Rise with the Apes

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2011)

In a cinematic era dominated by reboots and mindless blockbuster franchises, Rise of the Planet of the Apes does indeed rise above the rest. This is in whole due to the startling performance by Serkis. The man behind Gollum and Jackson's King Kong has created through motion capture and facial recognition technology an ape character that is nothing short of miraculous. Serkis gives us Caeser, who is every bit the primate but Serkis offers such subtle nuances and gestures that the character outperforms his human counterparts. This is truly deserving of an Oscar, should the Academy finally get its head around this hybrid style of acting. The technology is now so good you can allow yourself to forget you are watching a CGI character, but it is down to Serkis why you believe that character has life and sentience. You will want to rise up and follow him too.
The story is told with equal subtlety. While it contains all number of clichés that will swell your heart and stir your compassion, newcomer Wyatt directs with a purpose. There is a sense that there has been great thought about how man can fall and apes rise in their place. The audience is left to fill in the story without having the plot points force fed. By the climatic end it is enough that there is escape for the audience to know the human oppressor has given way to the nobler and indeed humane race.
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