RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES... I saw the movie earlier today, and I must say, it was really good. Much like Batman Begins, Rise of the Planet of the Apes gave a very interesting origins story for a well-established film franchise...with the depiction of Caesar growing from an orphaned ape born with special abilities to the would-be leader of a new race of primates who rule the world after the humans’ demise being very compelling. The film has a stellar cast—with James Franco and the lovely Freida Pinto leading the charge—and other actors such as John Lithgow, Brian Cox and Tom Felton (best known as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies) giving good performances as well. In fact, I might be a bit overdramatic when I say that Lithgow’s performance as Franco’s Alzheimer’s-inflicted father in the movie was very moving, and actually is a nice twist in the explanation to how the apes become the intelligent (and eventually belligerent) creatures that became famous in the 1968 classic film.
Andy Serkis, best known for his CGI’ed performances as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Peter Jackson’s subsequent film, King Kong, did a great job portraying Caesar. How Caesar goes from becoming a frightened new arrival at the San Bruno primate facility near San Francisco to the confident leader who would liberate the other apes being held captive there and give them the unique abilities that he has is very convincing. But it can’t be understated that his moments with Franco, Pinto and Lithgow in the household scenes were pretty heartwarming. And how his scenes with Felton’s abusive caretaker at San Bruno were pretty intense...and pivotal to how Caesar would rise to prominence in the world his race will soon dominate.
I can’t say enough positive things about Rise of the Planet of the Apes. One thing’s for sure, it was much better than 2001’s Planet of the Apes. Unlike that film, which was directed by Tim Burton and starred Mark Wahlberg, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth and Michael Clarke Duncan, Rise didn’t have a WTF(?!) moment at the end of the flick like Burton's movie did. In fact, there was no twist to the finale of this Apes prequel...it was fairly straightforward. But unlike the 2001 flick, I look forward to seeing what lies in store for Caesar and company in future installments...since I read online that this movie is intended to be the start of a new Planet of the Apes film series. As long as the sequels will be as good as this one, I hope the new series will be long-lasting.
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