RADICAL ROCK’S REVIEW – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

RADICAL ROCK’S REVIEW – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES


Monkey see, Monkey makes a good movie
Or
Something Chimpy


Finally we get a follow-up to the original Planet of the Apes (hereafter referred to as POTA) that is worthy of it. Now, this is NOT a remake of the original movie, rather a prequel to it and instead a remake of Conquest of the POTA (see how that works? It’ll save SO much time) which was the fourth in the original series. Conquest gave us Roddy Mcdowell as Caesar emancipating his brethren and sistren from indentured servitude after his adoptive father (played by Ricardo Khan Montalban. I shit you not) sacrificed himself to protect his baby boy chimp. The convoluted storyline included time travel (not as original as that was the plot device of the first movie), baby switching, growing up in a circus and NO explanation how the apes (monkeys, chimps, whatever) got intelligent enough to become maids, butlers and handymen (handyapes?). Most importantly, this movie has NOTHING to do with that Tim Burton/Mark Wahlberg hunk of flung monkey feces.

The movie is saddled with a lifeless performance by James Franco, but thankfully he’s surrounded by other actors who always give their all. We get the always impressive work of John Lithgow and Brian Cox, and a stronger than expected performance from David Oyelowo as the generic “Evil Moneygrubbing Corporate Boss”. Even Tom Felton (the other Mr. Malfoy) and Freida Pinto at least showed up to work. But, the best performance of the movie was Andy Serkis as Caesar. The charisma and angst that he emotes THROUGH the CGI, in basically a silent performance, is truly incredible. Unfortunately, unless the Academy decides to add a category for Best Lead Performance by a CGI Aided Actor, he prolly won’t get the recognition he deserves.

The action pieces of the movie serve the story perfectly, instead of the other way around. They keep the pace tense, and leads to some unexpected moments. Failure and triumph constantly change places during the story. You go through the movie thinking you already know what’s going to happen to each character, but they keep you guessing. This is Rupert Wyatt’s first major pic as director, and it shows he has a grasp on what will simultaneously intrigue and entertain. Just what a summer movie (and any other season, thank you) needs.

I was very impressed with the artistry that went into the apes, both by the actors (particularly Serkis) and the animators. The motion capture worked perfectly well with what was drawn over it. There were some moments when I felt 3D would have been welcome, but the movie didn’t need it. Kudos to them for not pushing this in 3D just for the cash boost.

With an engaging narrative, charismatic main character with a fantastic story arc and pitch perfect pace, this may just be the best movie I’ll see this year.


Prime’s Bottom Line – They did it. They blew up the box office. Damn them. Damn them all the way to the bank.