Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not meant to be a prequel to the original Planet of the Apesmovies (or the 2001 remake); it is a reboot, and the ending that occurs shortly after the credits start rolling assumes that more movies are to come.
A brilliant young scientist, Will (James Franco), has concocted a serum named “ALZ-112,” with the “ALZ” prefix referring to its [supposed] ability to cure Alzheimer’s, which is a cause that is important to him because his father (John Lithgow) suffers from it. After an experiment that goes awry, Will sneaks home the infant son of a deceased ape. Will grows to love and care for the “little” guy, Caesar, who displays unusually high intelligence. But when Caesar is sent to a shelter overcrowded with apes, he commences his plans to help his fellow primates escape the prison.
Much of the first act is spent on establishing the world, further theory that this is a hopeful relaunch of the franchise. Andy Serkis can add yet another outstanding motion-capture performance to his resume. As Caesar, his eyes convey an understanding of the human condition and his place of being an ape living in a world full of cruel humans. At first glance, he seems to be a pet—Will has to “walk” him on a leash—but it is clear that the relationship between Will and Caesar is much more significant than that. Will, at one point, insists that he is Caesar’s father, although with his advanced brain, Caesar is cognizant of the impossibilities of such a thing.
Why, with his human-equivalent intelligence, would Caesar act as typical primate would? Additionally, it is difficult to believe that it would have taken eight years for Animal Control to discover that an ape was living illegally with Will and his father.
Director Rupert Wyatt deftly builds the tension to the exciting, destruction-filled closing sequences, which we know are inevitable: the title suggests nothing less than an ape revolt. However, I found myself empathizing with the primates, whose histories are so closely linked to ours, because, in particular, Caesar undoubtedly experiences the same emotions that humans do: fear, joy, anger, etc.
Unfortunately, the digital simians overwhelm the fairly uninteresting human characters. Franco is charming and makes a somewhat believable scientist. The rest of the cast is serviceable, but a bit disappointing considering their previous work.
Rise of The Planet of the Apes makes a statement regarding the issues of ethics and animal cruelty in an enjoyable, exhilarating science fiction drama.
A brilliant young scientist, Will (James Franco), has concocted a serum named “ALZ-112,” with the “ALZ” prefix referring to its [supposed] ability to cure Alzheimer’s, which is a cause that is important to him because his father (John Lithgow) suffers from it. After an experiment that goes awry, Will sneaks home the infant son of a deceased ape. Will grows to love and care for the “little” guy, Caesar, who displays unusually high intelligence. But when Caesar is sent to a shelter overcrowded with apes, he commences his plans to help his fellow primates escape the prison.
Much of the first act is spent on establishing the world, further theory that this is a hopeful relaunch of the franchise. Andy Serkis can add yet another outstanding motion-capture performance to his resume. As Caesar, his eyes convey an understanding of the human condition and his place of being an ape living in a world full of cruel humans. At first glance, he seems to be a pet—Will has to “walk” him on a leash—but it is clear that the relationship between Will and Caesar is much more significant than that. Will, at one point, insists that he is Caesar’s father, although with his advanced brain, Caesar is cognizant of the impossibilities of such a thing.
Why, with his human-equivalent intelligence, would Caesar act as typical primate would? Additionally, it is difficult to believe that it would have taken eight years for Animal Control to discover that an ape was living illegally with Will and his father.
Director Rupert Wyatt deftly builds the tension to the exciting, destruction-filled closing sequences, which we know are inevitable: the title suggests nothing less than an ape revolt. However, I found myself empathizing with the primates, whose histories are so closely linked to ours, because, in particular, Caesar undoubtedly experiences the same emotions that humans do: fear, joy, anger, etc.
Unfortunately, the digital simians overwhelm the fairly uninteresting human characters. Franco is charming and makes a somewhat believable scientist. The rest of the cast is serviceable, but a bit disappointing considering their previous work.
Rise of The Planet of the Apes makes a statement regarding the issues of ethics and animal cruelty in an enjoyable, exhilarating science fiction drama.
(from forcesofgeek.com)
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