Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
In San Francisco, Dr. Will Rodman, a young and optimistic scientist at the Gen-Sys corporation, is testing a new cure for his father's Alzheimer's (ALZ-112) on lab chimpanzees. He takes a uniquely intelligent ape named Caesar (based on the ape leader from the original Planet of the Apes series) home with him, and raises him almost as his own child. He is impressed with Caesar's smarts and complex personality, and Caesar looks up to him as a father. However, things take a turn for the worse when Caesar viciously attacks an irritated neighbor after Will's forgetful father crashes the neighbor's car, mistaking it for his own. Will is forced to turn Caesar over to an ape "sanctuary", run by an abusive father and son. Caesar plans an escape with an intelligent orangutan named Maurice and several other apes, and Will has trouble at work when his greedy and selfish boss begins testing ALZ-112 on other apes without seeing the full array of side-effects, and even orders human trials done. Things begin spiraling out of control when it's revealed that there's a possibility of ALZ-112 being potentially deadly to humans, while giving apes the advantages of more smarts and enhanced strength...
This movie was pleasant surprise, as the last attempt at reviving the beloved franchise resulted in the abominable 2001 remake by Tim Burton, that tries to out-twist the original and completely fails. The director Rupert Wyatt had only done one film before this one (The Escapist, a well-made and entertaining prison break story), and it's impressive to see what he could accomplish with this second outing. The pace is a little slower than previous Apes films, but it's well worth it.
James Franco took over for his friend Tobey Maguire after the latter dropped out after some talks with producers, and Franco does a great job as out lead human character Will. He's charismatic, funny, smart, and his growing relationship with Caesar is genuinely heart-warming. Speaking of which, Andy Serkis delivers another mesmerizing motion-capture performance as Caesar, who is a reboot of the ape revolutionary character from the original films. Caesar starts out as innocent, compassionate, and sweet, but grows up throughout the film. While remaining relatively compassionate, he becomes more confident, stronger, and hardens a little bit. Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) appears as Caroline, a primatologist who is also Will's girlfriend and Caesar's co-caretaker. John Lithgow has a supporting role as Charles Rodman, Will's aging father who suffers from Alzheimer's and must remain in the house, which breaks Will's heart. Brian Cox (Manhunter, X2: X-Men United, The Campaign, Red) and Tom Felton (Harry Potter, Belle) play the father and son John and Dodge Langdon (both of their names are references to astronauts in the original Planet of the Apes), who run the ape sanctuary. Dodge is cruel to the primates and John is indifferent to them; not the people I'd want running an ape shelter. David Oyelowo (The Butler, Lincoln, MI-5, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Jack Reacher) has a semi-villainous part as Will's boss and greedy douche Steven Jacobs (his name is a reference to Arthur P. Jacobs, the producer of the original Apes film). Jacobs isn't really the big villain of the movie (there isn't one, really), but he definitely can frustrate you with his arrogance and ruthless business tactics; I sure was pissed at him by the end. Tyler Labine (Reaper, Monsters University, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil) plays Will's buddy and ape handler at Gen-Sys: Robert Franklin. Jamie Harris (Jared Harris' brother) has a small part as Rodney, a kind ape caretaker at the sanctuary who is ridiculed by Dodge for his level of care for the animals. David Hewlett and Chelah Horsdal (both former Stargate actors) have minor roles: the former is Will's agitated neighbor who is attacked by Caesar; the latter is a nurse who cares for Charles. Karin Konoval has a mo-cap part as Maurice the Orangutan (a reference to Maurice Evans, the actor who portrayed orangutan Dr. Zaius in the originals), who is kind to Caesar and becomes his most trusted ally. She also has a part as Birght Eyes (a reference to the nickname given to Charlton Heston in the original), Caesar's mother. Terry Notary and Richard Ridings have parts as Rocket and Buck, two apes (the former is the ex-alpha male, the latter is a gorilla) who join Caesar in his fight against humanity. Both names are references to cast/crew members on the original films (Norman Rockett, the set designer, and Buck Kartalian, an actor who portrayed a gorilla in two of the films). Christopher Gordon has a supporting part in the latter half of the film as Koba, a violent ape who resents all humans for his life in captivity, who is recognizable by his scars from years of experimentation and abuse. He is tested on by Jacobs' men, which increases his intelligence and aggressiveness. Ironically, bonobo apes (the ape type Koba is) are typically peaceful and resolve conflicts through complex sexual behaviors, not fighting. Koba is not a reference to anything withing the film series, but a nickname Joseph Stalin used before Lenin's revolution, which comes into play in the next movie.
The special effects are remarkable, especially the apes' facial features, which are extremely expressive and detailed. The action sequences aren't half-bad, either, especially the climactic confrontation on the Golden Gate Bridge, featuring apes on horseback and gorillas tackling helicopters out of the sky. Though the ending isn't exactly as exciting as many people would probably like, but it's satisfying, and leaves a lot of possibilities open for the sequel.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes may be a bit slow for some viewer's tastes, but it's emotionally gratifying and has a great cast, as well as phenomenal special effects and a cool end credits sequence. It's an impressive movie prequel and reboot with a lot of re-watch factor. 4/5 stars.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:
Now here's what everyone wants to hear about...
10 years after the outbreak of the Simian Flu (ALZ-112 virus, which enhances apes but kills humans), humanity is on the brink of annihilation. Intelligent ape colonies are flourishing in the countryside, while numbers of human colonies are dwindling. Caesar is the leader of a large and fearsome ape colony near San Francisco, in the Redwood Forest Park. Members of a human group located in the city stumble upon two young apes while scavenging for supplies in the forest, and while things are initially tense between the two factions, they grow to like and respect one another, thanks largely in part to the cooperation of Caesar and a kind human named Malcolm and his son and girlfriend. However, some members of both factions are still bitter towards each other (most notably the abused ape Koba), and begin going behind their respective leaders' backs to accomplish their own goals, while leads to tensions being raised once more, which leads to numerous conflicts, and even an all-out war between the colonies... Will the colonies recover from this mini-war, or will they wipe each other out for good?
This movie is a lot darker and more intense than the previous film, which is a welcome change of pace. This time around the director is Matt Reeves, and underrated filmmaker whose credits include Cloverfield, TV series Felicity, and vampire remake Let Me In. He does an excellent job with this movie, so I hope this gives his career a much-needed boost and leads to more high-profile projects down the line.
Andy Serkis gets top-billing this time as Caesar, now a more hardened leader and warrior, with a wife and two sons. He's still compassionate towards humans, but puts apes first now, and can be aggressive and brutal when he needs to be, which is luckily not too often. Caesar's reconciliation with humankind is pretty touching, and Serkis is able to pull off a lot of complex emotions with very little dialogue and has to work through layers of digital makeup. Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Lawless, The Great Gatsby) replaces Franco as our human lead: Malcolm, a survivor and an all-around good guy who bonds with Caesar. Gary Oldman has a small role as Dreyfus, the leader of the human colony who wants to reach out to other survivors in the world and who resents apes for the Simian Flu that killed his family. He's not exactly a villain like the trailers painted him, more of a man who holds misguided views because of something that happened to him. Keri Russell (Felicity, August Rush, Mission: Impossible III) has a role as Malcolm's girlfriend Ellie, who was also a nurse before the outbreak. Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road, Let Me In, ParaNorman, Romulus My Father, Romeo and Juliet) is Alexander, Malcolm's young son, who bonds with Maurice. Kirk Acevedo (Oz, Band of Brothers, Fringe, The Thin Red Line, The Walking Dead) appears in a minor role as Carver, an on-edge survivor who distrusts the primates. Kevin Rankin (Breaking Bad, Trauma, White House Down) has a small part as Dreyfus' friend McVeigh. Toby Kebbell (Dead Man's Shoes, War Horse, RockNRolla) replaces Christopher Gordon as Koba, who shifts from an anti-hero role to a more villainous one, as he undermines Caesar's authority several times during the film, despite starting out as his friend. Karin Konoval reprises her role as Maurice the Orangutan. Judy Greer (Archer, Carrie, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Descendants, Arrested Development, Married) appears as Cornelia (a reference to the original Apes character Cornelius), Caesar's beloved wife and mother to his sons. Speaking of which, Nick Thurston has a role as Caesar's rebellious son Blue Eyes. Doc Shaw appears as Ash, son of Rocket and Blue Eyes' best friend. Terry Notary reprises his role as Rocket, the former alpha male of the ape community and close ally of Caesar. James Franco "cameos" in video footage from the previous film.
The special effects are even more stunning than before, and the action set-pieces are epic: the intense opening hunting sequence shows us how evolved and intelligent the apes now are and shows off their hunting skills; the short fight between Caesar and a defiant ape (who I will not name) is bloody and surprisingly raw for an all-CG fight; the climactic gun battle sequence is exhilarating but also tragic and shows the horror of needless war, even if it is with talking apes; and the final battle atop the ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge is epic to say the least.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not just a fun summer movie, it's the best film I've seen thus far. It's enthralling, dark but also inspiring, and even can make you shed some tears. It tops the first film in ways I didn't know possible, which is the best thing I think I can say about it. 4.5/5 stars.
(Images: Wikipedia)
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