Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I don't think anybody saw this coming. That a reboot/prequel of a forty something year old franchise would go on to become the best blockbuster of the Summer completely came out of left field for me. Sure, that first glimpse of CGI from the film was incredibly photo real but a good film is not made on special effects alone. Added to this, the first trailers released seemed hokey and moronic. Now while I have never seen any of the original Planet of the Apes films (minus the horrid 2001 remake), I couldn't see how a film like Rise could or would ever be relevant to cinemagoers today. Well this has turned out to be one of the films biggest strengths - low expectations. Everybody was more fixated on giant fighting robots, boy wizards and Captain Jack Sparrow this season, than a film about CG monkeys. Despite it's few minor flaws, this late addition to Summer is frequently visually stunning, offers a strong plot and features one of the most gasp inducing scenes in recent memory. Director Rupert Wyatt made waves with his debut feature The Escapist in 2008. Filmed primarily in Dublin's Kilmainham Jail, it was notable for it's fantastic ensemble cast, a rare lead for Brian Cox and how accomplished it was despite it's low budget roots. After a number of directors had come and gone for this gig, Wyatt finally got the unenviable job of crafting another chapter in the somewhat sullied Apes franchise. Here, he aces it, proving that The Escapist was no fluke and that he is just as home with huge budget effects laden extravaganzas as he is in more intimate character driven features. That his film is the success it is is down to one very important thing; Andy Serkis. Despite his British theatrical roots, Serkis has garnered more critical success with his CG animated characters, than any of his live action ones. The words 'oscar nomination' have been bandied about since this films release and upon viewing the film it is easy to see that such claims are not exaggerated at all. Serkis is simply remarkable, breathing impressive life into a simian who can barely communicate. His Caesar is not only a true watershed moment for CGI, but also for performance capture. It is after all, a true performance, eliciting genuine emotion and true depth behind those eyes. Using very little other than his movements, Serkis manages to imbue his CG character with important character tics and traits to staggeringly real results. It is magic come alive on screen.

The plot concerns Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco) as he tries to discover a cure for Alzheimer's, as he watches his father (John Lithgow) slowly succumb to the disease. Through his many tests on Chimpanzee's we see it having a side effect and making one in particular, more intelligent that the rest. As can be guessed from the title, events lead to a full on simian revolt against the humans but what surprises the most is how easily Wyatt manages to make even the more far fetched elements of the script, plausible. Whereas those trailers seemed daft and illogical, the film takes the time to fully develop it's themes, so that when some of the more outlandish things happen, they are entirely inevitable in the plot. The respective monkey poo does indeed hit the fan here, but Wyatt manages to stay focused on the story side of things, never leaving the films core relationship of Will and his pet Chimp Caesar (Serkis) off screen for too long. To say the effects are stunning is an understatement; throughout they constantly dazzle and impress, but crucially never overwhelm the story. There are many instances were the various assortment of Chimps and Gorillas are actually photo real. Throughout, each simian performance fully convinces and while any casual observer on set must have had some alarming thoughts on why such a large group of middle aged men are dressed in leotards acting like baboons, the finished result is nothing short of miraculous. The films protagonist isn't it's human Will, it is entirely Caesar. It is he who shows a true character arc and whom the audience fully emotes in - Franco is there to better sell the Chimp action to the audience. Sure there are flaws; Freida Pinto's girlfriend gets nothing to do, while the films assortment of bad guys: David Oyelowo, Brian Cox and Tom Felton have no depth and come off more as villainous pantomime characitures. But overall this is a film that asks interesting questions about animal testing using it's technical accomplishments to further the story, rather than over power it. Sure the other Apes films had more social/political undertones enriching any allegorical context, but we are after all only on film one of a new proposed franchise. There are plenty of directions to take Caesar in which none of the bigger themes will be shied away from. In evidence of this, a sequel might not be such bad thing for once.

Verdict: 8/10
A fantastic addition to the Apes canon and perfect as a stand alone story for anyone unfamiliar with the franchise. Incredible special effects, stylish direction and a stunning performance from Serkis makes this, hands down, the best film of the Summer.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Trailer

Your Highness

It's even harder to accept when a film doesn't live up to your expectations, when it is created by a group of talented people who have a proven track record of delivering well crafted material. I am a huge fan of nearly everybody involved in this film. Whether director David Gordon Green does sensitive indie, or raucuous comedy, he is never less than intriguing. Writers Danny McBride and Ben Best created the excellent and near classic HBO comedy series "Eastbound and Down", not to mention McBrides ability to never fail to be gut bustingly funny. Zooey Deschanel always provides loveliness and is one half of 'She & Him'. The other two; James Franco and Natalie Portman are both either oscar nominated or winners. Simply put, how did a film so bad get such a great group of people involved in it? I suppose McBrides and Bests intentions were noble. They wanted to craft a silly and very rude medieval fantasy comedy; a hark back to the cheesy epics of the 80's. Films more concerned with muscled men, godawful special effects and nonsensical plotting. But that in itself is one of the films problems. Those films are already unintentional laugh out loud fests. They do not need fun being poked at them for the average person to get that they are outdated. But then again, this would not be a problem had the film delivered decent gags. Dick and fart jokes are funny for about 5 minutes, until you realise that the film has another 90 or so to go. This is a sketch of an idea unmercifully stretched to feature film length. It's probably why that initial red band trailer raised expectations so much. The films main concept: that of a lazy coward younger brother, to the more classicly heroic older brother should have borne far funnier material that what we are left with. Instead, almost nothing works. Infact the films one saving grace comes in the form of Justin Theroux as the evil wizard Leezar. Usually known as the writer behind such recent films such as "Iron Man 2" and "Tropic Thunder" here plays a pretty warped and egotistical wizard. His odd and increasingly surreal musings provide the few moments of humour in the film. McBride and Best have previously gone on the record saying that while the entire film was written, most of it was changed and improvised on set. This scatter-shot approach groans and creaks throughout. With talent of this calibre, everything should really be of a much higher standard. It's not quite bad enough to truly damage anyone involved, but everyone will have to work extra hard next time, to erase this from memory. Magical it certainly isn't.

Verdict: 3/10
Too silly, too scatalogical and too disappointing when everything signalled so much more. If you're fans of the guys then it might be diverting enough, but for everyone else, this is a missed oppertunity.

"Your Highness" Trailer

127 Hours

Danny Boyle certainly knows how to put his audiences through the wringer. The reason a lot of his 'happy' endings have the effect they do, is because he knows how to make his audience work for it. Would Rentons declaration to 'choose life' at the end of 'Trainspotting' have been as sweet had we not witnessed the drug dens, the psychotic friends, and hopeless spiraling descent into drug abuse that we did. Would '28 Days Later' have had the same relief in its coda, without going through the loss and breakdown of society and humanity, had we not felt like we had been through it all with our heroes? Would 'Slumdog Millionaire' have been the feelgood film that it was, had we not had to endure child slavery and torture, in a crime ridden India before our two romantic leads could finally be reunited? When Boyle offers a happy ending in his films, not that they're common mind, it is based on his knowledge that the higher the trauma, the higher the catharsis. Put simply, we want the protagonist to pull through in a Danny Boyle film. And now, with '127 Hours', it is no better evidenced. Quite simply, as much a testament to Danny Boyles incredible film making, as it is to the unbelievable true story it is based on; it is the first film of 2011 to be seen here and it's a belter.

In 2003, mountain climber and reckless adventurer Aron Ralston (James Franco) went out hiking in the Blue John Canyon in Utah without telling either friends or family where he was going. Tragedy struck when Ralston accidentally dislodged a boulder in a small canyon, trapping his arm against the rock wall. Left alone and isolated with minimal chance of rescue or survival, Ralston is left to muse on his life, and the choices that led to this point. Now it may initially seem strange for a director as visually gifted and kinetic as Boyle is, to lend his eye to a completely static and lifeless location for the duration of the film. But that is exactly why none other than he could pull off a film like this with such visceral force. The film simply brims over with life, color and energy. While other directors might have played up the very small time limit Ralston had to extricate himself from his nightmare for tense and ultimately more shallow entertainment purposes, Boyle seems more concerned with the existential musings behind it all. As a result, the ordeal cuts that bit more deeper in the viewer, no pun intended. Yes, the ways and means Ralston tries to free himself are incredibly tough and hard to watch, but that is only because Boyle knows the release and absolution must be akin to something the real Ralston went through in order to achieve the desired results. Not that that makes it any easier to endure.

As Ralston, Franco gives the very best performance of his career so far. Spending much of the film on his own, he holds every ounce of our attention. His gift lies in the sheer range he has. Coming from his comedy roots and matinee idol good looks, he has portrayed very different characters across his career. A glance across his CV shows that while there have been attempts at blockbusters and classic leading man status, Francos best roles have been actually more character driven parts. A very solid co-starring role in 'Milk' showed his determination at being considered as a more serious actor, to go along with his more broader comedy output. Here he is a revelation and for once plays to all his strengths. Ralston was reckless bordering on arrogant. His sure positioning of himself as infallible was always going to be his downfall. When the boulder finally gets lodged in its position on top of Ralstons arm, his initial reaction is one of disbelief. That it would be this boulder rather than something altogether more grander that would trap him is unthinkable to him. He will not be beaten by something as insignificant as this. But beaten he is. His cocksure audacity and unflinching confidence soon gives away to anger, and then helplessness. It is only when Ralston can take responsibility for his actions that have led him here that it makes way to acceptance. The dawning when it happens, is just as significant to Ralston as it is the audience. We can't do everything on our own. We need friends and family. We need other people in our life. Otherwise everyday is just surviving. Ralston doesn't want to just survive anymore, he wants to live. The results of this are incredibly emotional for the viewer. Filtered though Franco's fantastic performance, we put ourselves in his place - would we actually be able to do what Ralston did? Of course Ralston was resourceful. Not many regular people would ever find themselves in the predicament that he did. Not that it should ever take Ralstons ordeal to learn what he learned. Through his daydreams and delirious visions, we should always remember to never take anything in life for granted. If anything, the film should be a reminder of that in all of us.

Boyle films the tragic consequences with his typical flair. Events never once become dull or boring. The resolution, when it finally comes is as unbearable as it is unflinching. When it happens, there is almost a sense of relief that this man is finally taking his own survival into his hands, no matter how grotesque to watch it may be. Reports of people fainting at the crucial point on initial screenings are so far unfounded. Not that it would be hard to imagine; Boyle's location is realistically and astutely detailed, despite half of its filming in a studio. The build up is so well defined and depicted that the solution, when it happens is far harder to take than most grand guignol films could ever muster up. And when it's over we are left, not with horror, but with a sense of uplifting fervor. Gain, not loss is what registers. And that is testament to Boyles skill as a filmaker. 2011 has just begun and so far Boyle has delivered one of the sure to be year greats.

Verdict: 84%

Aron Ralstons five day ordeal is given the Danny Boyle treatment. His high benchmark of stunningly edited sequences and soundtracked to a glorious score is again masterfully maintained. As gut wrenching and hard to stomach as it is emotional, the final feeling left with the viewer is in fact, one of incredible elation. James Franco gives a triumphant performance and the film deserves all of its awards and adulation sure to be coming its way.

"127 Hours" Trailer