GO SEE THIS MOVIE: Rise of The Planet of The Apes

XY has returned, a little more tame, with a movie review. 

Some movie reviewers try to make their articles as long as possible. They utilize literary techniques like foreshadowing and misdirection with the goal of obscuring their conclusions until the very end of the review. The title of this article should make it obvious, that I am not that kind of writer. I hate movie reviews that meander aimlessly around the point. You are reading this  because you want one piece of information.You want to know if "The Rise of The Planet of The Apes," is worth seeing. 


The answer is an emphatic YES. Is the title of this film hokey? Sure! Is the premise of monkeys taking over earth laughably absurd? Absolutely! The film is excellent, but it’s likely to be very different from what you’re expecting. Heading into this movie, I was expecting a sci-fi spectacle. I was expecting a revamp of the utterly catastrophic, Planet of The Apes-starring Mark Wahlberg. I expected a lazy plot buttressed with explosions and special effects and a film that catered to the short attention spans of the modern movie audience. 


Instead, what I saw was an incredible character piece, tastefully enhanced with cutting edge instant capture film technology. Rise of The Apes is essentially the story of a young ape, genetically enhanced by the character of James Franco. His test subject displays incredible cognitive abilities, while being raised as Franco’s son/pet. The part of Caesar is brilliantly played by Andy Serkis. It is this role that truly makes The Rise of the Apes a spectacular film. I truly believe that Serkis will be nominated for an award for his performance. He breathes life into a creature that would be little more then a CGI enhancement without him. You can feel the pain of Caesar the chimp, as he struggles to navigate between a human world that is incompatible with his animal instincts and an animal world he is simply to intellectually gifted to truly be a part of. 


The quiet, and pensive character of Caesar could have been a one dimensional brooding figure that mindlessly crusades to destroy the human race, but this movie is so much smarter than that. Caesar is instead charming, kind, violently defensive and ultimately empathetic figure. Even though we know, as an audience, that Caesar is heading towards annihilating our entire species, you will find yourself torn and at times siding with the chimps. This film is essentially a prelude for the inevitable sequels and by the time the movie ends, you will want to see the next installment of this franchise. This is a rare, Hollywood attempt to remake a classic that actually works. Go see this film. You will not regret it!