I have mixed feelings about the “Planet of the Apes”
franchise. The 1968 original is one of my favorite sci-fi films. In spite, or
perhaps because, of the cheesiness and ridiculousness of that film, it brings
joy to my heart every time I catch a few minutes of it on TV. In high school,
because we were really cool, two of my best friends and I once rented every
“Apes” film Blockbuster had in stock and watched them all back-to-back. We
probably should have tried to find dates instead but oh well. I loved this
franchise. Then the summer of 2001 came and brought with it Tim Burton’s
reimagining of “Planet of the Apes.” It’s a terrible film. Just terrible. Honestly
I get a little angry every time I even think about it. In general I have a
pretty open mind as far as what films others like and dislike; it’s all
subjective. But I judge harshly anyone who actually likes Burton’s “Apes”; that
movie sucks, plain and simple. The 2001 version left a bad taste in my mouth
and took away some of my zeal for the “Ape” universe. I couldn’t muster up any
excitement for “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” when the trailer started
running and I just wasn’t up for throwing my support behind another
reimagining. But the overwhelmingly positive buzz surrounding this movie
finally wore me down and I was able to step into the theater with guarded
optimism.
Will Rodman (James Franco) is an elite geneticist on the
verge of a cure for Alzheimer’s through his experimentation with a group of
apes. Just as he is ready to present his findings to his company’s board of
directors, something goes horribly wrong and an ape on Rodman’s drug gets loose
and causes havoc before being killed. With his findings rejected and the rest
of his apes put down, Will’s life is changed when he is given charge of a
newborn ape (the offspring of the ape who went mad) who becomes an unlikely
companion for his father, Charles (John Lithgow), who is slipping further and
further into the darkness of the disease Will had hoped to eradicate. The ape,
named Caesar, is far from ordinary, however, and soon Will finds that Caesar’s
cognitive abilities were enhanced through the drug that was given to the ape’s
mother during her pregnancy. Will uses these findings to create a new, better
drug that works wonders on Charles and transforms him back into the person he
once was. Their happy new life is threatened when Caesar, now a full grown
beast, attacks a neighbor and is locked away in a shelter. Here Caesar
discovers his true power and stages an uprising that will eventually change the
face of the world and lead to Charlton Heston’s horrible discovery.
I must say I didn’t love “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
as much as many of my colleagues did. We’ll get into the reasoning for this in
a bit. But what “Apes” does exceptionally well, however, is provide an example
to Hollywood of how to make a quality summer blockbuster without breaking the
bank. “Cowboys and Aliens” was tagged with the “bust” label last month but it
certainly wasn’t alone in failing to perform relative to the budget. “Apes” has
a much more reasonable budget ($90 million) than many of the other blockbusters
despite the fact that it has a brand and a history to rely upon, making it
easier for the film to turn a profit in a shorter amount of time. (With
overseas returns and DVD sales, “Cowboys and Aliens” will probably break even
eventually but that won’t stop it from being considered a huge bust. Part of
the issue is the engorged budget that “Apes” avoided.) In addition, the success
of “Apes” wasn’t pinned on a single actor or pair of actors. We live in an age
that is lacking in movie stars and more importantly, research will tell you
that actors don’t draw audiences anymore, at least not the way they used to.
Banking on the star power of a given actor or actress, especially when you
throw in a huge budget, has become a risky proposition. I’ll be honest and tell
you that I am still extremely actor oriented; there are many actors and
actresses who can and will get me to a theater based solely on their
involvement with a film. But I am by far in the minority these days. Franchises
and brands (“Harry Potter”, “Twilight”, etc.) replaced actors in the hierarchy
of Hollywood power some years ago and now we’re seeing that story, director, and
good old fashioned word of mouth (read: “this blog”) are taking more and more
pull away from this or that actor. “Apes” features a solid, well respected cast
but almost all of the press and attention was smartly directed at the branding
and the amazing special effects.
And make no mistake, the special effects of “Apes” is
truly amazing. Andy Serkis, best known for his work as Gollum in the “Lord of
the Rings” films, provided the movements and facial expressions of Caesar and
several of the other apes and his work is breathtaking. I’m not sure exactly
what award he should be nominated for as I’m not certain you can nominate a guy
for Best Supporting Actor if he never actually appears on screen but he
deserves some attention when Award Season rolls around. The blend of CGI with
the actors and sets is seamless and the apes move effortlessly. It’s quite
beautiful, really. Given how extensive the CGI work is on this film, it’s
almost unbelievable that this is the film that had a lower budget than most of
its compatriots. Director Rupert Wyatt (“The Escapist”) is relatively new to
the scene but the structure of this film is that of a seasoned pro. Wyatt has
earned himself a major pay raise on his next project. Franco gives an
understated and honest portrayal that I appreciated very much. I never know
what to expect with Franco and I think he takes the “quantity over quality”
approach to choosing his roles. But as “127 Hours” showed, when he’s on, he’s
an outstanding actor. Lithgow, too, is excellent and steals almost every scene
he’s in. And like any good origin film, “Apes” gives the fanboys a few quality
references to the source material it draws upon which I greatly appreciate.
The rest of the cast, however, fails to deliver. I think
Bryan Cox is an outstanding actor when he’s asked to stretch himself but as the
owner of the “ape refuge” that Caesar is sent to, he’s just Bryan Coxing all
over the place, playing a caricature of the same character he plays in every
movie. Frieda Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”) provides the inevitable love
interest for Will but unfortunately the character is completely and totally
worthless. A note to Hollywood: if you don’t invest in a romantic relationship
then neither will we. Many of the side characters (the hothead neighbor, the cravenly
ape attendant, etc.) are all painfully over-the-top and take away from the more
centered, balanced personas of the main characters. All of these issues are
nothing, however, in comparison to the cringe-inducing performance of Tom
Felton. I thought Felton was probably the worst actor in the “Harry Potter”
cast (Draco Malfoy) and after having seen “Apes”, I would guess that his best
days are behind him. As the angry and power hungry lead handler in the ape
shelter, Felton’s character is so paint-by-number that I actually let out an
audible groan at one point and it infuriates me that this was the character
given the opportunity to repeat Heston’s trademark “Apes” line. He may have
single handedly knocked this film down a grade.
My real problem with “Apes”, though, is the mediocre
script that plays out too much like a horror movie for my liking. The
supporting characters do things they would never do and too much of the plot is
driven by a chain of events that would have to happen exactly as they happen in
the film’s narrative or else it would never work. For example, in the opening
scenes an experienced, supposed world-class ape handler leaves the door to the
rest of the facility (where Will is conducting his meeting with the board of
directors) open while trying to essentially capture an ape that he knows to be
hostile and ready to attack. I realize this is a small complaint but there are
dozens of issues like this and it makes for a plotline that is too easy to poke
holes through. “Apes” deserves better than the lackluster script it was given.
Overall, I found “Apes” to be a frustrating but
worthwhile film. Its strengths are impressive and engrossing, particularly the
relationship between Will and Caesar and the development of Caesar’s power. But
its weaknesses make it impossible for me to recommend wholeheartedly. If
nothing else, though, “Apes” has helped erase some of my memories of Burton’s
version and might just help with my ape-related anger management issues.
Grade: B
Keep your stinking paws off me,
Brian
The entire concept seems overly foolish to me. How many chimpanzees and gorillas can there be in North America--a couple thousand? That's going to result in a revolution? Hardly.
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