Rise of the Planet of the Apes

OPENING: 08/05/2011

STUDIO: Twentieth Century Fox

RUN TIME: 105 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Evolution Ends. Revolution Begins.

Opening Statement
Franklin J. Schaeffner’s Planet of the Apes (1968) remains a slightly flawed yet immensely enjoyable science fiction classic, but the franchise doesn’t exactly have a sterling reputation. The sequels to the original film are all hit-and-miss to some degree, and the less said about Tim Burton’s wretched 2001 reboot, the better. As such, it was hard to work up much enthusiasm for yet another attempt at bringing the property back to life, but Rupert Wyatt’s awkwardly-titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes proves to be one of summer 2011′s surprise successes.

Facts of the Case
Scientist named Will Rodman (James Franco, Your Highness), is currently developing a drug he believes may have the capability to cure Alzheimers (not coincidentally, a disease his father — played by John Lithgow — is suffering from). Will has been conducting trials on a female ape with immense success, but when the ape turns violent, she and the other test subjects are put down. Fueled by his guilt and humanity, Will manages to rescue the female’s newborn child and take it home with him.

As the young ape (named “Caesar” by Will’s Shakespeare-loving father) begins to grow, Will witnesses a remarkable series of developments. It seems the drug administered to Caesar’s mother had an effect on the child, who is now demonstrating a level of intelligence unheard of in his species. Within a few years, Caesar can understand English, is fluent in sign language, and capable of performing a wide variety of tasks which had previously been exclusive to human beings. However, after an unfortunate incident gets Caesar locked up, things take a dark and troubling turn.

The Evidence
The story we’re being told in Rise of the Planet of the Apes will feel very familiar to fans of the franchise, as Wyatt’s film is essentially a remake of Lee J. Thompson’s gritty Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. While that film ultimately fumbled its interesting ideas, turning itself into a messy unsatisfying actioner, this franchise reboot grows stronger as it propels us along, managing the not-inconsiderable feat of leaving its audience salivating for more. In other words, what we’ve been given is easily the best Planet of the Apes since… well, Planet of the Apes.

Though the trailers promoted the film as a James Franco vehicle, it quickly becomes apparent the perpetually-busy actor is merely here to set up the tale of Caesar the ape. Portrayed masterfully by motion-capture king Andy Serkis (Peter Jackson’s King Kong), Caesar is arguably one of the most effective cinematic arguments for CGI to date. When you see how masterfully the filmmakers have fused the emotion of Serkis’ performance with the persuasive physical detail of the animation, odds are you’ll agree this is one of the rare instances in which the modern computer-generated imagery proves vastly more enchanting than practical effects (after witnessing this film, the idea of going back to men in monkey suits is unthinkable).

Caesar is unquestionably the star of the film, and he manages to act circles around his human counterparts. Not that the humans are bad, mind you (in fact, Franco, Brian Cox, and John Lithgow are all rather good), but Serkis and the animators manage to achieve a level of subtle expressiveness which is wondrous to behold. Over the course of the film, Serkis depicts Caesar at stages of life from giddy child to moody teenager to embittered revolutionary, never missing a beat at any turn. In sequences which are mostly dialogue-free, we witness an origin story that deeply moves us even as it goes precisely where we expect it to.

The main plot points are predictable, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes keeps us involved by allowing these events to unfold in a natural, intelligently-written manner. It’s not exactly a movie for Mensa members, but it’s an atypically smart summer blockbuster which only slips into cheap fan service on a few brief occasions (the recycling of Charlton Heston’s famous “damn dirty apes” line is regrettably groan-worthy). However, it still manages to deliver on a more primal front, as the action sequence in the third act feels like a genuinely thrilling extension of the story rather than some obligatory noise which forces the characters to take a back seat (the increasingly robust score by Patrick Doyle certainly adds some punch too).

Closing Statement
Like all the films in this franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has its problems. The romance between Franco and Freida Pinto feels like a forced subplot, the obnoxious character played by Tom Felton (aka Draco Malfoy) gets too much screen time, and Lithgow’s character is treated as nothing more than a plot device. Even so, this film marks the second time a Planet of the Apes movie has left me satisfied, and the first time one has left me hungry to see what comes next. Alongside Captain America: The First Avenger, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has brought a much-needed jolt to a generally lackluster summer movie season.

The Verdict
9/10

Leap Year

OPENING: 01/0/2010

STUDIO: Universal

RUN TIME: 97 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Anna planned to propose to her boyfriend on February 29th. This is not her boyfriend.

Opening Statement
Amy Adams has come a long way since her debut as a candy stripe nurse in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can. Since then, she has garnered Oscar nominations for Junebug and Doubt, and a humongous splash with Enchanted, one of the best Disney films in years. I’ve loved her spunk and radiance in practically every movie she’s been in… until now.

Facts of the Case
Anna (Adams) is an upper-class, spoiled twit from Boston who can’t wait to marry her hunky boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott, The Aviator). Impatient for him to propose himself, she decides to meet him in Dublin on February 29th and ask him herself. However, inclement weather strands Anna being in a coastal village and she’s forced to spend time with a scruffy innkeeper named Declan (Matthew Goode, A Single Man) while on the way to Dublin. You can fill in the rest.

The Evidence
Now, before you get all up-in-arms about how I’m a guy, this is a “chick flick,” and I’m not the target audience, I love romantic comedies. It’s a safe, easy-to-enjoy genre, even if it follows a well-established paradigm. Romcoms are largely dependent upon their stars and the chemistry between them to elevate the material above a level of ordinariness. Some of my favorites include When Harry Met Sally… , Groundhog Day, and 50 First Dates. Not only did the stars of those films play off each other exceptionally well, but they also worked overtime to appeal to both genders.

However, I’ve become extremely nervous about the state of desperation the romcom is experiencing. Last year, all the major entries had to depend on the same tired material, meet-cute cliches, and predictable motions to fuel their tank of love. In fact, I’m surprised at how unpleasant and mean-spirited many of them were (The Ugly Truth, All About Steve). Even The Proposal, despite being agreeable and well-acted, surrendered to the obvious far too often. Add to the mix two other duds with a hefty amount of star power — Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past, Love Happens — and the level of contempt has risen to an all-time high.

Now, we kick off 2010 with Leap Year, which does nothing but shamelessly rip-off the immortal It Happened One Night (1934). It doesn’t even feel like they’re trying to do anything fresh or original here. Then again, the warning bells began to ring during the opening credits, when I realized this was written by Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan, the duo behind Can’t Hardly Wait (an atrocious rip-off of American Graffiti), the stinker Josie And The Pussycats, and the putrid Surviving Christmas. Here they have sunk to the lowest level by going after the granddaddy of romantic comedies, transplanting it into the 21st century and changing little aside from the setting.

Let’s ensure we have all the ingredients for this 75-year-old recipe, shall we? Girl traipses off to be with her boyfriend? Check. Girl runs into guy who’s handsome but despises her shallowness and materialistic outlook? Check. One person thinks there is a substantial amount of money due or owed to them? Check. Guy and girl pretend to be married? Check. Both are forced to share a room together? Check. Guy stands up for her when her disgust is almost irreversible? Check. Despite their differences, both find themselves attracted to one another but don’t consummate their feelings until the end? Congratulations! That and five bucks will get you a pack a fags, mate!

Thanks to the lack of any real humor or character insight, Leap Year doesn’t even come off as a harmless clone. All we really know about Anna is she wants to marry her boyfriend and take care of her expensive suitcase. All we really know about Declan is that he wants financial compensation for Anna’s stupidity. Their dislike for each other is simplified to the most basic of insults, and their conversations are so uninteresting they induce more yawns than smiles. The lame physical gags misfire left and right. And, worst of all, Leap Year gets so routine and clichéd by the midway point, all hope for recovery goes down the drain.

The only thing that kept my attention was Adams, who is wasted beyond comprehension. Here’s an actress so bright and lovely even she can’t do anything to save the picture. At times, I could even sense a feeling of impatience and lack of initiative on her part. As for Matthew Goode, he at least tries to make it work, but the dialogue reduces his character to being an unlikable, sarcastic bastard. Plus, as handsome as he is, he’s no Clark Gable. The wonderful John Lithgow is given absolutely nothing to do as Adam’s dad and director Anand Tucker fails to inject any spontaneity or semblance of reality into this witless, moldy script.

Leap Year‘s only asset is Newton Thomas Sigel’s breathtaking cinematography, which richly captures Ireland’s seashores and green valleys with unparalleled splendor. Still, his frosting does little to improve the taste of this poorly-baked January loaf.

Closing Statement
This is the first black mark on Adams’ record and the court demands to see no more. She’s capable of far better. As for the remaining comedies of 2010, we hope they have something more to offer than pretty faces on a poster.

The Verdict
2/10