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Billed as a "prequel" to the classic original "Planet of the Apes" (featuring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell) and its subsequent sequels, "Rise" may only be excused for that bit of brazen "overstepping" if applying that description to this movie is keeping very close in mind that this film should be more appropriately identified as being the "prequel" (or first installment) of a reinterpretation or reimagining of the established storyline we're already familiar with – and just as with the Tim Burton ((*coff-koff*)) remake, it does not fit comfortably (or even uncomfortably) into the "PotA" canon (though it still has better chance of that than Burton's equally imaginative offering).

While the preceding paragraph could be seen as "nit-picking" (after all, it is more than fair to keep in mind that ALL of the screen interpretations– both on the "Big Screen" and the "small" –have to date been anything but faithful to the original novel which was the source material from which the film & television projects were adapted), any legitimate attempts to try to include "Rise" into the well established mythos of the original series was effectively destroyed (or rather, let's say "seriously hindered") by the (dare we say it?) "800 lb. gorilla in the room": the ever-ubiquitous and overused monster known as "C.G.I."

Here's the deal... even for all of its differences with its unique story and compelling reimagining, Burton's "Planet" paid proper homage to the original film & television works by following in the tradition of its predecessors, namely: "Men in Suits." Part of the intrigue of the original "Apes" projects was the fact that there were actual physical actors who had undergone hours of intense make-up sessions who were then given the task to "ACT" the part convincingly.

The decidedly homo-reflective bipedal simians of the earlier works also spurred the imagination of the viewer, as it would have many if not most of us wondering what thing or series of things had taken place across the span of history which contributed to the future society of intelligent apes developing more "humanlike" characteristics and mannerisms (...for my money, I'd always speculated that they may have come about as a result of "cross-genetic" testing & cloning of Man/Ape hybrids: you know, that whole "Man Deciding to Play God" scenario which inevitably "backfires" on our arrogant arses).

But in "RotPotA" the apes are clearly and unambiguously "ape" – which is not to complain, as it does make the story so much more interesting on that level. BUT... this could only and truly "work" if we approach this story as its own separate and independent story (or as an "Alternate Universe" story, as it were) – anything other than an attempt as a "tie-in" with the popularly established canon (...now I'm beginning to understand why hardcore "James Bond, 007" fans have such huge problems with accepting Connery's "Never Say Never Again").

Even with all that said however, this version– as a "stand alone" film –offers few disappointments, but still it has its share of problems apart from those aforementioned. The biggest stomach-churning moments revolve around the overly cliché and seemingly obligatory big bad cruel animal "caretaker" who (naturally) gets his comeuppance for his insensitivities and abusiveness (haven't we all gotten tired of being "dumbed down" to like that yet?). Then there's the great "suspension of disbelief" moment involving how rapidly the apes in the "sanctuary" attain enlightenment with just a couple of whiffs of green gas when it took so much more effort on the part of the scientists who developed the concoction to administer the regimen which then required them to spend considerably more time actually interacting with the test subjects in order to ensure... you know what... never mind – just click the "OK" button on your "Install Suspension of Disbelief – Continue?" pop-up window and move along. Then of course, as should have been expected (but I'm still kinda 'slow' in catching on in that department), all of the irritating "hat-tip quotes" parroted from the original movies.

A nice touch, though not at all unanticipated, involved trying to answer (at least in a more plausible fashion than what was suggested by a couple of the original movies) what may have led to the "shift in power" which resulted in Man's drastically reduced population numbers in "Future Earth."

John Lithgow, for his relatively brief stint at getting some screen time squeezed in, is the real standout performance & scene stealer (at least as far as the "non-CGIzed" characters are concerned) as he seamlessly transitions from dementia patient to "wellness" and again slipping back into illness, all very convincingly and with such realism you really feel yourself empathizing with his character's plight.

And did Caesar & company really need to go on such a wanton destruction bender just to find a place to call "home"? (Or were they negatively affected & influenced as a result of having watched too much of that television programming they had beaming at them in their jail cells which caused them to want to go out on a wild adolescent rampage, inspired by all the random mob violence cropping up in place across the globe like London and Philly, as has been highlighted in recent news?)

If the producers wish to treat "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" as a "reboot" for a new line of "Ape" adventures building their own mythology, then I'm all in favor of that – even if it should eventually lead to an actual "remake" of the original 1968 version and they should decide to continue using the same "historical timeline" and F/X techniques of this newest project. But to enter this as a "prequel" to the original series of films is to do BOTH those earlier films and this movie a serious injustice.

link directly to this review at https://www.hollywoodbitchslap.com/review.php?movie=20761&reviewer=427
originally posted: 08/19/11 18:39:26
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