-Summary-
After Planet of The Apes which arguably could be Tim Burton's worst film ever, another attempt has been made in the Planet of the Apes franchise. This time a prequel by British director Rupert Wyatt ( The Escapist). The film sees Will Rodham ( James Franco) working on a cure for Alzheimer's with the testing of the drug on Chimps. After the Chimp goes ape, Will and his colleague stumble across a baby chimp. Over nine years Will and his father, a sufferer of Alzheimer's and a protagonist for Will and his endeavor played by John Lithgow, raise the Chimp now known as Caesar to sign and think as a human being. After a scuffle with a next door neighbour, Caesar is sent to a Monkey sanctuary, ran by John Landon (Bill Cox) and his son Dodge ( Harry Potters Tom Felton). Dodge who sees the Apes as nothing more manages to get the Apes to turn on him and before you know it they go on a rampage with the help of Caesar and the Alzheimer drug.
Verdict
Although a serious drama, one could not help but laugh at some dramatic moments. At some points it lags and drags on and others just ridiculous for instance In nine years Franco's character does not age one bit. The plot itself cannot be faulted and the premise for the Ape uprising is indeed very modern and the motivation for Will to find this cure is indeed make you sympathetic.
Acting
James Franco as the lead is a very weird choice. Although not a great lover of Franco, you cannot fault his portrayal of the scientist. It is brilliant. The emotion of anguish as he tries to save his father and also the evident love he has for Caesar. Franco should stick to roles like this instead of comedy and soap dramas. Lithgow portrayal of Will's father is also brilliant. I have missed seeing LIthgow as a fan of 3rd Rock from the Sun and Footloose. However the ape of the film hands down goes to Andy Serkis.
Serkis yet again shows us how to do it when it comes to motion capture and his portrayal of the ape Caesar gives the film more credibility cgi wise as it makes the relationships between the characters and Caesar more touching. On his first film away from the Potter franchise, Felton shows us a clear break from playing a bad guy. Oh yeah he doesnt.
Cast : James Franco, Andy Serkis, John LIthgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo,
Rating - 4/5
