Film Review: The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Steven_Sheehan]Steven Sheehan
To watch your own father die would be a bad week in anyone's book but imagine discovering you were the catalyst for the end of human civilization the following week. That's a nightmare of a fortnight you have on your hands. James Franco is that unlucky man, although seeing out your last days with Freida Pinto would definitely makes things a little better. Part Five of The Apes franchise arrives, breathing in some new life and places itself at the head of the summer blockbusters so far, giving you everything you would expect but perhaps not how you expected it.
It's safe to say this is a prequel to the 1968 original and Rupert Wyatt pieces together a back story that compels you to emphasise with the central character, Caesar. So how exactly do the apes gain the momentum to take over the world? Will (James Franco) is a scientist, testing his cure for Alzheimer's on laboratory chimps, believing he is on the cusp of the breakthrough to produce and manufacture to the public. ALZ-112 genetically repairs damaged brain cells, whilst developing new ones and upon seeking board approval for the project, Will's test chimp is killed after going wild. They discover that the monkey was not being aggressive but protective of her new born baby - and so Franco is introduced to Caesar.
He takes him home and this becomes a permanent arrangement once he realises that Caesar has genetically inherited his mothers intelligence.
Will also tests the drug on his father Charles (John Lithgow), who is in the latter stages of Alzheimer's, and soon sees amazing results. Caesar continues to grow into a strong 'teenager' and as domesticated as he is, his true animal nature forces him away from his family home into the care of the state animal sanctuary, living with other chimps in battery cages. Caesar's mistreatment there and isolation from home brings him closer to his own kind and further from his upbringing. Strangely, there does seem to be an awful lot of chimps kept by humans in the California county, so come the future, Chihuahuas beware.
This covers two thirds of the film, where the development of Caesar places him at the heart of the story and of the audience. Pinto is strategically dotted across the film without offering anything of substance whilst Franco seems a little underwhelmed by the series of tragic events, so the human element of the film pales away. Andy Serkis has deservedly received lavish praise for his stop motion CGI performance as Caesar, the close up shots really bring the human out of the animal so the brooding intensity shines through. In turn it means that the CGI engages you more than the actors which is a shame, as giving them more complexity would have elevated the film's impact.
The expectation for this was no doubt two plus hours of monkey mayhem, rampaging through the streets fighting humans, yet Wyatt uses the last third intelligently so the actions scenes are exciting whilst leaving more for your imagination. It's a sub two hour summer film, which highlights just how much more can be achieved when the unnecessary trimmings are scrapped and you may well be surprised come the credits, who are your allegiances are with. http://filmscope.net/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Film-Review:-The-Rise-Of-The-Planet-Of-The-Apes-(2011)&id=6564236] Film Review: The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)