar who he is and what he eventually becomes. He really does care for Caesar, but has no idea what he has physically and emotionally done to him. But don’t worry, he will find out. Lithgow plays a heart-breaking role and he loves both his son and Caesar, and his character emotionally affects them both.
The real star of this film is Serkis. By using motion-capturing technology (like in Avatar), he gives tremendous character and emotion to Caesar, and that goes for all of the apes. The technology is perfect for a movie like this, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes couldn’t have been made 10 or 20 yeas ago, but back to Serkis. He is used to the technology aspect of Caesar because he has been Gollum and King Kong. There is something different this time around though.
His portrayal as Caesar is mesmerizing and he does not have to say anything at all to get something across. It is all in his eyes, and we all know actions speak louder than words. As you watch his story unfold, the longer the movie goes, the more you root for him and even though you perhaps shouldn’t, you are looking forward to him getting his revenge. With everyone who is involved in this film, Serkis gives the best performance in it and perhaps one of the best of the year.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is so much better than I thought it would be. The fact that a series of movies that most of us thought was dead and gone is able to not only come back, but be better than ever is impressive to say the least. And with Wyatt in control, putting the advancements of technology to good use, and Serkis delivering one hell of a performance for a human or ape – this film breathes new life and is surprisingly effective, and delivers a message that cannot be ignored.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
SoBros Network and Stacking The Inbox have teamed up for the greatest premium content collaboration in the history of Nashville. Get all of the Tennessee Titans and NFL Draft coverage you need on top of premium SoBros Network content such as The Movie Review Rewind Podcast, Sports Punch, and much more! Only $5/month gets you instant access to an exhaustive content library of articles, podcasts, and videos created exclusively for our subscribers! Sign up on Substack today!
