Rise of the Planet of the Apes ★★★½
WITH the latest Planet of the Apes instalment now showing, it’s opportune to revisit the entertaining film that re-introduced audiences to this classic science-fiction tale.
Rather than just remake the original using better special effects, as Tim Burton did with little success, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) works similar to the Star Wars prequels.
The original book and film have been around for four decades so apologies in advance if you don’t like any spoilers (If you haven’t read or seen it; shame on you anyway).
On return to Earth, several astronauts find themselves in what could be a parallel universe or a primitive society where apes are more evolved than humans. They can speak, live in rudimentary housing, ride horses and use basic tools while grunting humans clothed in rags are hunted down for use as slaves and for experimentation.
The lead astronaut eventually realises at the end of the film that this is in fact earth’s future resulting from what appears to be global devastation.
The film was a cautionary tale focused on the growing threat of nuclear war that had dominated political commentary for much of the post-war period to that time.
‘Rise’ explores the reasons behind this revelation, taking us back to the present day. A genetic scientist, played well by James Franco, is working for a private research company and focussed on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s. He has a personal motivation because his father (John Lithgow) is a sufferer.
His research includes experimentation of a super drug on apes. While he appears to care for his animal subjects, the threat of detrimental side-effects is a constant. Initially, the results appear positive and the apes are able to perform more advanced tasks with greater speed and alacrity. With his father’s condition degenerating, he decides to take the risk of a non-approved human test on his father.
Again, the results are initially amazing to the extent that his father doesn’t just make a full recovery; he starts functioning in many ways better and faster than previously possible.
Of course, being a cautionary tale, the down-side emerges, but too late to stop the ape population quickly evolving to the stage where it threatens the human race while at the same time the drug’s negative side-effects start to spread uncontrollably.
The apes’ story is told through the eyes of Caesar, a young chimpanzee saved by the scientist when an initial mishap leads the research company’s owners to close down his program and euthanise the animals involved.
The personal relationship between man and ape, scientist and subject, is thoroughly engrossing, particularly on its initial release when ‘Rise’ signalled a new advance in the motion capture technique wonderfully demonstrated in Andy Serkis’ performance.
While there is more spectacular action in the final act, leading to a fitting, open-ended climax, the film’s key strength is the story of Caesar, culminating in his leadership of the apes to rise up against their captors.
The trio of films -‘Rise’, ‘Dawn’ in 2014 and ‘War’ in 2017 – comprise one of the most entertaining and moving trilogies in recent years. ‘War’ was originally meant to be the final lead-in to the original story but I suspect all involved will decide there is one more instalment to provide a fitting origins saga.