Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

"Caesar is home."
-Caesar

I recently saw The Rise of the Planet of the Apes again for maybe the third time since its' release in 2011 and I enjoyed it just the same, if not more. With the much anticipated sequel hitting theaters in July, which I am looking forward to very much, I figured I would give it another watch. The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt and it stars James Franco as Will Rodman and Andy Serkis does the motion capture for Caesar, our head ape!

The film starts us off with Will Rodman who is a research scientist working for Gen-sys, a company who is working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease. They begin tests of a viral -based drug ALZ-112 on chimps, primarily on one named Bright Eyes. Very early on she is killed after going on a rampage but Will soon realizes that her outburst was due to her having a baby that they weren't aware of. She was simply trying to protect it. Will is forced to take the baby chimp home where he lives with his father, played by John Litgow, who himself has Alzheimer's disease and names the baby chimp Caesar.

Skip a couple of years into the future and we see that Will decides to keep Caesar, not as a pet but almost as a child. He has light eyes like his mother and is exceptionally smart, so Will concludes that ALZ-112 was passed down vertically to Caesar. Knowing this, Will teaches Caesar sign language from a young age but keeps him within the confines of their home. As Caesar grows older his natural curiosity gets the best of him and he finds out the hard way that people fear him. He feels like an outcast not being able to play with others his size and as a super intelligent ape begins to question his identity.

A major aspect that made this film so great was not only how realistic the apes looked, but how human their facial expressions where. People tend to forget that acting isn't only reading lines. Your voice, or in this case your face, plays a vital roll in the performance. In case you weren't aware Caesar along with a number of the other apes are played by human beings covered with motion capture sensors. I am not an expert on the technology used but I know it is very precise and a key part of this film. The film makers considered using real apes at one point, but how ironic would it be if they used captured apes in a film that plays on the idea of captured and exploited wild animals. It is truly remarkable what a fantastic job Andy Serkis did in bringing Caesar to life. Every scene with him is filled with such strong and complex emotions that are all seen through his facial expressions.

Being such an intelligent creature with very visible emotions, it is hard to not sympathize with Caesar throughout his journey. Once he is put in captivity out of Will's control he learns what it is like to live with other apes. At first he is pushed around but he quickly learns what it takes to become the alpha male and takes control of the situation while earning the respect of all the other apes. This is where the action really takes off. Caesar infects all of the apes in the facility and overnight their intelligence is enhanced. With a small army of apes behind him, Caesar escapes and makes his way to the Red Woods past the Golden Gate Bridge. Local law enforcement tries to fight back and the battle ensues.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes was in my opinion a great revival of the classic franchise. The film ends but sets the stage for the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in a very interesting way. James Franco does a decent job and Andy Serkis was nothing short of phenomenal. Caesar is such a deep character with one foot in the human world and one in the ape world. I can't wait to see this unfold in the future films. With close to no audible dialogue from Caesar throughout the film, it is amazing how they gave Caesar so much depth. On top of all this the beautiful CGI is icing on the cake. In my opinion a strong, entertaining film I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes an 8 out of 10.