Rise of the Planet of the Apes

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

I am a massive Planet of the Apes fan. I love all things Planet of the Apes (even certain bits of Tim Burton's problematic remake) so feel free to disregard anything I say. Was greatly looking forward to this semi prequel/reboot/re-imagining of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the 4th film in the original series (due to the strange time travel timeline and cyclical nature of the original series the start of the story takes place half way through the series, one of the quirks I love about it). They have changed the story significantly though and as much as I love the the insane time loop hole/self-fulfilling prophecy of the original origin of the apes, this version makes greater sense for a more logical, naturalistic and less paradoxical telling of the story.

The opening of this film has some of the most convincing ape effects in the whole film. But on the whole these digital creations are amazing. I thought back to those monkeys in Jumanji and it's really astounding to think how far the effects have matured from those now very primitive counterparts. Of course a great deal has been said of Andy Serkis' performance which is another big reason for the success of the ape sequences which are far more interesting than any of the human scenes (except maybe the stuff with John Lithgow because he's super great).

Also odd was seeing Tyler Labine so soon after only having seen him in Tucker & Dale vs Evil. Tom Felton better watch out too or he'll be typecast as a douche. Also I love when David Hewlett shows up in anything and he has a neat little scene during the end credits to say for.

I heard it said this film is enjoyable if you are willing to accept it's silliness. I didn't find that at all. I'd argue that at least until the third act, there is nothing silly about the film. I probably take my apes much more seriously than the average movie-goers though. When the uprising starts though, as cool as the action is it's probably to fantastic for most people to take seriously, despite the entire rest of the movie spent getting you to believe and invest in these creatures. It works for me though.

What this film lacks is those great, dark, punch-in-the-gut endings that made the franchise popular with adults as well as kids. And while it's there to some degree, the social commentary so prevalent in the original is largely lacking here. It's not usually case in this day and age that a remake is actually lighter in tone than the original, but the difference between the final uprising in Conquest and here is significant (doubly so for the directors cut) and had they gone that direction I would have like the end more but as is stands the very final moments are the only parts I felt let down a little.

There's plenty of nods to the fans, some subtle (Caesar keeps his name, as does his mother Bright Eyes, imagery of police on horseback, apes using spears, gorillas being the muscle and orangutans being the wise elders), some not so subtle (Caesar being squirted with a hose, building a model Statue of Liberty, Charlton Heston on TV) and some awkwardly forced in there (Tom Felton uttering both the phrases "It's a madhouse! A Madhouse!" AND "Take your paws of me you damn dirty ape" *sigh*).

Small gripes like that aside, I think this film does a great job setting this story up. It feels really effortless and natural, it's entertaining and most importantly, it really really makes me want more. I may have to watch through my bluray box set now.