This movie has a pretty ridiculous title. You feel it could have been made far snappier and more catchy, but, if you wanted to include the term 'Planet of the Apes', what else could you call it? I'm not here to review the title, though, so let's get on with it.
That handsome fellow is Caesar (played by Andy Serkis, who was Gollum in Lord of the Rings), a chimp with massive intellect and ability, thanks to experimental brain-enhancing research carried out on his mother by brilliant, if slightly goofy, scientist Will, who is seeking a cure for his own father's Alzheimers.
I'm going to start by simply saying that I didn't really care too much about any of the humans in this movie, or their stories or their motives. For me, it really is all about Caesar. He has more character than anybody else in this film put together - he is the star, and to see it all from his perspective gives you a unique view of how an intelligent chimp would view humans. His touching bonds with members of Will's family are gradually eroded by what he perceives as repeated betrayals, and the abuse he suffers does nothing but strengthen his resolve, making him an entirely lovable and supportable underdog.
Every step of the way, you are cheering for Caesar, and it is made that much easier by the simply stunning visual effects that went into creating him, along with the motion-capture-fabulouness of Serkis. You can feel his emotions, his feelings, his defiance and burning desire for freedom and you empathise with him completely, something that is very rare in cinema these days among human protagonists.
I have seen many comments on various other reviews that say things like: "Oh yeah, come on, like, we'd totally just shoot them all."
I had a similar question going into this movie: How are the apes even able to overpower us?
But rather than just dismiss the possibility that apes would even have a hope against the tooled-up residents of the United States and call the movie a pile of nonsense, I actually went to see it, and I feel my question was answered entirely successfully and this movie somehow managed to create a scenario that you could certainly call plausible... apart from maybe one tiny detail, but in order to describe that, I would have to post spoilers, and that is not my business.
Just go and see this movie, you will be very pleasantly surprised. I expected it to be average at best, yet came away very satisfied and actually wanting more.
Allow me to summarise my review with a helpful set of bullet points.
Pro's
- Fabulous effects
- A lovable underdog
- Great build up of tension
- Excellent action sequences
- Intense, memorable moments
- Satisfying and surprisingly believable story
Con's
- Humans are nothing more than plot devices - even James Franco is a bit feeble
- Perhaps one tiny unlikely detail, but it can be explained away
- No explanation of what would happen to other animals
I'd say this movie was a very solid 8/10 and definitely worth going to see. It is much, much better than you'd expect.
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