Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I'm a bit behind here seeing as I saw three of the next four movies I'm reviewing in August and the other on September 1st. Oh well, that's why this is the Untimely Movie Blog. I'll get to them when I can.
So without further ado, Rise of the Planet of the Apes....
There's nothing inherently wrong with Rise of the Planet of the Apes (except, perhaps, it's awkward title). Yes, it's an origin movie and I typically hate origin movies. Why? Because they generally tell a story with great detail and solemnity that hardly needs such focus. Origin movies generally take themselves too seriously. I've always felt that it doesn't matter as much how so and so became new and improved so and so as much as what new and improved so and so does and why. In a few instances, a more detailed exploration of how someone became someone seems necessary. Batman, for instance, is a complete headcase. Finding out how he became a crime-fighting headcase is worthwhile... if only they didn't treat it like a sacred artifact! (Why can't we have more fun with these discoveries?) At any rate, this particular origin story appealed to me. For one, because I know little of the world of Planet of the Apes. I've only ever seen the Marky Mark version. And I knew that this Apes film didn't address that version of the story because how that fucked-up world became what it was defied all explanation (at least, that's what I remember of that debacle). I assumed, then, that this Apes was addressing the original Planet of the Apes series of flicks. And, at least from my perspective, this seemed intriguing. After all, either because I haven't ever seen any of the original series or because it wasn't explained (and I believe there was a time when story-tellers didn't feel the need to explain every detail of their stories... and brood over the story's mythology), I have no idea why Earth- it would seem- became the planet of the apes. (Mystery is a fairly good reason to like an origin story. I have too much familiarity with most super hero types- the subject of 99% of origin movies- to be anything but bored with the inevitable outcome of the origin tale). So, pushing aside my customary skepticism over why it matters how something like Planet of the Apes came to be, I actually approached this movie with a fairly open mind. And like I said, there really wasn't anything overly wrong with the movie. It just wasn't overly exciting. It did what it set out to do: it told the story of how Earth became Planet Ape.
That said, when the dust settled I was kind of left with that "... huh." feeling. It was pretty underwhelming. After all, just because a movie delivers on its promise, that doesn't mean it will be a stellar film. (Case in point: Ninja Assassin.) I mean, if I was going to make a movie that revolved around how a scrap of wood became a pretty bitchin' birdhouse, unless I told the story right, it's probably not going to be very good. If I just do a step-by-step tutorial you might appreciate it, but I don't you'd be glued to the screen. And I suppose that's what Rise of the Planet of the Apes amounts to: a hypothetical tutorial on how to damn mankind while simultaneously providing an avenue for Ape-reign.
This isn't to say that Apes was completely boring. Yes, it was matter-of-fact and rather frill free. But it did have a few things going for it. The Apes were pretty cool to watch. These weren't the rubber-masked charades of the past. These apes were made of a mixture of CGI, motion-captured technology, and a liberal dose of the one and only Andy Serkis. It made for a compelling final product if nothing else. Beyond that there was Good James Franco delivering an understated and believable performance. (as opposed to the ham-meister Bad James Franco). Apes also featured John Lithgow- drawing from his experiences on the set of Harry and the Hendersons- to deliver a poignant man-ape performance. No, seriously, Lithgow is a welcome addition here as he has been in most of his work both on the big and small screens. And then there's Freida Pinto. No, her character doesn't add much to the movie, but she's a pretty good actress so she has that going for her. And, well, that's about it.
I actually should take back what I said about Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It does have one pretty huge flaw. Not the concept of the movie, I suppose. I stand by my belief that it is a story- on the surface- that is worth telling. I just wish they wouldn't have sucker-punched the audience in the end. The big reveal is beyond anti-climactic. I guess I should have written that when the dust settled I was left with that "... huh. -pause for a few minutes- Wait, what? That's it?" Feeling. Then eventually I did settle on just "... huh." I don't want to spoil anything for my hypothetical readers- which is also why I'm not going to pick apart some of the more ludicrous plot points (besides, I decided that my beefs were just a case of me being too picky). But the big ending? Come. On.
In the end, I guess that is a pretty big deal, isn't it? I'm not going to say the movie sucked. It was a bit slow and by-the-numbers so to speak, but it was a fitting means to an end. An answer to a question I was genuinely interested in having answered. But if that's the best I can do, I can't really say it's good, can I? (well, make the damn rules around here, so I suppose I could... and I suppose if reading a pretty dry recipe book were my idea of entertainment I would think this movie was down-right awesome. But I don't and this isn't.)
Grade: C
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