Evolution Becomes Revolution
In 2011 I ended up seeing Rise of the Planet of the Apes twice in the theater. I loved it that much that even though there were a ton of other things playing I wanted and needed to see it again. I loved it just as much the second time. But on both those occasions it had been a while since I had seen the original series or even the remake. Now, over the last week or two I have watched all seven Ape films in order and I tell you that Rise is better than all the sequels, the remake and could even top the original.
To begin with, the make-up and effects used to create the apes is astounding. They look so real and move so real yet at the same time they feel human and act human. Andy Serkis, the ultimate king of motion capture performance artistry, plays the lead ape, Caesar. His performance is phenomenal. He gives his character heart, emotion, pain, happiness, and a whole slew of other emotions. He walks and runs and jumps and stands like an ape; he lives and breathes the role and gives the best performance I have ever seen by anybody ever (of someone playing an animal).
John Lithgow, who has never given a bad performance, is his usual awesome self here. He steals the show from everybody else, minus the aforementioned Serkis. As well, we have the absolutely stunning Frieda Pinto in a role, the very likeable James Franco as the lead (human), and in a small role, the man that brings gravitas to any movie Brian Cox. As a whole, the acting is far superior to any of the previous incarnations of Planet of the Apes.
Before I get to the story, which is stellar, I just want to mention the editing and the cinematography. The editing is a marvel to behold with perfect pacing, stellar transitions and not a single wasted shot. It feels fast and furious and did I mention the transitions. Zooming in and out of an eye, climbing a tree as Caesar ages; it's all awesome and not only enjoyable to watch but progresses the story perfectly. Then there is the cinematography, also stunning to look at. Beautiful lighting, perfectly captured sets and amazing vistas of San Francisco. The opening establishing shot, of trees, with the title Rise of the Planet of the Apes superimposed over it hooks you right away and somehow looks and feels like the earlier planet of the ape movies.
But, I need to talk about the story and how wonderful it is. This planet of the apes is in a sense, a modern reboot of the franchise but at the same time it is a prequel/sequel to the original film. It takes place in modern times and like the title says, it is about the rise of the apes. It forgets about the sequels, acting like they never existed. Instead we get a fresh, modern take on how the ape uprising all began. It's about science, and science gone wrong but at the same time it's about the mistreatment of others and the consequences of that. It's about love and friendship and greed and power. It's morals are the same as the original film and it ties perfectly into it.
Without being to obvious they make references to the original film over and over again and they are a joy to see and hear. The first ape we meet is named Bright Eyes (Heston's nickname in the original), the main ape is Caesar (the name used in the third film for the ape that led the uprising). In the ape sanctuary, the guard makes the apes go crazy and then uses the immortal line 'It's a madhouse, a madhouse!' It was perfect! All the apes that Caesar meets in the sanctuary are the apes that end up ruling the planet in the future. There is a quick glimpse of a television where we see a rocket take off and are told it's a manned mission to mars. Then a while later we see a newspaper heading that says the astronauts have gone missing. Utterly cool and crazy!
And then there's the immortal moment in the original Apes when Heston is finally caught and an ape touches him. For the first time he speaks, the first time any living ape has heard a man speak and he says: 'Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!' Here, as Caesar is starting to lead the uprising, as things are progressing towards an epic conclusion, Caesar comes face to face with a human who attacks him. He grabs the human's arm and is promptly told: 'Take your stinking paws off me you damn dirty ape!' And then, the first time a human ever hears an ape talk (both audience and characters) occurs when Caesar says 'No!'.
These great moments that connect to the original film make this film even better. I missed some of them when I saw Rise in the theater. I hadn't after all seen the original for a very long time. I also missed the significance of the moment of 'first speech'. So cool, so well done, thank you Rupert Wyatt! The script is so very well written and makes a lot of sense, realistically and in context with the original film.
One thing about the Ape movies is that they all have great and shocking twists of an ending. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is no exception. Just make sure you stay through the credits (not all the way to the end) if you want to see this one. It is awesome, it is shocking and it rivals the twist at the end of the first film. That's all I'll say about that.
So there you have it: A fantastic story, fantastic performances (no wooden acting here), unbelievable effects, gorgeous cinematography, perfect directing, great music, stellar editing, magically done references to the original, John Lithgow and Brian Cox, and 104 minutes of ball busting entertainment! These reasons are why I think that this film even outshines the original. It took four sequels and a remake before anyone came close to touching the magic of the first film. Wyatt and Company have done it. They exceeded my and many peoples expectations and went above and beyond what was expected. After 43 years, someone who grew up (like me) watching these films has made a perfect film, one that encapsulates everything I could have hoped for and wanted in a prequel/sequel/reboot. And if not for all the reasons I have listed, then it is for that reason alone that Rise of the Planet of the Apes is, for me, the best of the bunch.
Film Rating: 88%
Breakdown (How Rise of the Planet of the Apes scored 88%):
Production Design: 9 out of 10
Cinematography: 9 out of 10
Re-playability: 9 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Costumes: 10 out of 10
Directing: 9 out of 10
Editing: 9 out of 10
Acting: 8 out of 10
Music: 8 out of 10
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