With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes being released this May, I decided to finally dive into the most recent iteration of the Planet of the Apes franchise. Starting back in 2011, the new prequel trilogy follows Caesar, a chimpanzee who has gained exceptional brain capacity thanks to his owner, played by James Franco, testing out a possible cure for Alzheimers. Of course, this all leads into a tumultuous tale of power that canonically leads to the big reveal of Earth's fall in the 1968 original film.
I’ve never been a huge fan of prequels, thus my distance from the most recent films as they became a hit franchise. What a delight to realize that Rise of the Planet of the Apes isn’t so much a prequel as a strong recontextualizing of the initial material. Of course, the reveal of the statue of liberty has become a legendary film moment, but to see how the apes dominated the Earth is actually a story worth telling (cough cough Monsters University).
Andy Serkis, whose motion capture performance as Caesar immediately changed expectations within the industry, takes the film by the throat and never lets go. This movie is his, no question. The movie really is a product of its time, as it 2011-ed harder than any other film. James Franco in a lead role where his performance could be best described as “there”. Frieda Pinto is given absolutely nothing to do but to be stressed about Caesar. Tom Felton as an absolutely awful human being, abusing apes. It’s so 2011, I’m surprised Kesha didn’t have a cameo.
Yet, Serkis’ gut-wrenching performance as Caesar as he comes to term with his life, his treatment, and his skills? Breathtaking. The final act of the film, finding the climactic fight for freedom throughout San Francisco is wonderfully directed, actually paying attention to the action and never writhing around as action films often tend to do. The way I wanted that ape to murder people? Profound. I wanted blood in the square. I wanted humans crying out for help as these apes absolutely obliterated them. I have no sympathy for any human in this film.
Do I understand why James Franco was so passionate about getting his father, John Lithgow looking the absolute same for at least two centuries, and his Alzheimers under control? Absolutely! However, just pricking your dad willy-nilly while your old coworker is trying to tell you he’s dying from it? Not a good look. Add in the Gap clothing on Caesar and you’ve got yourself the need for an uprising.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a great start to this trilogy and I cannot wait to see who Caesar ruins, rightfully so, next. Just on one initial watch, I can see myself getting more psyched for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, so in the words of RuPaul, I can’t WAIT to see how this turns out.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is now streaming on Peacock and available for purchase on VOD.