Rock Solid Enjoyable Entertainment

Rating: Null/10 (9 August 2011)

Since Charlton Heston washed up on the shores of a devastated NYC and a fallen Statue of Liberty, we have wrangled with the idea of evolution on film – painted from a natural evolution gone awry to an uprising against the indignities that our simian counterparts suffer at our hands in places like the Yerkes Primate Center, zoos and tiny cages in carnivals. If you are looking for a sequel, prequel, whatever name you want to call it to our beloved Beneath, Escape From, Conquest of, etc. get ready for a surprise. It is not.
I wish they had called this Revenge of the Apes or Vengeance of the Apes and not followed the confusing Planet of signatory - it would thus have avoided the prequel reboot, etc. discussion so folks could just talk about a pretty decent flick. It was okay that they "paid homage" to the earlier films by repeating names (Dodge, Cornealia, Ceasar) but could have and probably should have been avoided to keep people from comparing the two – Here we have science gone afoul with James Franco in one of his better roles Will Rodman – a scientist searching for a cure for his father's (specifically) Alzheimers using various ape species for his experiments. Upon a failed experiment affecting a female who gives birth after her death, he "adopts" the infant primate (Caesar) whose genetic makeup has been affected by the experimental drugs given his deceased mother. His intelligence grows exponentially until he ends up in a cruel animal control facility where he learns while interacting with other apes FIRST that he IS an ape and second that his true enemy is man. Not even the hand that fed and raised him appears to be exempt from his loosely controlled rage and the plight of his fellow apes.
Wonderfully conceived and written concept film on the complicated nature of the man/animal relationship and the complexity of animal rights versus human discovery and experimentation. As entertaining as this film is, it is impossible to escape the emotion, the empathy, the heartbreak and the rage we should all feel over animal abuse and neglect in any form however well-meaning and that stages the core of the plot development of pure unadulterated revenge - a nice inside look at how reactionary people can be to the unknown – the love of Will for his ape/child versus the fear of the animal displayed by the neighborhood, which further sets the stage for the stunning turn of events in the film.
The dialogue in this film and indeed the film as a whole is intelligent, provocative and flows beautifully despite a few jumps in narration that the writer assumes an intelligent audience will follow (and we do). Whether the writers or director or a collaborative effort, attention was paid to this rewrite of a classic and thought was given to the direction this film and any sequels might take. Overall exciting with a few places near the end that might be overplayed but not to the detriment of the film. The same can be said for any weak moments in the film that could have been better handled or perhaps built upon – none are to the film's true detriment.
Outstanding computer graphics treated with just the right amount of caution to keep this flick from being over the top and gimmicky. Perhaps an Oscar contender for the restraint showed in CG -- a fine example of how CG can be used to truly enhance a film and not be relied on to BE the film.
You have to be a sci fi fan to love this but not to enjoy it. A rock solid enjoyable film - An easy 8 in my book