STORYLINE & PLOT:
The top lab scientist at a bio-engineering firm in San Francisco discovered a potentially successful treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. However, treating lab chimps, and also clandestinely treating his father, resulted in a mixed, bifurcated set of results which over time unleashed the Id & Ego in Genus Homo/Hominid. As the prophet Amos stated in presenting the view of the Most High: If we do not think alike, can we long walk together?
Chimp nabbers in Africa sell a band of prospects to Gen-Sys for experimentation in their San Francisco Bay-area locale, including a bright-eyed female who was pregnant. Gen-Sys hoped to market a virus-based treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and it gave doses of its experimental drug (112-ALZ) to chimps. Only Bright-Eyes responded. She exhibited remarkable intellectual skills, suggesting the drug treatment might also aid cognitive capacity in humans.
When side effects force Gen-Sys to “put away” the chimps involved in the 112-ALZ experiments, lab-keeper Franklin discovered that Bright-Eyes had given birth to a son. The lab team leader, Will Rodman, agreed to take him home to rear him. He believed that it would be good for his father, Charles, who was suffering from advancing Alzheimer’s disease. When Will saw that Baby Caesar had the bright-eyes of mom plus the green tones indicative of 112-ALZ, he concluded that she had passed the positive effects of the treatment to her son by means of a genetic trait and that it resulted in a much brighter chimp, exhibiting no negative side effects. But would it work on humans? He decided to experiment on Dad.
The results were mixed, but Will was encouraged enough to approach Gen-Sys’s CEO, Steven Jacobs, to proceed with an improved version he called 113-ALZ. He got the “green light” and continued to experiment on chimps and, of course, Dad, who had a second attack of Alzheimer’s disease. Caesar was taken to a near-by Redwood forest, which was awesome for him. It also seemed to ring some primeval bells.
Caesar became fond of Dad, and, when a neighbor, Hunsiker, went “postal” over Dad’s joy-ride in the neighbor’s car, the brainy ape came to the rescue. That “road-rage” resulted in Caesar being consigned to an animal prison that had a spacious, “feel-good” enclosure to fool citizens in regard to the care provided their beloved pets.
Impressed with the façade, Will felt that it was for the best to leave Caesar. He was legally compelled to do so at any rate. Further, his young veterinarian “squeeze,” Caroline, occupied much of his thoughts – at least those not focused on 113-ALZ. However, for Caesar the new environment proved to be a “school for gladiators.” Out of this crucible a Spartacus arose, and his name was Caesar. With the aid of his superior wit, an orangutan (Maurice), a gorilla (Buck), and the fumes of 113-ALZ, Caesar Spartacus forged an army of apes.
They liberated the Gen-Sys lab chimps and the San Francisco Zoo apes. There was a final judgment of Steven Jacobs of Gen-Sys, and they offered him a deal he couldn’t refuse. Then Caesar’s army march through San Francisco in route to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Muir Park beyond, and they bashed any “hu-mies” that got in their way. Caesar Spartacus led his forces in a rout of the SFPD and CHPS forces at a rampart amid bridge.
At the edge of the Redwood forest he had a touching “break” with his youthful “daddy” – Will. Then, he scampered with his army up the Redwoods to view from on high the distant Golden Gate Bridge and, beyond it, San Francisco. There, in the distance, Caesar Spartacus saw “the land of milk and honey” beckoning, and he sensed a New World Order waiting to be born. Would he lead his people there?
COMMENTARY:
I liked the film, although it absolutely compelled a sequel to provide a plausible bridge to the “Planet of the Apes.” As an after-the-fact production of a successful film sci-fi, it presented an acceptable sci-fi genesis. The viewer is asked to go along with the fun of it without too much carping.
Nevertheless, some may feel a bit uneasy about the opening in which a gang of African trappers ensnared a band of chimps and then shipped them off to America, where they were soon exploited by “men in white” employed at neo-plantations, such as Gen-Sys, which sought to wring profits from disease.
Naturally, “signing” was employed in the education of Caesar. A number of them were introduced along the way. I had observed in nature films chimp clans using gestures, especially regarding dominance. However, the ape sign for “submission” or “approval” in this film was an over-and-under hands movement, and I could not help recalling my ‘teen years when “cool” kids did similar movements while saying, “give me some skin.” I kid you not!
The teen angst of Caesar was almost a parody of scores of movies.
When the enlightened Caesar is tossed into a bay-area prison for unruly primates, he quickly learned that his new companions were ignorant and quarrelsome. Most didn’t even know signing. By keeping his wits he stumbled upon a means (113-ALZ) of improving his new homies’ collective brain power. With elevated intelligence the confined chimps just might understand and accept Caesar’s vision.
I must say that the implied universality and potential brotherhood of apes, whether orangutan, gorilla or chimp, seemed a stretch. This is especially so when one considers that in The Planet of the Apes, the gorillas had ousted the chimps from power, and they ruled in a rather brutal fashion. Perhaps the effect of 113-ALZ had worn off over the centuries, or there were unfortunate side effects. The apes had learned nothing from their subjugation by humans; instead, they treated humans as brutally as they had been treated by the humans. Well, it’s a jungle out there, I guess.
Caesar’s view that the Redwood forest was his natural home was curious, since he was reared in a middle class San Francisco Bay-area home. Are the film makers trying to say that you can’t take the jungle out of the chimp? Or, is Caesar a chimp version of Henry David Thoreau? Exactly who was the role model for the baby chimp as he matured? Was his name meant to be an important clue? If so, it seems to be less appropriate than “Spartacus,” while his future “all-conquering” son (in a sequel) might be fittingly named “Caesar.”
I thought the special effects were well done.
I thought the story was reasonably constructed, and it led to the climactic “Battle of the Golden Gate Bridge,” which was interestingly packaged. The story sequence was basically: 1) African jungle, 2) Gen-Sys Lab, 3) Will Rodman’s home, 4) unruly pet prison, 5) the Caesar Spartacus revolt, and 5) the West Coast jungle.
Not surprisingly, the writers worked into the film an ignorant, blond-haired “jailer” (Dodge Landon) of the chimps at the animal enclosure where the young adult Caesar was confined. He functioned like Hollywood’s stereotypical racists do.
The bottom line is this: It’s no piece of cake being a lab animal. Still, there are limits not even an ape can endure without rage.
This movie should be considered a children-friendly movie.
PRODUCTION KEYS:
Rupert Wyatt – director, Rick Jaffa/Amanda Silver – writers, Patrick Doyle – original music, Andrew Lesnie – cinematographer, Conrad Buff IV/Mark Goldblatt – film editing, Mike Desabrais – stunt double for John Lithgow, Christopher Gordon – stunt double for David Hewlett, Jon Kralt – stunt double for Tom Felton
CAST KEYS:
James Franco (Will Rodman),Andy Serkis (Caesar), Frieda Pinto (Caroline Aranha), John Lithgow (Charles Rodman), Tom Felton (Dodge Landon), David Oyelowo (Steven Jacobs), Tyler Labine (Robert Franklin), Jay Caputo (Alpha), Richard Riddings (Buck), Karin Konoval (Maurice), Terry Notary (Bright-Eyes/Rocket),David Hewlett (Hunsiker), Ty Olsson (Chief John Hamil), Brian Cox (John Landon)
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