Culturebox: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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movies Rise of the Planet of the Apes An animal-rights manifesto disguised as a prison-break movie. By Dana Stevens Posted Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011, at 7:29 PM ET In the 1968 original Planet of the Apes (based on the French novel by Pierre Boulle), Charlton Heston's character, an astronaut stranded on a future Earth run by warlike primates, began the movie as a sneering cynic and ended it as an anguished humanist. Being imprisoned and mistreated by animals taught Heston's Taylor the value of his manhood. Caesar, the super-intelligent chimp protagonist of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Twentieth Century Fox), follows the reverse trajectory: He's an ape who reclaims his animal nature after being imprisoned and mistreated by men. Whereas the original was a work of speculative science fiction--a chin-stroking fable about evolution in the nuclear age--this revisiting of the Planet of the Apes myth is an animal-rights manifesto disguised as a prison-break movie. And, unlike the murky 2001 Tim Burton reboot, this movie is a worthy claimant to the simian throne and the rare summer blockbuster that gets more, not less, fun as it goes along. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is technically speaking a prequel to the '68 film, though any attempt to create continuity between their two universes feels comical. This movie takes place in the present day, where a young San Francisco scientist, Will (James Franco), is developing a gene therapy intended to boost brain function. Will is extra-motivated to hurry the process along, given that his father (John Lithgow) is in the middle stages of Alzheimer's disease. The formula is being lab-tested on chimpanzees, one of whom, a female nicknamed Bright Eyes, has been making unprecedented progress on ape intelligence tests. To continue reading, click here. Dana Stevens is Slate's movie critic. E-mail her at slatemovies@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate So Are We Now in a Recession? It Sure Feels Like It. Going to Humanities Grad School Doesn't Make Us "Suckers" Wait, A-Rod's Poker Game Is Illegal? Does That Mean My Poker Game Is Illegal?	Advertisement
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