Apes v. Androids

Rating: 7/10 (22 August 2011)

Can anything other than human emulates human is a question that has been raised repeatedly. Kafka addressed the boundaries between men and apes in "a report to an academy", while Dick tackled similar issue between men and androids in "do androids dream of electric sheeps". Science-wise, inventing human-like machine remains a tireless pursue, and the unfortunate fate of Nim Chimpsky does not seem adequate to deter human curiosity of ascertaining equals. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, being clichéd as it is, is nonetheless an honest attempt that addresses this centuries-long question. After all, when conscious entities other than human become more intelligent or human (or humane?) than us (either artificially or naturally), the perceived uniqueness of the human species is implicitly eradicated along with the existence of our so-call god. In the face of cross-species homogeneity, will religious doctrines crample? Or more precisely, when we are as close to god as we might arrogantly believe, will morality still be guided through the divine doctrines? The Apes manages to touch upon these philosophical, theological, scientific and moral questions (however old they are), but more importantly, it once again reminds us the importance of self-identity and the necessity of self-actualization. In that sense, the Apes is a triumph both in style and in substance.