Andy Serkis to receive an oscar for Rise of the Planet of the Apes?
That's the good news.
Actor Andy Serkis arrived at The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena late last week to showcase a few select scenes from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, along with the latest trailer. This new footage, which should arrive online soon, contains stellar, state-of-the-art visual imagery. The overwhelming fact is: This man has truly turned in a performance that is as spectacular and as engaging as any that has ever brought home a best Actor Oscar in the past. Andy Serkis drags his Ceaser into stunning depths of human clarity. This ape is mystifying to stare at, and captivating on his own in an environment that, sadly, may prove to be his undoing.
It's all locked in those bright, green eyes. They are buzzing with an intensity that we've never seen captured in a CGI rendered character before. Even though Caesar is a fully animated construct, he is at all times engaging and believable. You simply cannot take your eyes away him. While WETA must be credited with crafting a wicked, lifelike creature of wonder, this ape's particular story of pain and longing is solely expressed in that larger-than-life face. This tsunami of emotions could have only come from a human being. These illuminated Pixels are but a form of make-up slathered on Andy Serkis, and what we are seeing on screen is not only the evolution of ape, but also of actor. And as a tagline, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a major revolution.
The sad thing is, this award-worthy showcase may be locked inside an affable, yet lofty carnival of carnage and, dare I say, hammy acting by those not encumbered by the weight of technology...It's too early to tell, especially from these few scenes we were handed like a taster spoon, but Ceaser and his simian pals may be the only thing going for Rise of the Planet of the Apes when it finally arrives in theaters on August 5th.
Is that a bad thing? Not in a summer like the one we're having. But it is a little disconcerting. John Lithgow is an award-winning actor, yet he's not above chewing the scenery like a sumo wrestler at a buffet. Here, he seems to be in a different movie than his ape pals. Why are they taking this so seriously, and he is not? The classically trained thespian is playing a man with Alzheimer's. In a truly defining moment for Ceaser, who lives with, and look's after this old man, John Lithgow gives one of the most baffling depictions of memory loss that I have ever seen commited to film. There is no truth to his ambivalence, and the moment seems thrown in to offer the audience a singular thrill during its slow-to-role first act.
As a tease, we are given the lead up to this particular moment, which pretty much sets up the entire storyline of what's to come. James Franco plays scientist Will Rodman, who is working on a cure for Alzheimer's. He has been running tests on various Chimpanzees. When one of them quite literally goes bananas during a presentation, ape handler Franklin (Tyler Labine; great in Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil but miscast here) is ordered to kill all of his test subjects. After doing so, he and Rodman discover a baby chimpanzee, Ceaser, which they smuggle out of the compound and hide at Will's house.
As he grows, the chimpanzee learns to be human, and he becomes part of the family. It's charming, cute, and calls to mind the real life documentary Project Nim, which is in theaters now and would make for a great double feature with Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Ceaser grows attached to Will and his Dad (John Lithgow), the later of which is eating his eggs with an upside down fork and forgetting his name. In what will probably be the goofiest scene in the movie, despite that it's perhaps one of the most crucial scenes, John Lithgow mumbles in innocent wonder at an expensive little sports car parked in front of his house. He climbs behind the wheel, finds that the keys are in the ignition, and proceeds to drive it back and forth, smashing the front and back of the cars he is parked between.
The owner of the car comes running out to see what is going on, angrily pulls John Lithgow from the car, and shoves his index finger deep into the old man's chest, scolding him. And rightly so. It's all so ridiculous. Ceaser witnesses this "attack", and takes offense. He runs outside and tackles the owner of the car. It almost seems as though we are watching a split screen of two separate films. Caesar is terrifying and enthralling. His bit is a thrilling moment of exhilaration. Yet there's John Lithgow tainting it with his ham-fisted weirdness. The tone is all over the place
And then there is James Franco, who is now forced to turn Caesar into the authorities, where the chimp is sent to live with the dregs of ape society. Franco just looks tired. He appears on-screen haggard, with dark circles under his eyes, barely awake, barely able to mumble and drool his scientifically specific lines of dialogue out and away from his mouth. In an odd way, it works for this character. As he would be under a lot of stress, encountering one sleepless night after the next, attempting to find the cure to a disease that would be a life changing medical breakthrough. It's either brilliant method acting, or the guy needs to take a break from life. In the few scenes we saw, he looked like he might fall into a coma at any second.
We were only given a few minutes from the second act, but it finds Caesar befriending the apes, orangutans, and chimpanzees that occupy his new digs, meant to be a sanctuary, but looking more like a jail. We see how he frees himself, stealing the knife of a shifty blonde haired douche bag whom we desperately want to see torn to pieces (I am positive his demise will come, albeit in PG-13 fashion).
We know what comes next from the trailers. There will be an ape uprising, and it should be awesome.
There were no real animals used in the making of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which makes the footage even more breathtaking. Caesar and his gang of hairy knuckle draggers promise to bring one of the biggest "fuck-yeah!" climaxes seen at theaters this summer. And it all revolves around Andy Serkis' performance as this evolving chimpanzee.
Yes, he should definitely, at the very least, get an Oscar nomination for Best Actor when the time comes. This is a showcase performance. And it may be all that's needed to make Rise of the Planet of the Apes one of the funnest theatrical outings seen this year. Its too bad so much of the rest of it doesn't appear to be up to par. Let's hope what we haven't seen blows the roof off this rebooted franchise.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was released August 5th, 2011 and stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Tyler Labine, Jamie Harris. The film is directed by Rupert Wyatt.
Comments (43)
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Monkeyiron 2.0
Sh*t he should he was very impressive as Caesar he deserves the oscar
2 years agoby @monkeyiron2-0Flag
T.Clark
@zanyzap Didn't see it.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
skywise
This just sounds insane. I am so blown away by the work WETA has done here but FX only go so far. The story (which is well known and a remake at at that) had better be worth the money. I have a feeling it will be.
2 years agoby @skywiseFlag
ZanyZap
@insertusernamehere: And Bridesmaids.
2 years agoby @zanyzapFlag
Basquat
He´s not gonna win anything cause the film is gonna flop big time. Razzie if he´s lucky and can beat Franco for it
2 years agoby @basquatFlag
T.Clark
@narrator Thor, First Class, Super 8, TF3, and Horrible Bosses.
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
ejk1
@narrator Thank you, sir. I just tried to provide some perspective.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
thedude-abides
@bawnian-dexeus They're both okay. I don't prefer one to the other. But neither should be in the conversation as the best performances in history. Not even close. They're just solid performances, the kind good actors are expected to deliver. There's a difference between doing a good job and being Marlon Brando.
2 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Dan
@bawnian-dexeus I know you're asking @thedude-abides that question, but I liked Zoe's Neytiri. The money shot for her in that film was of course them on the backs of those bird things and she looks at Jake and smiles.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
the Narrator
@insertusernamehere, which films were those, might I ask?
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
the Narrator
@ejk1 nailed it on the effin head.
2 years agoby @narratorFlag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
@thedude-abides In my opinion, it's better to judge the zero effects footage rather than the final product. Better to lose to a guy in a motion capture suit than a CGI monkey.
Just for the hell of it...between his monkey impersonations and Zoe's Na'vi, who's better?
2 years agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
thedude-abides
@bawnian-dexeus I don't know. I'm not gonna be a jerk about it. Daniel Day-Lewis is preparing milkshakes on Mr. Orange's behalf, lol.
2 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
@thedude-abides maybe it is because of the footage without him being a monkey and just in the motion capture suit?
2 years agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
slysnide
@dan1: Exactly. But you also understand they cant use nukes since they need human slaves. Remember from the first film.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Salem6777
he deserves it... nuff said
2 years agoby @Salem6777Flag
ejk1
Oh yes, and let's not forget little blue people that will be showing up in Central Park, and talking automobiles.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
ejk1
In a summer season that started with a God of Thunder, moved onto a pirate that died (sort of) two movies ago, a panda that knows martial arts, mutants, an alien that wants to go home, an intergalactic police force, and within the next three weeks will include a world filled with good and evil wizards, a genetically enhanced super-soldier, and extra terrestrials wreaking havoc in the old west, how is it that Planet of the Apes is being called to task for its realism? It may be good, it may be bad, but the one thing I won't be looking for in deciding my opinion is realism.
2 years agoby @ejk1Flag
Dan
@slysnide How come? It's no more ridiculous than the movie itself? :P
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
slysnide
@dan1@bawnian-dexeus: I can't believe we're having this debate in an intelligent matter. :P
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
thedude-abides
Did anybody else read the quote in the article about the performance being as good as any Best Actor performance in history? Am I the only one troubled by that?
2 years agoby @thedude-abidesFlag
Dan
@bawnian-dexeus Now a virus sounds a little more plausible. That's not bad.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
@dan1 Well, until the movie comes, somethings got to happen at a large scale for a small group in the hundreds or thousands to take over a planet. If bombs don't work, then maybe a virus that doesn't affect animals but just humans. I'm simply having fun with my campy and ridiculous theories
2 years agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
T.Clark
@narrator I agree. I've seen 5 movies so far this summer and enjoyed all of them. I skipped GL so as not to contaminate that joy haha
2 years agoby @insertusernamehereFlag
Dan
@bawnian-dexeus@slysnide That would make for a lame movie though. They turn a few keys, press a couple red buttons, apes win? Plus, hasn't it been verified that if only a few more nuclear explosions occur in our atmosphere, it would almost permanently (I say almost, because time can heal almost anything, given enough of it) disrupt things? So even so, that's a stupid move on the apes if they want to take over the world, they'd be f*cking themselves as well in the process.
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
slysnide
@bawnian-dexeus: lolz.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
@slysnide How else would 264 species that don't even reach a million (i'm guessing here) annihilate over 6 billion humans? Bombs are the quickest way in my opinion.
2 years agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag
slysnide
@dan1: hahahha :P. Breaking it down bit by bit. I was referencing just how ridiculous the whole trailer looked. Like @bawnian-dexeus mentioning that two of them use launch codes at an army base. wtf?
@moviewiz001: I just ranked all the "Apes" sequels as the 4th worst films ever made in the forum of worst films created by XxNickTheFilmCriticXx. I still don't get it though. How is this better cuz of the predecessors existence? If anything it's worse for that reason as this just looks all the more ridiculous. I know this had to happen to get to that point in the original film, but some aspects of a story are better left to the imagination.
2 years agoby @slysnideFlag
Dan
And Serkis is a very talented individual, no doubt. I've loved the guy ever since Gollum, enjoyed him as Kong and a human character in King Kong, and I'm sure he'll bring the thunder here as well as Caesar. But I have strong doubts he'll ever win an Oscar with those type of roles. Which is fine for me, it puts him in the underdog class, where Jeff Bridges and a few others have resided (though Bridges left that after winning his Oscar).
2 years agoby @dan1Flag
Bawnian©-Dexeus
Somewhere in this movie, there's a couple of apes turning two keys simultaneously to activate the launch codes at a military base.
2 years agoby @bawnian-dexeusFlag