While the remaining two movies retained some
interest, the impact of declining budgets soon brought an end to the The Planet of the Apes’ theatrical life.
The short lived live-action and animated
TV series were fun to watch but seemed to skirt around the central
concepts of Man Vs Apes raised in the movies.
Of course, Tim
Burton made an interesting attempt at re-imaging the original POA
concept in his 2001 theatrical movie. While the Burton version had the
benefit of improved makeup and blue screen technology, it failed to
capture the imagination of modern audiences.
The Rise of the
Planet of the Apes, however, goes a step further with CGI technology
being used for the ape characters. It also creates a different start-up
point in the POA storyline about how the human race on Earth is
overthrown by apes, led by a genetically-altered ape named Caesar.
Although it is an original story, there is a striking similarity to the fourth of the original films, Conquest of the Planet Of The Apes. This is not a bad thing as it retains a viable continuity with the original POA concept.
There are also other homages to the original movies which fans of POA will enjoy :
The naming of the Caesar ape character (who was the first ape to speak and lead the apes in the fourth and fifth films) Caesar’s mother is named Bright Eyes which is what Charlton Heston’s character is referred to in the original film The
use of iconic lines from the first film (who can forget Heston’s “It’s
a mad-house!” and “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty
ape!").
I must admit that the CGI imaging of the apes
is a little distracting at times but, in retrospect, the same could
have been said about the prosthetic makeup used in the 1960s/70s.
The
human actors fare pretty well too, although the nominal star of the
film James Franco progressively takes a back seat as the story unfolds
and the attention turns to the apes.
John Lithgow gives a surprisingly touching performance as Franco’s father.
The
story is unashamedly sympathetic towards the apes with their
mistreatment being a plausible explanation for their uprising against
the humans.
Make sure you fast forward to the end of the credits as there is a
brief additional scene that hints of things to come in any future
instalment of The Planet of the Apes franchise! DVD Special Features
Some fun extras included here, which is fun to see.
As
usual there are some Deleted Scenes thrown into the mix, as are
Theatrical Trailers, but the real extras worth keeping an eye out for
are featurettes "Mythology of the Apes" and "The Genius of Andy Serkis"
which take a look inside the world of making the film. Conclusion:
Movie 80% Extras: 70%
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