Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

There are two movies at work in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. One may be the boldest mainstream film to come out this summer; a story about an unusually intelligent ape named Caesar who was raised by a scientist and eventually plots an ape uprising. The other—which focuses on the problems and the conflicts of the human characters—is far less engaging and almost infuriatingly bland. The best performances in the film come courtesy of the CGI apes, created using WETA’s motion capture technology… and the “acting” skills of Andy Serkis. Just about everything related to these creatures works, but that just further illuminates how weak the human characters are. The more the film keeps our species in the background, the more it succeeds.

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a scientist who has been working for years on a possible cure for Alzheimer’s. Right when he seems to be making significant progress with a female ape named Bright Eyes, she freaks out and ends up getting herself killed. When Will discovers that she gave birth to a baby ape, he names him Caesar and takes him home. Caesar happens to have even greater intelligence than his mother, and Will decides to take him home and raise him. Complications begin to arise as Caesar grows older and becomes more aggressive, and eventually he is taken to a facility run by Brian Cox and his son Tom Felton. From there, things become even more interesting.

The character of Caesar is no less than a marvelous creation, and the same can be said for the rest of his ape counterparts. Each of the animals has a distinct personality, and the miracle is that the second we see a face we immediately know their name and their history within the narrative of the film. The story follows Caesar from birth until maturity, and each development makes complete and logical sense. Without him saying a word, the audience knows exactly what he is feeling at all times. Caesar is essentially the film’s protagonist, and the animators—along with Andy “Gollum” Serkis—have achieved something special; they have created one of the most convincing CGI characters I have ever seen.

In fact, the greatness of the apes makes the flaws of the human characters all the more apparent. Franco is mildly interested in the proceedings at best, and none of the other characters ever enter step up to shoulder the burdern. You can describe each of them in one sentence: Will loves Caesar. Caroline (Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire fame) loves Will, but is skeptical about his work on the Alzheimer’s medication. Tom Felton’s character is mean to the apes he is meant to look after. Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo) is Will’s money-obsessed boss. Only John Lithgow’s character—Will’s father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s—has anything resembling depth, but even he doesn’t have any distinctive traits besides being “the Alzheimer’s guy.” When you go see a movie called Rise of the Planet of the Apes, you go to see the apes. The film tries to make us care about the humans, but they are so thinly-drawn that it becomes impossible.

Yet the ape sequences are so incredibly riveting that the film is saved from outright failure. In particular, the final act is a fascinating watch; as Caesar attempts to break his fellow primates out of their “prison.” The ultimate ape revolt does not take up a majority of the film, as the previews may seem to suggest. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a slower burn than many may expect, and the buildup to the ultimate climax is quite compelling. Rupert Wyatt—directing the largest film of his career by a mile—is quite good at always keeping the film exciting even when there’s no immediate threat. In fact, the most ominous danger presented in the film (that apes have the potential to be the world’s dominant species) is only hinted at. I apologize if some see this as a spoiler, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes does not feature a sequence where the apes invade Washington, D.C. and start running the government. It is instead about the prospect of what may happen if we humans start to give up some of our power. And hey, if our world is filled with characters like the ones found in this movie, it’s no wonder the apes will eventually take over.

GRADE: B-