Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

In this era of CGI and $200 million special effects, super intelligent talking apes are less of a big deal. But in 1968, the sight of the Planet of the Apes- and all of the long since spoiled catchphrases and twists in it- was a pop culture and sci-fi landmark. Visually, it was also a landmark for makeup and helped inspire the likes of Rick Baker, yet motion capture is the new frontier that helps humans become big screen creatures now. And with it, the Apes franchise has found new life in its second reboot, as Rise of the Planet of the Apes proves that even 43-year-old series' can still endure in new forms.

In the original franchise, Earth's downfall was brought about by Caesar, the child of time traveling apes that came from the doomed planet of the future. This time around, genetic testing is to blame for Caesar's rise, as he is born from a super smart female chimp tested for a potential cure for Alzheimer's. When the drug's creator, Will Rodman, saves him from being put down, he discovers that its side effects were passed on. For the next eight years, Will raises Caesar in secret while his product helps to cure his sick father- but inevitably, circumstances and the effects of captivity shatter Caesar's world. And when he is placed in a cruel primate shelter, the seeds of revolution and the true effects of the drug unfold in devastating ways.

The last time that Planet of the Apes was rebooted, it was a mixed and ultimately confusing effort, which helped speed along Tim Burton's decline. Burton's mistake was making it as a strictly action and FX driven spectacle, without any of the social commentary that defined the earlier Ape movies. But Rise of the Planet of the Apes has the more typical cautionary tales and slave/prisoner parallels that helped the series resonate- and has new ways to tell them.

The earlier films, especially the original, were a product of the apocalyptic times that America seemed destined for in the 60's and 70's. Rise isn't as much of a product of today's times, since genetic testing, scientific hubris and animal cruelty aren't the biggest things to be afraid of these days. However, this may be the first Apes movie where a real emotional journey goes hand and hand with the social commentary, thanks in large part to the team at WETA.

The motion capture company that helped make Lord of the Rings, King Kong and Avatar into visual masterpieces takes another big step forward here. We're used to seeing CGI and motion capture creatures by now, and it looks like the same old stuff early on, in spite of some early thundering rampages and a cute baby Caesar. But when Caesar becomes an adult, this is where WETA and actor Andy Serkis truly get to show off.

Despite being an ape and the future overlord of mankind, Caesar's journey is a very human coming-of-age story. He grows from an adorable baby to a more troubled grown-up, filled with emotions and anger he can't make sense of, and roots that he's forced to get back in touch with. And like any human who's been wrongly imprisoned, betrayed by his family, and pushed to the edge, he is finally pushed over the edge- like so many revolutionary humans before him.

With WETA and Serkis making Caesar's evolution vivid and even relatable, it turns Rise of the Planet of the Apes into a different breed than its predecessors, and even gives it more of a beating heart. Of course, there's still no beating the impact, messages and twists of the original, and by now, the overload of CGI epics and creatures may dilute the impact of this one. What's more, there still have to be humans involved that don't look like apes, which has always been a weaker part of the series.

Despite the fits and starts of the early going, things pick up with the older Caesar, and his rise from prisoner to leader in captivity. Then when it's time for the revolution to start, director Rupert Wyatt delivers on the epic action, although much of it was spoiled in the trailers. But the trailers didn't state that the ape rampage was mainly in the final 20 minutes, so audiences could grow too impatient by then. In addition, since this is an origin story, there's still a sense that things are incomplete, which takes away from some of Caesar's triumph- although potential sequels and a chilling twist in the credits may help balance that out.

While Rise of the Planet of the Apes has humans like James Franco, Frida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, David Oyelowo and Tom Felton around, Serkis is still the whole show, as he often was in Lord of the Rings and King Kong. In fact, if Serkis and WETA's work on Caesar has a downside, it's in showing how inadequate the other humans are without motion capture.

Franco can only really come to life with the right role, as in his comedic parts and 127 Hours - otherwise he's as wooden and bored as he was at the Oscars. Perhaps another actor could have made Will resonate more, yet Franco is in full wooden mode here- but at least he isn't allowed to be as much dead weight as Mark Wahlberg was in Burton's version. Lithgow manages to fare better, yet Pinto and Cox have little reason to even be around, while Oyelowo and Felton can only hit the same evil notes. But they do let Felton reenact two of the franchise's most iconic lines for his trouble- and one of them has a brand new punch line.

The very idea of Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one to be skeptical over, especially with the series' age and the last failed attempt at a remake. But with the right tools, even a seemingly played out franchise can get new life- and even in this age of overblown special effects, the right ones can still be stunning. There is still value in seeing apes dominate humans after all, especially when Serkis and the WETA team represent the apes, and when there is very little human competition.

This makes it more unfortunate that the movie is another one of those "parts are better than the whole" efforts that make potentially great films merely good enough. If this is the start of a new franchise, the follow-ups to Rise of the Planet of the Apes have some more rising to do, yet the tantalizing potential is very clear.