The classic tale of man's interference with nature for its own benefit!

Rating: Null/10 (22 August 2011)

We all remember seeing the seventies movies depicting the resurgence of the Apes, man's closest cousin, usually subservient discovered by astronaut Colonel George Taylor (Charlton Heston) on a seemingly distant planet closely resembling ours. Only to find out that in fact it is Earth and George Taylor is on his beloved planet in the distant future. This franchise was unsuccessfully rebooted with Mark Wahlberg in 2001 but although impressive aesthetically it didn't do enough to warrant a sequel. Have you ever wondered how the apes managed to overthrow their distant cousins and gain supremacy over the planet? Wonder no more Rise of the Planet of the Apes tells the story of Will Rodman (James Franco a scientist desperate to find a cure for Alzheimer's a disease which ravages his father Charles (John Lithgow). Will manages to find a virus in its early stages that shows signs of being able to eradicate the disease the only downside is it seems to make apes aggressive and so his project is shelved. Will Rodman retreats with the baby chimp Caesar (Andy Serkis) who a co-worker accidentally stumbles upon. Caesar has genetically inherited the remarkable intelligent talents of his dead mother and so Will carries on his research at home. However is meddling with nature a complicated task riddled with hidden dangers and consequence? Immediately from the onset this movie sets itself apart from the original movies by briefly showing the illegal hunt for apes in the wilds of Africa and then the biological testing of these great primates in the name of science and our own advancement. The questions of the salvation of humanity at the cost of another species is evident and the capture, testing and subsequent caging of these majestic animals has uncomfortable parallels with the slave trade. Putting that aside, if you're able, and what we have here is a very entertaining reboot of a dead franchise. The clever narrative which bears some startling similarities to the underwater shark fest Deep Blue Sea is further bolstered by some excellent performances from Franco, Lithgow and especially Serkis as Caesar.
The facial nuances and expressions of his virtuoso performance captured to great effect by the motion capture cameras. Mr Serkis is an expert at conveying emotions and thoughts without saying anything at all and the people of the Weta workshop have outdone themselves. The clunky animatronics and uncomfortable prosthetics are replaced with the great technical development of motion capture and computer generated imagery. The action is dished out in small equal measures until the climatic finale and it all makes for a very entertaining ride. However what makes this movie special is not just the impressive action and special effects but the wonderful tender moments between Caesar, Will and Charles. John Lithgow is excellent as the man losing himself in his disease and is deftly juxtaposed between man's surrender to his own frailty while bearing witness to the intellectual advancement of the apes. The idea of this narrative was only a brief back story from the original novel by Pierre Boulle but the movie makes enough of an impression to guarantee that the Apes will undoubtedly be with us again very soon. Rise of the Planet of the Apes receives a very worthy 4 out of 5 and is in cinemas from 11th August.