Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of the biggest surprises of 2011. The original Planet of the Apes (1968) is a classic but the four sequels that followed over the next five years were pretty ordinary. I have fond memories of the short lived TV series, though I doubt that it holds up well today, and the 2001 Tim Burton remake was a disaster. So expectations were low but it turned out to be an intelligent movie with a brilliant action sequence on Golden Gate Bridge.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set ten years later. The apes have made a home in a forest outside of San Francisco whilst the human race has been decimated by a virus. Andy Serkis reprises his role of Caeser, the leader of the ape colony, and he is just as impressive as before. Much of the film is taken up with squabbles and relationships in the ape community. That is not particularly interesting but they have the benefit of being more rounded characters than the humans in the story.
A small group of survivors in San Francisco are running out of ways to generate electricity and need access to a damaged and out of action dam in the forest. Although their numbers are limited, the choice of people to take on that mission is plain odd. A random bloke, his wife (who for conveniences of the plot has medical skills), his teenage son, a violent man who hates the apes that they will need to befriend, and a token black guy. Meanwhile, back in the city a two dimensional evil leader (Gary Oldman slumming it) rabble rouses the residents who seem to just love gathering in large numbers to hear him talk.
Predictably the mission goes belly up, and the apes led by the rogue Koba (you can tell he is bad because he is the ugliest of the apes) decide to attack the city. That sequence is, by far, the best part of the film, using unusually impressive CGI to create some stunning scenes. However, that is all over pretty quickly and we go back to the plodding, humdrum plot.
The ending, when it comes is very frustrating. I remember a time when a sequel was made if a film was successful. It became a trend, particularly with horror films, to have a scene at the end setting up the chance of a follow up. Now, as films are cleverly marketed, and/or part of a franchise, in order to guarantee their success, a sequel is usually already in the planning when the previous film is being made. So, it is common for a film to end part way through a story without a satisfying conclusion, and that is what happens here. I half expected to find someone in the cinema foyer trying to sell me a ticket to the next film in the series when I left the screening!
One great sequence, a nice performance by Serkis and some beguiling shots of apes swinging through the jungle is all there is to recommend in this crushingly disappointing movie.
Rating: 5 out of 10