Film Review: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011) – Re-visited

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Writers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Running time: 100 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 11^th August 2011

Watched on DVD Wednesday 29^th August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I was totally engrossed by this one when I saw it in the cinema about a year ago. How did it fair this time? Well, maybe not quite the same impact, my TV screen can’t quite match the big one for scale, but it still packs a big punch. I still loved every minute of it and have no problem in recommending it to everyone. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Will Rodman is a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s. He is very driven in his work because his father, Charles, suffers from the disease. It affects the brain and so Will’s work revolves around a gene therapy that can re-connect pathways in the brain. They test it out on Chimpanzees and one of them, Bright Eyes, shows exceptional promise. Just as Will and his boss, Steven Jacobs, are asking for funding, Bright Eyes goes crazy and has to be shot. Jacobs orders all the apes put down, but they find that Bright Eyes had had a baby. Will takes him home and discovers that the effects of the drug have been passed on. They call the baby Caesar and, with the help of a primate expert, Caroline Aranha, he eventually grows big and strong. Will gives the drug to his father and, at first, it works but then the effects wear off. He discovers what was wrong and develops a stronger version of the drug. After an incident with a neighbour, Caesar is ordered to be put in a sanctuary, away from the public. It is here that he comes into his own and it is here, under the mistreatment of his handlers, John and Dodge Landon that sparks the beginnings of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I can’t say any more or the Spoiler Police will have me put in a cage next to Caesar.

The CGI in this film is truly stunning, and although you know most of it is computer generated, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. As far as performances go, well, for me, the star was definitely Andy Serkis who did the vast majority of the motion-capture work for Caesar, a really stunning performance. As far as the humans go, well, James Franco did a decent job as Will Rodman, as did Freida Pinto as Caroline Aranha, although I felt her character was never fully developed and consequently she was woefully underused. John Lithgow was excellent as Will’s father, Charles and Brian Cox was suitably sleazy as John Landon. Tom Felton did a good job as the evil handler, Dodge Landon and David Oyelowo was Will’s boss, Steven Jacobs.

I loved every minute of this film and I really hope any sequels that are made keep to the same standard. If I have one criticism, it’s that the human characters are not particularly well developed. I can forgive that to a large extent because it forces the audience to see things from Caesar’s perspective. There are plenty of references and nods to the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston (something to look out for). Certainly one of my favourite films of 2011 and I see nothing here to change my view. I have given it a slightly lower score than after my first viewing, mainly because the film does loose a little of its impact when scaled down for the small screen. Even so, well worth a look for any fan of the ‘Apes’ films and even those that haven’t seen them.

SteelMonster’s verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

My score: 8.8/10

IMDb Score: 7.7/10 (based on 176,850 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/

MetaScore: 68/100: (Based on 39 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83/100 (based on 240 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 87/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 85,827 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes/

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
[first lines]
Robert Franklin: [administering chimp intelligence test] Okay, okay. Here you go. And let's go again.
[gives Bright Eyes treat and clocks timer]
Will Rodman: Which one's this? Number nine?
Robert Franklin: Yeah, this is number nine. Bright Eyes, we call her. Are you watching this? This is unbelievable.
[Bright Eyes does the tower fast]
Robert Franklin: Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Bright Eyes: [grabs treat and eats it]
Will Rodman: How many moves was that?
Robert Franklin: 20.
[Will looks at them and starts to head out]
Robert Franklin: Yeah, a perfect score is 15. Doc, what are you giving her?
Will Rodman: [heads out] Hey, give that video!
[runs out the hallway and opens the door to Steven Jacobs' office]

Will Rodman: Why don't we begin? Meet Chimp Nine. We gave him a gene therapy that allows the brain to create it own cells in order to repair itself. We call it the Cure to Alzheimer's.

Party Boy: [at Caesar's cage] Hey, check out this guy.
Dodge Landon: Hey that one's a pain in the ass, man! He thinks he's special or something.
Party Boy: Freaky. Come here. Come on. It's like he's thinking or something.
Caesar: [grabs the man's throat and stares and growls]
Party Girl #2: Oh, my God! He has his throat!
Party Girl #1: Let him go!
Dodge Landon: [Dodge runs towards Caesar] Let go!
Caesar: [grunts and releases the man and leans towards Rocket's cage]
Rocket: [he jumps up, he growls and jumps down]
Dodge Landon: I told you not to get too close man.

Maurice: [to Caesar in sign language] Why coockie Rocket?
Caesar: [to Maurice in sign language and breaking and bundling sticks] Ape alone... weak. Apes together strong.
Maurice: [to Caesar in sign language as they observe chimps beating each other and stop] Apes stupid.

Linda: Mr. Jacobs, it's Linda from Will's team. Something horrible has happened. Franklin is dead - from a viral infection.
Steven Jacobs: What the hell are you talking about?
Linda: He was exposed to the 113. It does something to people that it doesn't do to apes.

LINKS:
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apeswillrise
Official Site: http://www.apeswillrise.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2011)

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Running time: 105 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 11^th August 2011

Watched at the cinema Saturday 13^th August 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This must be some kind of record… It’s the third week in a row that my local cinema is showing something I want to see! It is a very rare thing, and something that should be savoured… long may it continue. But I digress, we’re here to talk about Apes. It is seldom these days that I find myself so totally engrossed in a film that time doesn’t matter. This was one of those very rare occasions. I got so involved in the story that people going in and out of the theatre (as they do) didn’t even bother me. I loved every minute of it and have no problem in recommending it to everyone. Here’s a brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

Will Rodman is a scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer’s. He is very driven in his work because his father, Charles, suffers from the disease. It affects the brain and so Will’s work revolves around a gene therapy that can re-connect pathways in the brain. They test it out on Chimpanzees and one of them, Bright Eyes, shows exceptional promise. Just as Will and his boss, Steven Jacobs, are asking for funding, Bright Eyes goes crazy and has to be shot. Jacobs orders all the apes put down, but they find that Bright Eyes had a baby. Will takes him home and discovers that the effects of the drug have been passed on. They call the baby Caesar and, with the help of a primate expert, Caroline Aranha, he eventually grows big and strong. Will gives the drug to his father and, at first, it works but then the effects wear off. He discovers what was wrong and develops a stronger version of the drug. After an incident with a neighbour, Caesar is ordered to be put in a sanctuary, away from the public. It is here that he comes into his own and it is here, under the mistreatment of his handlers, John and Dodge Landon that sparks the beginnings of The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I can’t say any more or the Spoiler Police will have me put in a cage next to Caesar.

The CGI in this film is truly stunning, although you know most of it is computer generated, it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. As far as performances go, well, for me, the star was definitely Andy Serkis who did all the motion-capture work for Caesar, a really stunning performance. As far as the humans go, well, James Franco did a decent job as Will Rodman, as did Freida Pinto as Caroline Aranha, although I felt her character was never fully developed. John Lithgow was excellent as Charles Rodman and Brian Cox was suitably sleazy as John Landon. Tom Felton did a good job as the evil handler, Dodge Landon and David Oyelowo was Will’s boss, Steven Jacobs.

This is a film that will definitely be making my top ten come the end of the year. I loved every minute of it and I really hope any sequels that are made keep to the same standard. If I have one criticism, it’s that the human characters are not particularly well developed. I can forgive that to a large extent because it forces the audience to see things from Caesar’s perspective. This is certainly the best of the summer blockbusters so far this year and I can’t see anything coming up that will top it (I’m prepared to be proven wrong though). Without a doubt, this one comes very highly RECOMMENDED.

My score: 9.3/10

IMDb Score: 8.0/10 (16,160 votes when this review was written).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1318514/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83/100 (199 reviews counted when this review was written).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rise_of_the_planet_of_the_apes/

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.apeswillrise.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: DATE NIGHT (2010)

Director: Shawn Levy
Running Time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Romance
UK Release Date: 21st April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 17th April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

To be honest, I wasn’t going to watch this one as I’m not really a fan of comedies. They are generally stupid and labour the point they are trying to make so much that I can find them quite tedious. Fortunately this one wasn’t too bad, yes, there are parts you can see coming from about 50 miles away, but it’s saved by the performances of the two main characters. I’ll tell you more about that after this brief summary (summary haters, and those that don’t wish to know about the plot, please hide the evidence while I write the next paragraph).

Phil and Claire Foster are an average New Jersey couple and they are stuck in a bit of a rut. They have two kids, boring jobs and everything seems to be routine. Even date night has become a routine; they go to the same restaurant, eat the same food, talk about the same people, it’s all getting a bit predictable. One day they hear that their friends, another couple in a similar situation are about to separate. Desperate to not end up in the same situation, they decide to go into Manhattan to a posh restaurant for a nice meal. They arrive late and the place is fully booked, but they wait at the bar hoping for a cancellation. A waitress is looking for the Tripplehorn’s and can’t find them and so Phil and Claire claim to be them, just so they can get their dream date night. This proves to be a big mistake, the next thing they know two guys take them to the alley  and ask them for a stolen flash drive. When they pull out guns the couple believe it’s serious. This is where the fun begins and this is where I’ll leave my summary. I don’t want the Spoiler Police after my flash drive.

Pretty decent performances all round, particularly from Steve Carell as Phil Foster and Tina Fey as Claire Foster. In the moments where they are just being a regular couple they are really good. The comedy stuff… well, I’ll leave that up to you. Mark Wahlberg does a nice job of acting without a shirt as Holbrooke Grant and Taraji P. Henson was also pretty good (with shirt) as Detective Arroyo. Honourable mentions go to; William Fichtner as DA Frank Crenshaw, Kristen Wiig as Haley Sullivan, Mark Ruffalo as Brad Sullivan, James Franco as Taste, Mila Kunis as Whippit and, last but not least, a great little cameo from Ray Liotta (uncredited) as mob boss Joe Miletto.

It’s a pretty well made film with some nice stunt work and a pretty good soundtrack. Again, The Ramones get an airing of their song ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. A pretty enjoyable film that, although very predictable in places, I wasn’t too offended by. It won’t feature very high on my re-watch list, but it was OK… Recommended, if only for the rapport between Carell and Fey when they’re just being a couple.

My Score: 5.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1279935/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/date_night/
Trailer:

Film Review: 127 HOURS (2010)

Co-Writer/Director: Danny Boyle
Running Time: 94 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama
UK Release Date: 7th January 2011

Watched at the Cinema Saturday 2nd April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I know it’s April already and this film came out in the UK in January, but after a very long wait it has finally landed at my local cinema! Since I’ve waited such a long time to see it there was no way I was going to miss it! I even dragged a friend along who doesn’t often see this sort of thing. I’ll give you my thoughts after this very brief summary (summary haters, and those that don’t wish to know about the plot, please try to shift that rock while I write the next paragraph).

Aron Ralston is an adventurer, mountain climber, he’s most at home with almost all outdoor types of activities. He feels he doesn’t have to rely on anyone else and has cut himself off from his friends and family to concentrate on the things he likes to do. Little does he know, this is going to cost him dear in the very near future. He goes out canyoneering  alone near Moab, Utah but doesn’t take his mobile phone (or cell phone if you prefer) with him and doesn’t tell anyone where he’s going. There he meets two girls, Kristi and Megan and they have a bit of fun jumping into a pool below a crack in the rocks. Eventually they go their separate ways and Aron heads off alone again. Taking a route seldom used he causes a rock fall that leaves him trapped, pinned by the arm with a large boulder. He is there for 127 hours before he resorts to desperate measures to free himself. During this time he reflects on the mistakes he’s made in his life, making a video diary he thinks will be his legacy. I’ll leave it there so as not to upset the squeamish Spoiler Police.

I thought this was a very well made film with several devices used to keep the audience interested. Split screens, flashbacks, dream sequences all keep the thing moving along nicely. I have to say it’s an outstanding performance from James Franco as Aron Ralston, he really nailed it! Honourable mentions also go to Kate Mara as Kristi and Amber Tamblyn as Megan.

I love the visual style used by Danny Boyle in this one. It could have been a tough gritty drama like the 2003 Kevin Macdonald film Touching the Void, (also a very fine film by the way) but I found it was a lot more than that. It will make you cringe, it will make you laugh, and it will even make some of you cry, but I found it very engaging and very enthralling (even though I knew what the final outcome was)… Definitely recommended.

PS My friend thought it was good but a bit padded out with all that hallucinating & stuff (His words, not mine).

My Score: 8.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1542344/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/127_hours/
Official Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/127hours/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi768149785/