Film Reviews

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

• Rating:
• Director: Rupert Wyatt
• Starring: Andy Serkis
• Details: US/106mins 12A

As we move towards the end of the most disappointing summer blockbuster season in years, this franchise re-jig - coming a full decade after the last installment - has quietly turned out to be one of the best. Genuinely emotive, with photo-realistic special effects and the best use of the motion-capture technique so far, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' is a surprising cracker of a film, and a smart origins story, to boot.
Franco is a pioneering scientist looking to find the cure for Alzheimer's, as his father suffers with the disease and is rapidly deteriorating. Working mainly with primates, he has a breakthrough when a young chimp showing exceptional intelligence from an early age is born. Raising the monkey as his own, he soon realises that his research has come at a price; this may just be the start of a revolution.
I'm ashamed to say that I was one of those people who wrote this film off as a probable flop. The summer was looking like a sprightly one, with the likes of The Green Lantern, Thor and Captain America being the obvious heavyweight contenders. But as mildy enjoyable as those films were, ultimately they were disappointing. 'Apes' always looked like the underdog, and while there may be an element of lowered expectations involved in the enjoyment of this film, there's no doubting that it's hugely entertaining stuff.
Sure, the 'scientist in search of a cure' thing has been done countless times before, and character development of the humans is minimal, at best. But lead chimp Caesar is so believable - both aesthetically and emotionally - and his development so carefully handled, that the film is engaging despite some cheesy moments. How much of Andy Serkis is in Caesar is anyone's guess, given the technology involved - but the Oscar whispers didn't start on a whim. There is a humanity in the chimp's eyes and a subtlety to his facial expressions that feels disconcertingly real. All of those components result in the best character of this type since motion capture was heralded as the saviour of cinema.
Hemler Rupert Wyatt - who is taking on a film on this scale for the first time - shows assurance and a steady hand with sequences that could easily have peaked too soon, particularly when this film is obviously building towards sequels. There are action sequences, too, but not as many as the trailer would have you believe. The journey leads to a payoff, and unlike Transformers (or films of its ilk), that payoff is paced beautifully.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a rare beast: that is, a smart, well-executed and affecting blockbuster.

Review by Mike Sheridan