I was quite intrigued about this movie from the moment I saw the trailer. I haven't seen any of the original Planet of the Apes films - but sadly I have seen the Mark Wahlberg remake - and wasn't sure I'd be able to follow a prequel. But then I guess the point of prequels is to clarify or redefine the original movies from which they've been spawned. After all, you don't have to have seen the original Star Wars trilogy to follow the prequels, but if you have seen them you know where they're going and get the references etc.
I would undoubtedly have gone to see the film on my return from spending a week up north, but then I received a surprise phone call from my best friend saying she wanted to see this as her Birthday movie. She told me she'd never had a Birthday movie before and really liked the look of this one! So of course I said yes and agreed to accompany her on her first ever Birthday cinema trip!
The film is set in present day San Francisco and follows the story of Will (James Franco), who is working on a drug that will cure alzheimer's. The lab he works in is testing the drug on apes and they're seeing astonishing results. This is until one ape goes bezerk during a presentation to the board. Understandably the board shuts down the testing and as Will goes in search of answers, he discovers that the ape was trying to protect a baby it had just given birth to. One of Will's colleagues persuades him to take the baby ape home temporarily, but soon Will's alzheimer's suffering father names the ape Caesar and he becomes one of the family. When Caesar is eventually discovered, he is re-homed to an ape sanctuary. Caesar doesn't take too well to this new environment, having lived with humans his whole life, and soon starts rebelling. He feels abandoned by the humans who raised him and angry at the people imprisoning him, which soon leads to a breakdown of trust between Caesar and the entire human race.
Having not seen any of the original Planet of the Apes films, I can only assume that this not only sets everything up for the original films, but also for more prequels to further bridge the gap between this film, and the first Planet of the Apes. My main reason for thinking this is that this film is set in San Francisco and I know the original Planet of the Apes is set in New York. There is a nice bridging reference to that at the end - which I won't spoil - but it still leaves room for another film in between.
Now on to what I thought of the film. The main talking point here is undoubtedly the effects. Which are spectacular. *If you don't want to know how it's done, best skip this part!* My best friend even commented at the end that she thought the actors were in ape suits. I happily explained the process of how they turned the actors performances into those of the apes using CGI suits, with dots to map the movements and camera's fixed to their heads to capture the facial expressions (which I know because I saw Andy Serkis on BBC Breakfast!).
Anyway, I digress, yes the effects are amazing. But credit also needs to go to Andy Serkis who puts in another dazzling performance (not easy when you've been completely CG'd in post production), just as he managed to do with Kong and Gollum. I found the film to be more emotional than I expected, and I am sure this is down to Serkis's performance, which is truly outstanding when you consider that he had to convey all thoughts and feelings without speaking. His eyes had to do all the work and boy what a fantastic job they do.
The film also allows Tom Felton to show that he is more than just a nemesis for Harry Potter. Sadly for Felton though, all he manages to do is show us that he can play meaner and nastier than Draco was ever capable of being. And I'm not sure that's a good thing. Good performances from the rest of the human cast, with John Lithgow portraying a believable alzheimer's sufferer to good effect.
But the film really does belong to the apes, and therefore the effects team (who also brought you Avatar) who do a sensational job. The cinematography is also worth a mention for the stunning tree top views of San Francisco and an ending on the Golden Gate Bridge which is a visual treat.
This is by no means the best film of the summer, but it's definitely worth a watch. It has certainly made me want to watch the original Planet of the Apes films, which at the end of the day is the whole point of making a prequel. 7.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 19th August 2011
UK Release Date - 11th August 2011
Cast Overview:
James Franco ~ Will Rodman
Freida Pinto ~ Caroline Aranha
John Lithgow ~ Charles Rodman
Brian Cox ~ John Landon
Tom Felton ~ Dodge Landon
Andy Serkis ~ Caesar
Karin Konoval ~ Maurice
Terry Notary ~ Rocket / Bright Eyes
Andy Serkis ~ Caesar
Karin Konoval ~ Maurice
Terry Notary ~ Rocket / Bright Eyes
Director ~ Rupert Wyatt
Writer(s) ~ Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver and Pierre Boulle (suggested by novel "La Planete Des Singes")
