Director Rupert Wyatt’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes – a reboot of the cult classic Planet Of The Apes movies of the 1960’s and 70’s – rose above its cult status and delivered a consistently entertaining (if slightly uneven) summer blockbuster.
The film stars James Franco as Will Rodman, a geneticist searching for a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, which is slowly killing his father (John Lithgow). Frieda Pinto, in an underutilized and frankly superfluous role, plays a veterinarian – and Rodman’s love interest. But the undisputed star of the film is Andy Serkis (Lord Of The Rings‘ Gollum) as Caesar, a highly intelligent (and often violent) chimpanzee – and the eventual founder of what will one day become the ‘planet of the apes’.
Rodman sneaks Caesar out of his lab after a presentation for investors (in order to gain backing for human trials of the Alzheimer’s cure) goes awry. As he learns of the intelligence-boosting effect the drug has on Caesar, Rodman injects his father with it, and he begins to show a marked improvement. But then, of course, things begin to go downhill. Caesar attacks a neighbor of Rodman’s and is banished to an ape sanctuary, where he is treated exceedingly cruel (by none other than Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy). As his intelligence (and resentment) continues to increase, Caesar engineers an escape from the sanctuary.
As fans of the original movies know, this is pretty much a complete departure from the canon. However, the story works, if one doesn’t think about it too much (which can be said for a lot of summer blockbusters, really). The human characters serve their purpose in the first half of the film – Lithgow is especially interesting as Rodman’s fading father; Franco is likable as ever, and Pinto is… there. But the performance of Andy Serkis and the CGI that surrounds it are what make Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes worth seeing. There are also many nods to the original films that long-time fans will spot a mile away, and which make the movie that much more engaging.
2011 hasn’t been the best year for movies, really. Sequels, prequels, reboots, and franchises seem to be thrown out at the movie-going public every week without fail. But Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is one franchise reboot that seems to have been worth the effort.