RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES REVIEW

So another prequel story / origin’s story hits the big screen, and this time it’s about a bunch of apes going monkey s#%t, or monkey’s going ape s#%t. Either way, I’m not entirely up on the ape / monkey debate. If you want some of that, then off the National Geographic you trudge.

I’ll be honest I never liked the original ape movies and the Tim Burton attempt wasn’t much cop either. I always felt they were a very futuristic concept with a very dated feel to them. Well thankfully, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has brought the whole thing into 2011. James Franco reckons he has a cure for Alzheimer's and as these things go, they trials are carried out on apes in a lab, before human trials begin. So all is going well except one of the chimps goes ape shit and crashes a presentation. Turns out it wasn’t the a side-effect from the drugs, but she was actually trying to protect her new born baby. So Franco takes the baby chimp home to live with him and his Alzheimer's ridden dad (John Lithgow). So all live happily ever after except for the fact that Caesar has contracted and absorbed the drugs that his mother was tested with. So, what does this mean? Well, we’re not talking about your average ape. We’re talking super ape. Caesar is well versed in about everything, including full on interaction with humans. The only thing he can’t do is talk…..and probably bake a soufflé.

So yet again, all is going well, until Caesar tackles an abusive neighbour and ends up in primate prison. It’s here that things start taking a turn for the worse (especially his distrust of Franco) as Caesar starts rallying the other monkeys, apes (etc.) together and, well you can guess the rest.  It’s monkey mania as gorillas, chimps and every primate imaginable goes on the rampage leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, as the humans struggle to contain the problem.

I’ll be honest, I went into this expecting very little and I came out of it quite entertained! The big selling point here for apes, is the apes themselves. For years, it’s been dodgy monkey suits and what not and now finally, WETA Digital have done a pretty spectacular job. Granted Caesar himself, looks a bit odd (a bit too human like) compared to the other apes, and that’s probably relevant given his genetics have been modified in the womb. That aside though, the apes are all brilliant. Each one has a different persona and their eyes and the emotions they convey are spectacular. It’s probably fair to say that the apes are the stars of the show. Not saying Franco, Lithgow or Pinto do a bad job, they just simply play the supporting roles to their digital, Andy Serkis mocapped, counterparts.

If I had to be critical, and while I accept it’s an origin story, I would have much preferred to have a bit more of the apes going ape s#%t. The scenes on the Golden Gate bridge are fantastic and leave you thirsty for more, but it’s a pity you don’t get more. That said though, Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is a superb, entertaining much watch movie! One of the better movies of the summer and 2011. Roll on the sequel!