I love my wife. Having said that, it’s good to watch a movie when she’s not around; no judgments- just me, beer, cats on the sofa and dogs by the fireplace. On this occasion I finally got around to watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
It’s the reboot to the classic franchise which was poorly rebooted in 2001 with actors in slightly more realistic ape costumes than they had in the 70’s. This version of Apes is an origin story about how the apes came to be so intelligent and evolved, eventually taking over the planet.
Spoiler alert: The apes win. If you didn’t know that the apes evolve and become the dominant species in the Apes movies then you slept through a key slice of cinematic pop culture.
Rise of the Planet of the Ape and The Matrix have something in common. They both did well in theaters, I didn’t see either of them until they hit video and they both totally blew away my expectations. You know that the apes win, but how the apes win and the twists and performances that take place in the movie make Apes much more than a popcorn flick.
The Performances
John Lithgow is subdued and poignant as the aging father with Alzheimer’s and James Franco is serviceable as the genius scientist. The glue to the movie is Andy Serkis and his performance using the performance motion capture that’s been used in Lord of the Rings and King Kong. You know that you’re watching an ape onscreen, but the performance Serkis does is emotional and deep. Serkis’ performance of Caesar, the lead ape is amazing and is acting, not just blue screen work.
The special effects
Because apes are such a central character in the movie there isn’t much dialogue in certain parts of the movie. That was one reason I got sucked into the movie as deep as I did. The silence, body movement and posturing were enough to reel the viewer into ape’s world. On a side note, the sound effects were realistic enough to scare the dogs from their sleep on two or three occasions.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the rare movie that I expected very little from but ended up getting wholly immersed in the action. The movie is just under two hours but the time flew by. It’s been a long time since a movie was that enjoyable.
If there were truly justice in the motion picture academy then Rise would be nominate for Best Picture and Andy Serkis for Best Actor. Instead the academy probably has some dopey film about Americans in Paris complaining about being middle age. It’ll be directed by Woody Allen, critics will love it, hippies in the Northwest and liberals in the Northeast will see it and the movie will earn next to nothing.
Rise is much more than a mancave movie, it’s grade “A” entertainment that will keep you wishing that apes don’t evolve. A sequel to it is coming, I just hope it doesn’t get as craptastic as the Ape sequels in the 70’s.
Dad spends a night in the mancave is a series about what guys do when women aren’t around to judge them for what they watch on television. It’s those potentially bad movies, questionable action films or something starring Bruce Campbell that really can be enjoyable through the lens of a guy. We may reveal plot points to the movies that are discussed. If you’re looking for ‘reviews’ of the latest Woody Allen movie it’s not here. He makes awful, boring movies that were cool in the 70’s, the 70’s people…plus he’s just kind of icky, isn’t he?
Facebook
Twitter
Flickr
GooglePlus
Youtube
We all need our Mancave time! I loved the movie, btw. Hope to CU at #DadChat tonight – in 2 hours – Trey!
Whoot, I’ll be there for a bit. Darn west coast time pecks me out. Actually the kids peck me out, the time just happens.
Nice review..as a science teacher & and “Apes” fan from the 70’s – I was taken in my this as well – the science of it was believable and generally accurate for a sci fi film.
Interesting to hear about the science. I’ve always wondered if the science I read about in James Rollins books are fact or fantasy based. He says it’s fact based, but some of the things seem just too far out there.