Firstly, apologies for no blog in a while. I'd been away (physically) then mentally absent, hence this blogs hiatus. However, today I have been to the cinema and seen a film what I has decided that I will review, innit. Because I review all films I see. Anyway, for those of you reading this in the future, you no doubt won't care about my disappearance, and more about what I thought of the film I'm about to talk about. So let's begin.
I'm not going to pretend that The Planet of the Apes series has been a major part of my life. There shall be no tales of how it affected my childhood, because it didn't. My knowledge of the franchise stems from what I've been told by others and seeing a TV re-run of the pretty bad Tim Burton remake. Yet this lack of emotional attachment to the originals has had no impact on my judgement of the latest instalment in the franchise, a long-awaited reboot.
And what a boot the series has been given. Gone are the silly costumes that seem to plague peoples memories, replaced by some of the most impressive CGI I've ever seen. There's a story that moves at just the right pace, giving the audience time to adjust and understand, but never to get bored. And best of all, said plot is a good 'un. It sees a drug that can apparently increase brain development and rebuild deteriorating patches, supposedly the cure for Alzheimer's, tested on chimpanzees, with largely positive effects. I don't want to spoil any more for those who haven't seen it, and if you do want to know more before watching, the trailer does a far better job of summing it up than me. The key point about this most fantastical of sci-fi plots, though, is that it is something that originated from the ever-controversial issue of animal testing- an idea so obviously Planet of the Apes it's genius. The angle the film takes, or -more to the point- the lack of one, on the issue is, however, one of director Rupert Wyatt's greatest ideas. The oft-debated concept the film is centred around is no more than a plot device. The anti-animal testing is extremely subtle, as it's more used as a way of getting us on head ape Ceaser's side, partically thanks to a good performance from Draco Malfoy as The Boy Everyone Loves To Hate, a part he does so well.
My fears of the film losing it's way in the action-centred final third thankfully were proved to be in vain, as the rise of the movement that begins the rise of the planet of the apes is, like the rest of the film, excellently portrayed and doesn't feel like the excuse to make the trailer more exciting, as it easily could have been. It's instead a nice change, as halfway through the film we do have a lot of shots of apes in cages. However, they never get dull, and are broken up nicely by the scenes involving scientist and Ceaser's father-figure Will (James Franco) wandering around in more versatile locations. Franco puts in an excellent performance as a dad that wants desperately his son back, one that more than forgives him for the utter tripe that was Your Highness, the worst film I've seen this year.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, however, is on the other end of that scale. Whilst I'm not going to pretend that I've seen an enormous range of this years' films (Partically thanks to the lack of anything but a multiplex nearby) it's still my favourite, as it's a blockbuster that is also interested in being a 'proper film'. It's about something. There's a genuine plot. It's not The Truman Show, it's not It's a Wonderful Life, but it's still a gem of it's own kind, albiet a rather hairy sort.
8.5 circus orangutans out of 10
