Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

When a movie is 42 years old, is the twist ending worth preserving? Probably not, but if you are unfamiliar with the saga that is The Planet of the Apes I am apologize in advance for spoiling the fact that It was Earth all along. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes brilliantly shows us the origins of just how the earth was over run, or rather taken over by the apes.

Will Rodman, played by James Franco, is researching a cure for Alzheimer's. It is a personal crusade for him because his father is suffering from it. During his clinical trials on chimpanzees, Will discovers that one of the primates has shown great progress. When the ape gets aggressive and attacks, it is summarily put down. When the dust settles it is revealed that the true reason for the aggressive behavior was not the "cure" but rather a baby chimpanzee, Caesar. Will takes the chimp home and soon becomes attached to Caesar's personality, and impressed by his staggering intelect. Will Rodman many be the main human character in the film but the story is centered purely on Caesar.

The early parts of the movie focuses on Caesar and Will, their developing relationship, and Caesars desire to be recognized as something more than a wild animal. When things go sour, Will is forced to place Caesar in a primate sanctuary run by Brian Cox. Superficially it appears to be a primate's paradise, but beneath the surface lies what is essentially Alcatraz for apes. It is here that the movie shifts gears and becomes very much a prison movie. Caesar, is caged and despite his staggering intellect he is initially not respected. There are moments in this section of the film when I flashed to old episodes of OZ, the only thing missing was gang rape in the shower. Caesar uses his intellect to eventually and cleverly gain alpha male status, and leadership of the imprisoned apes.

The third act of the movie becomes a disaster film. The Apes, after receiving an intelligence boost courtesy of Will's Alzheimer's treatment, descend upon downtown San Francisco wreaking havoc and mayhem as you would expect. This leads to panicked human characters trying to exterminate the apes out of fear, and perhaps guilt. But despite the mayhem, the ultimate goal of the apes is just to reach the redwood forests of Marin where they can safely and peacefully live.

Andy Serkis, who gained notoriety playing Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, puts in another stellar motion capture performance as Caesar. Serkis' motion capture roles are going to become legend. He gives better performances using only his eyes and gestures than some actors give using all of their faculties. I would not be surprised if someday in the future he is not bestowed an honorary Oscar for his pioneering of this type of performance.

Of course as much as Andy Serkis brings to the role, none of it would matter without the digital wizards at the Weta Workshop. This New Zealand based special effects house has really outdone themselves with their work here. The apes in this film are so much more than actors in prosthetics, but by the end of the movie you can still see a blend that would allow continuity between the films with low tech effects. 

The movie is very well done. Thematically the film jumps back an fourth between the dangers of human scientific exploration, and a morality play on the cruelty of animal testing. There is nothing surprising in the plot, you know where its headed, and yet you are still kept on the edge of your seat wondering just how it's going to get you there. The only surprising thing is that perhaps for the first time in the Planet of the Apes sage, you actually root for the Apes to win. You want Caesar to succeed, you cheer when an ape defeats a human, and you are sad when an ape is defeated.

You don't need to have seen any of the prior films in the series to appreciate this story, but if you have there are some very subtle and clever nods that you will appreciate, including the space shuttle Icarus. Be sure to stay through the first 10 minutes for credits to get the full effect of the morality play.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 Review

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 Review
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 is a concluding chapter in a massive story. It is not, I repeat, not a stand alone story. This is a film that is not easily explainable without previous details from earlier films, while I will sincerely try to avoid spoilers for this movie, it is impossible not to for the other films. So here is your official warning: if you have never read the books or seen any of the movies I recommend you stop reading now unless you are unafraid of spoilers.

Its a bit odd thinking that there will never be another Harry Potter film. For the last ten years the adventures of Harry Potter, and his fellow students have fascinated millions myself included. Lets just contemplate that massive amount of time for a moment. For anyone my age, this series has lasted for nearly one third of our lives. For those in their early 20's they spend their youth growing up with Harry and his friends. Then there are some who don't remember a time before, or have never known a world without Harry Potter.

I have always thought that the movies and the books were un-comparable. The books are fantastic, and tell a brilliant story flush with well developed characters, and beautiful details. The movies tell their own story.  They are superficial synopses at best, but they do a good job of translating J.K Rowling's vision, and in many cases by streamline her tale improving parts.

The final entry into the saga spectacularly delivers a pure action film. David Yates has done a great job of concluding a series that began with a boy and ends with a man. This film is vastly different than the first Harry Potter film, and without question this series has become more and more adult with each passing entry.

The movie begins where we left off in part 1. Voldemort has obtained the elder wand from the crypt of Dumbledore, and intends to rule the world as a master of death. Severus Snape has now become the headmaster of Hogwarts, which appears much more like a military school than a wizarding school. There is an ominous nature to the opening moment, not because of their malevolence, but because of their fear. They know a battle is imminent, and you can sense that they are as on edge about it as our heroes are. Speaking of our heroic trio, Harry, Hermoine, and Ron, have taken refuge at the beach house. They have buried their savior from the last film, and are now preparing their first real offensive attack. Disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange, they plan to infiltrate Gringott's Bank in order to obtain one of the horcruxes. Horcruxes are magical objects that contain portions of the Dark Lord's soul. Their search leads our heroes back to Hogwarts where an epic battle is waged to determine the fate of the magical world.

There is true spectacle and scale to the Battle of Hogwarts. They desired to go out with a bang and not a wimper. Much of the movie is reminiscent of the massive battle scenes from Lord of the Rings. There is much damage, destruction, and yes many fallen heroes. The Lord of the Rings strength was it's ability to follow several story lines, and multiple characters. Deathly Hallows doesn't even try, instead the movie focuses on Harry and his hunt for the remaining horcruxes. If you haven't read the books you will not be missing anything but for fans of the book you will be left perplexed as to why they gloss over so many vital and soulful aspects of the story. By all accounts this complaint is a nit pick, but in my opinion, by rushing through or just mentioning these aspects in passing, we are robbed of so many wonderful aspects of the story. We have spent so many years, and so much time learning and connecting with all the characters, that because the movie rushes to tell Harry's story we are cheated out of some very powerful tear jerking moments that could have been.

I cannot say enough about Alan Rickman. Already a brilliant actor before this role his career will be defined by this role (ok and maybe Hans Gruber). Throughout this series he has played a character that was seemingly so one dimensional, and yet as we find out in this movie was actually deeper with more layers than possibly any other character.  I for one will be going back through the other films just to watch his performance and pick up on all the subtle details, to see if there are any telling moments, if there were any clues to see if he knew all along what his character's fate was.

On the whole the movie is a brilliant end to a saga. There is much to love about the movie, and it brings the entire story full circle in a beautiful and powerful way. You will leave the theater genuinely happy, with a true sense of closure. While we will all miss the anticipation of waiting for the next Harry Potter, we can all be happy knowing that the films tell the story from once upon a time, to the end.

DVD Releases for Tuesday June 28, 2011

This is the part of the blog where I tell you what I am buying for the week on DVD. Most of you who know me also know that I like to collect and watch movies at home. Most weeks I buy 1-4 releases. This week I will be buying:

Lord Of The Rings Extended Edition
Yeah I know this is a double, triple, or for some of you a quadruple dip from Peter Jackson, but if you are a fan of this trilogy you know you will be picking it up on Blu Ray. I hear that the extras are nothing new, nor are they upgraded to HD. Also absent is the presence of any Hobbit material, so you can probably expect another set to coincide with the Hobbit. I am getting this set purely for the Extended Editions in HD, and thats enough for me to be happy.







Sucker Punch
A loud, jarring mess of a movie from Zach Snyder.  I wanted this movie to be more than it is.  I like Snyder's visual style, and I enjoyed those aspects of the movie.  But the movie really could have been more, it could have been cuckoo's nest brought to all its visual life, but you know with hot chicks instead of Chief and Nicholson. Unfortunately we got a steaming turd.








Beastly
Ever wanted to see a live action Beauty & The Beast? Well keep waiting, this movie tries to deliver that story in a fresh and contemporary way, but fails on several levels.  I liked the characters in the movie, and who can argue with the plot, the problem with Beastly is the fact that it fails to develop any of the characters, they are all paper cut outs, no dimensions, or depth of any kind.








Season of the Witch
Poor Nicholas Cage, that guy needs to fire his agent. He also needs to stop making movies just for the paycheck, or we may ask for his Oscar back.











Barney's Version
Dustin Hoffman and Paul Giamatti sharing the screen has got me interested.  Barney's version was a hit at awards season, so I am excited to see just why everyone was raving about it.

Thor Review

Thor Review

Comic book superheroes typically fall into one of 3 categories.  Armed vigilante (think Batman,  or Iron Man,), Alien sent from a distant planet to save us (think Superman, Green Lantern), or Mutant Humanoid (X-men, or Spiderman.) If I had to pick one of these categories to lump Thor into he would most definitely fall into the Alien Hero category.

The film starts out with the question "Where did he come from?" We are then immediately given an entire mythology lesson in less than five minutes similar to the way Peter Jackson described the Hobbit in the Lord of the Rings.  It's short, it's sweet, its very well done, and my only complaint is that it is too brief to give us any real sense of the size or scope of the outer realms.  We discover that the mythology lesson was in fact just that, King Odin telling the tales of his triumph over the Frost Giants to his two sons Thor & Loki.  Jump ahead a few years and we are at the coronation of his eldest son Thor.  Thor is to replace his father on the throne, and Loki of course is jealous.  It is here that we get our first sense of who Thor is.  Honestly I didn't like him. He is more than unlikeable he's an arrogant prick, he's the star quarterback who thinks he is better than everyone else, and he is beyond selfish.  His arrogance leads him to be easily manipulated by Loki, a smart and devious younger brother who craves the power his brother is too easily given.  When Thor disobey's his father and in the process destroys a centuries old truce, he is banished to earth. Unlike in the comics he is banished not to a wheelchair but in his standard body.  I would have liked to have seen this film take on the challenge of the wheelchair, but I understand why they chose not to.  When he arrives on earth he is the same jerk he was on the other planet, but now his oafishness, is punctuated by its lack of context.  Thor is sent to earth by his father in order to learn humility, grace and above all wisdom.  I know I said I didn't like him, but we as an audience are meant not to.  He has to be unlikable in order for us to appreciate his change and cheer his achievements later in the film. When he is banished the movie turns for a bit into a fish out of water story as Thor begins to accept and adapt to his modern surroundings. We soon discover that just like King Arthur and the sword in the stone, Thor's hammer has landed and is currently being studied by S.H.I.E.L.D, the militant homeland security team that eventually gives birth to the Avengers. For Thor getting his hammer back means he can once again return to Asgard.

At it's core this movie is a Shakespearian narrative, one of betrayal, redemption and heroism.  Initially the film was going to be directed by Matthew Vaughn.  When Vaughn stepped out the studio wisely replaced him with Kenneth Branagh I say wisely because nobody directs Shakespeare better than Kenneth Branagh.  The movie isn't about a hero, it's not about stopping a villain, or saving the girl. Unlike Superman, or Batman Thor is just trying to get home, he has no love for earth, no desire to stay.  Surprisingly the movie is not at all as earthbound as the trailers would have you believe. It intentionally strives to become the Lord of the Rings of comic book movies. The best parts of the movie take place away f on Asgard and the other realms that are not Earth. These scenes are truly amazing, full of beauty, and story, and because there is such a strong base here it made me wish that entire movie had taken place there. I really am hoping to see a sequel that explores the Asgard and outer worldly realms.  The strength of the film lies in the portions of the movie set away from earth, and I would like to see more of that world.What the movie really struggles with plot and character development.  There are so many subplots vying for attention that none of them are really served, nor do they really serve the main plot which is Thor's banishment and his subsequent return. The characters, with rare exception, are one dimensional and superfluous, I know they all have a greater purpose in the mythology, but did we really didn't need half of them. The motives of the villain Loki are also a bit bewildering, aside from the fact that he is jealous and he wants to take over Asgard, you never get a real sense of what his plan is. Having said that, The entire movie is enjoyable, action packed, and surprisingly funny.  Don't expect a huge uptick in Thor costumes, or merchandise though.  Unlike most comic book movies I think that this will be the least marketable to children because most of the film will be over their heads, but that again is not a bad thing.

Be sure to stay and watch all of the credits.  I promise you will be rewarded with a spectacular nugget of Avengers goodness.

Let me know what you think when Thor comes out Friday May 6th, 2011