The triumph of the special effects is not their credibility, but the methods in which they produce empathy for an imaginary creature

Rating: 8/10 (10 May 2012)

In 2005, Peter Jackson brought back the most famous cinema-ape of all time, King Kong, with a surprising amount of affection for the creature. That film, the second remake of "King Kong," used the wonder of 21st century special effects to generate emotion and empathy for an imaginary creature. Six years later, Rupert Wyatt accomplished nearly as much in producing not a remake, but a chapter in a long line of science-fiction spectaculars. The film is "Rise of the Planet of the Apes." In regards to the "Planet of the Apes" franchise, it is the prequel to the 2001 remake by Tim Burton: a film I was not very fond of. I confess to not having seen the whole series, but this new, ramped-up movie could be the best. Yes, I liked it more than the 1968 original with Charlton Heston.
This new film does not have the religious and philosophical subtext of the 1968 film and its 2001 remake, but it generates an enormous amount of visceral empathy for a creature created using pixels, modeled from the movements of an actor, Andy Serkis. The creature is Caesar, an abnormally intelligent, lab chimpanzee rescued from being euthanize by one of technicians. James Franco plays the technician, who hopes that Caesar, who has experimental enzymes in his body, will lead to drugs that can cure first his father's mental handicaps and then worldwide human disorders. Things take a turn for the worse, beginning with Caesar being captured by the local animal control and tossed in with less-intelligent primates. And, as the title hints, and using methods I shall not spoil in this review, Caesar begins to lead his kind so that we can see how Mark Wahlberg, in the original, found himself being photographed by monkeys before a modified Lincoln Memorial.
I was auspicious of the movie in the beginning. Like so many surprisingly good movies in recent years, it seems to be pacing itself too fast in its exposition. Predominately in the way it establishes the characters and their predicaments. However, about a third of the way through the 105-minute running time, the movie enhances itself so that the weaknesses I spotted at the beginning were easily forgiven and forgotten.
The special effects are quite astonishing. The detail is very strong; only a couple of times I remembered that I was looking at something digitally added in post-production. The apes, and there are lots of them by the end, really do seem to occupy the same three-dimensional space as their human counterparts. But again, the real triumph of director Wyatt, and his two screenwriters (Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver) is how they make us feel for not only for Caesar and his fellow apes. Even the obligatory snotty employee who taunts and abuses the animals (this time played by Tom Felton) seems genuinely antagonizing because I actually cared about Caesar and felt mad when Mr. Felton turned a fire hose on him. By the end of the picture, I even felt a little guilty about the amount of sympathy I had for a group of animals that, after all, were planning to dominate and enslave the human race. After all, come the time for Tim Burton's remake, men were living in jungles and cages. If I were a hardcore moralist, the ending might have even offended me. But alas, I cannot be, for I love movies too much. I don't see that as a bad thing.
What is also special about "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," and what distinguishes it from other remakes/prequels/sequels of the past 20 years, is how it makes references to its predecessors not cheaply or obligatorily, but cleverly. Take, for instance, the reiteration of Charlton Heston's 2nd-most famous line from the original: "This is a madhouse! A madhouse!" The line appears here as well, but is disguised behind howling apes and clanging bars, as if it had been invented for the picture. And details referring directly to the 2001 remake are placed strategically, not smack-dab in your face. So folks who have never seen a "Planet of the Apes" movie before will not feel like the joke's beyond them. The only reference that does seem out of place and cheap is the reiteration of the original's 1st-most famous line. It comes all too predictably and clumsily. I wish the filmmakers could have just resisted the temptation.
While I'm on the negatives, I might as well point out a few things. Again, the first 3rd of the movie needs cinematic Ridilin. It moves too fast, covers subplots too fast, and even leaves holes. For instance, Mr. Franco's handicapped father also has a mother. Her inclusion is so brief and abrupt, and holds no consequence to anything that follows, that it might as well have been tossed out. There is not even an exit scene to explain her disappearance. If it's on a deleted scene, I'm not surprised, but it's still the fault of the writers for not including this in a moment that had to stay in the picture. There is also, of course, a love interest for the human protagonist. Playing this obligatory role, Freida Pinto is charming. But she is lost in a thankless part. And while I did adore most of director Wyatt's camera angles and movements, his editing is sometimes too brisk. Too akin to Tony Scott, whose style I have many gripes with.
But, as I think I've made it clear, the positives far outweigh the negatives. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is such an engrossing cinematic experience that I've kicked myself for missing on the chance to see it in a theater. For even projected on a small screen, it was quite the sight to behold. Great movies demand to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. So for all those who did rush out to see it, I have just one statement: I envy you!