It's a Madhouse! - A Review of 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Film: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto
Released: 2011
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Writers: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver

Having heard many good things about the ‘Planet of the Apes’ prequel, I was entering the cinema with a certain level of expectation, but I definitely was not expecting to enjoy myself as much as I did. There was one point in the film that completely took me (and everyone else in the theatre) by surprise, even though most of us, who are at least partially aware of the existence of the previous films, should really have seen it coming. I don’t want to spoil it for people who haven’t seen it, so I won’t reveal it here, but the way in which the film built up to it was fantastic and used to its optimum potential.

One of the elements that really impressed me about this film was that even though many of us were already well aware of the events which took place in the other films, I was still itching to know what was going to happen next. The pacing of the film was relentless and extremely well laid out, with a definite feeling of there being no means of escape, which was very refreshing. I even said to my sister before we entered our screening that there was no way that they filmmakers could find a way to make this film end in a positive light – it was all in the title. We all knew, audience and filmmakers alike, that the essence of this film’s structure was to consist of an unyielding, plunging, downward spiral, positively ripe with senses of dread and guilt, and that is exactly what we got.

Something else that struck me was how effectively and completely Andy Serkis’ facial nuances and emotional flickers transferred over through the motion capture technology and to our screens. His body language, of facial expression, the utter depth of his performance – someone give this man an Oscar already. Seriously. Serkis essentially carried the film on his own hulking ape-shoulders, as well as being hugely overdue one following the snubbing he received at the Academy Awards for his role as Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings’.

As is to be expected, the filmmakers of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ were clearly excited at the prospect of a repeat Serkis performance (hell, who wouldn’t be?), but in their enthusiasm they ended up somewhat sidelining James Franco and Freida Pinto as the film progressed. Both gave enjoyable performances however, especially Franco who was appropriately perceptive and emotive. One performance I particularly enjoyed was John Lithgow’s, as Franco’s character’s father. Lithgow’s character’s actions served as a weighty dose of foreshadowing, of which Lithgow provided with great sensitivity and insight.

Overall, I highly enjoyed ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’. No, it was not perfect (for example, some of the well known references to the original film seemed slightly out of place, as fun as they were), but for what it was, a prequel to a hugely popular and famous film made many years ago, I think it did very well. It not only held onto the audience’s attention, but latched onto it, refused to let go and shook it like there was no tomorrow. And of course, if you think about it, there really wasn’t.

Rating: 4/5

Happy Go Lucky - A Review of 'Gigantic'

Film: Gigantic
Starring: Paul Dano, Zooey Deschanel, John Goodman
Released: 2008
Director: Matt Aselton
Writers: Adam Nagata, Matt Aselton

On the recommendation of a very nice salesman at my local HMV, I rented the film ‘Gigantic’ using my LOVEFiLM account. He made the suggestion whilst ringing through my DVD’s which happened to include one of my favourite films ‘(500) Days of Summer’ – I was actually re-buying it, as my other copy had a huge scratch on it. The salesman mentioned that he thought that Zooey Deschanel’s character, Summer, was a complete bitch and that she made him hate women for a while, because had watched the film a little while after he and his girlfriend had split up. He then asked me if I knew about ‘She & Him’, which is Deschanel’s band (check them out, they’re awesome), which I did. He then recommended that I watch ‘Gigantic’. I’m very glad I did.

The film stars Paul Dano as a single twenty-eight year old mattress salesman by the name of Brian Weathersby. Brian is in the process of adopting a baby from China. It is something that he has wanted since he was very young, but we aren’t given an obvious explanation as to why this is. One day at work, Brian meets Harriet ‘Happy’ Lolly (Deschanel), an eccentric of sorts, the type of girl who would rather read the ads than the articles. Needless to say, Brian’s life changes the moment he sets eyes on Happy, which is to say for the better as much as the worse, as Happy, easy-going as she may seem, comes with her own baggage.

Dano is subtle and understated in his role, which gives the effect of his character being the only relatively un-kooky individual in a world apparently chock full of quirky characters, which plays in favour of our surprise when we learn that Brian wants to adopt at a young age, alone, and with little money. Deschanel, who we know for her ‘indie’ character-driven film roles, obviously flourishes. She plays Happy as delightfully odd, without overshooting into annoying, with great depth and understanding. John Goodman is utterly hilarious and steals every scene he is in as Al Lolly, Happy’s father, a man in possession of way too much money. Also, check out Zach Galifianakis in an important, yet uncredited role as a particularly violent homeless man who has it in for Brian.

In the ‘indie’ spirit, a lot of the film is left open to interpretation, which may frustrate some viewers and greatly please others. I happen to be one of the latter. I like the fact that not everything is explained, like how we don’t know what events may have transpired between Happy’s mother and father, which have evidently affected Happy in the long run, we just know that they did happen. We don’t know what Al Lolly is trying to gain through spending his seemingly endless amounts of cash, but we are implicitly aware that what he is after, whether he is aware of it or not, cannot be bought.

I thoroughly recommend ‘Gigantic’ as something a little different, a film that won’t spoon-feed you and then pat you on the back afterwards. If you like your characters flawed, yet likable and spurting memorable one-liners then watch this film. You won’t regret it.

Rating: 4/5