THE RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

US, 2011, 105 minutes. Colour.
James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo.
Directed by Rupert Wyatt.

Many remember their shock at the end of Planet of the Apes (1968) when Charlton Heston rounds a cliff and discovers the prone head of the Statue of Liberty and realises that he is not on some foreign shore on another planet, but the planet of the apes is Earth itself. The film made such an impact that there were four sequels in the late 1960s and early 1970s as well as a television series. Then Tim Burton remade or, as was said at the time,‘re-imagined’ it in 2001, not one of his best efforts.

Which means that while audiences were interested in another Apes movie, the expectations were, to say the least, mixed. After seeing this film, I would not be against another sequel. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is pretty good.

We are in the future (space exploration on Mars) though San Francisco looks the same as usual, always attractive and the film makes good use of the streets, the Bay, the Golden Gate Bridge (for a well thought out and executed climax) and the Muir Woods. James Franco is Will, spending years developing a drug to combat senility. His boss (British stage actor, David Oweloyo) is interested only in money-making with little concern about the apes that are used to test the drug. During a demonstration of the drug, one of the apes breaks out and mayhem ensues. Will leaves but takes the drug home to help his father (John Lithgow) who is suffering from dementia. He also takes home a baby ape, Caesar, who becomes part of the household, especially as Will’s father recovers and improves.

All might have gone on undisturbed, until Caesar goes outside the house and disturbs a neighbour (who gets his comeuppance during the final credits). Injured, he is taken to a vet, who (as might be guessed, falls in love with Will). She is played by Freida Pinto from Slumdog Millionnaire.

When Caesar is in trouble again with the neighbour (trying to drive), he is taken to a monkey pound where all is nice on the surface but it is an animal gaol presided over by Brian Cox and his sadistic son (Tom Felton more villainous than his Draco Malfoy). Of course, it is too much and Caesar (performance-captured by Andy Serkis as it was for Gollum and King Kong and the character then animated) whose intelligence has been developing means that it is time and we are ready for the rise and revolt of the Apes.

When they do escape, the effects and stunts for the chaos are excellent and exciting (except that the number of apes seems to increase and multiply without explanation), making expert use of the city, especially the Golden Gate Bridge climax.

Of course, it is all due to human exploitation and not the apes’ fault. Caesar tries to control the situation,
Because this story is a prequel to all the other apes films – and, because the screenplay leaves it open for more – there may well be a sequel since the film was both well reviewed and popular at the box-office.

1. The Planet of the Apes, the movies, the television series? Place in the popular imagination for over four decades? The remake of 2001? 21st century and a new imagining of the story? The prequel?

2. The story and audience knowledge of the end of the original film? Audiences wanting an explanation? The credibility of this prequel? The use of the later film themes?

3. The setting in the future, the space travel to Mars, the space shuttle being lost? Experimentation? Drugs, development? For Alzheimer’s? Animal testing, especially with apes? The theme of human superiority, consequences, errors? The use of the Frankenstein myth?

4. Frankenstein and science, greed and exploitation, the lack of humanity in the money-makers? Humans creating the apes? The treatment of the apes by evil humans? Accidents, the development of mind and imagination with the apes? Language? The revolt, conquering the humans, destroying the humans?

5. The San Francisco settings, the vast laboratories, the streets of San Francisco, homes, the primates’ shelter, the city and the views? Muir Woods? The Golden Gate Bridge, fog? Incorporating the cityscapes into the action, especially Muir Woods and the bridge? The musical score and its moods?

6. The motion-capture techniques for the performance of Caesar and the other apes? Making the apes credible? Humanising yet their remaining animals?

7. The quality of the stunts, the special effects, the revolution of the apes, leaving the laboratory, the ravaging of the city, the bridge, the helicopter?

8. Will and his work, the years in developing the drug? His father’s illness and the motivation for him? His friendship with Steven Jacobs? With Franklin and his work in the lab? Success? The experiment with Bright Eyes? The build-up to the demonstration, the shareholders and the board, Bright Eyes and her going berserk, the attacks throughout the laboratory, at the board meeting? The reaction of Franklin and Will? Franklin revealing the baby, Bright Eyes’ motives? And the fact that the experimentation had been a success? The board and Jacobs and their closing down the experiments?

9. Will and his father, the nurse at home, the father playing the piano, his skills in the past? The drug, his becoming better, improving? Caesar at home, the father responding to him, the years passing? Caesar and his growing up in the home? The play incident and his frightening the neighbour’s daughter? The neighbour’s anger? The father, his deterioration, getting into the neighbour’s car, crashing the car, Caesar attacking the neighbour to defend the father? The obnoxious human?

10. His being taken to the vet, his improvement, the sign language and his recognition, communication, at home with Will and his father? With Caroline? Going to the Muir Woods and his feeling free?

11. The father, the incident with the neighbour, Caesar being taken to the shelter, John Landon and his staff? Initially polite, Will and Caroline going, their feelings, seeing the others? The recreational area – but its walls? The shelter itself and life there? Imprisoned, the cells, the slop for food, the taunts by Dodge Landon? Clashes with the other animals, Caesar’s superiority? Getting the key from the visitors? Getting out? Letting the others free? With the gorilla? Will, his return, paying Landon? Caesar indicating that he would stay?

12. Dodge Landon as an obnoxious human? Taunting the apes, despising Caesar, the slop, hosing Caesar down, the electricity in the cage wires? Rodney and his inability to do better for the apes? Yet sympathetic? Discovering them free? Dodge and his comeuppance, the water cannon, the electricity, his death? Caesar and his saving Rodney and putting him in the cell?

13. Will, the return to Jacobs, the explanations? Franklin and his assistance? The leak, Franklin affected by the drug? His visit to Will, encountering the neighbour, the neighbour’s hostility, the communication by blood of the drug? Franklin’s death? Jacobs, his taking over the project? The apes and their reaction? Buck and his writing his name? Jacobs’ astonishment?

14. The revolution at the shelter, Caesar and his leadership, the fighting with the ape, the gorillas, the orang-utans? Landon’s arrival, the confrontation? The apes getting out, the visuals of the rampage through the city? Caesar and his saying no? The pursuit, the police, the shootings? On the bridge, the blocking of the bridge, the apes using the overturned bus to make their advance against the troops? The coming of the fog? Their climbing the girders of the Golden Gate? Buck, the helicopter, the confrontation with Jacobs, his tossing the helicopter into the harbour, Jacobs’ death?

15. Will, his relationship with Caroline, over the years? His decision to help? Caroline and her distracting the police? The chase, seeing Caesar, the embrace? Caesar and his refusal to go home? Wanting to go to Muir Woods? The apes in the trees? The freedom? The visuals of the apes in the trees – when they escaped, the shower of leaves on the streets and people? In the woods?

16. The postscript, the pilot at the airport, the focus on the timetables? Intimations that the apes would destroy the world?

17. The film as a message film? As a holiday entertainment? The plot as demanding a suspension of disbelief – but a satisfying film on all levels?