The prequel to the classic planet of the apes film by Charlton Heston is a truly down to earth, Gritty thriller with everything you would expect; action, romance and trust and believe. Thanks to the extreme advancement in visual effects highly intelligent apes can be shown convincingly for the first time on screen giving the film a truly gripping feel. No Ape suits were needed for the film unlike Tim Burton’s 2001 remake of the classic as all the movements were made using motion-capture technology. The main ape of the film, Caesar is played by Andy Serkis, a highly trained actor in playing the role of an ape as he played King Kong in Peter Jackson’s stunning reboot of the 1933 classic that became an absolute legend.
Caesars mother is a captured primate used for medicinal research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. When the medicine seems to have aggressive side effects the project is shut down and all the primates are put down. When the cages are being emptied a baby chimp (Caesar) is found and taken home by Will Rodman (James Franco), a troubled young scientist that lives with his father, a sufferer of dementia. As Caesar gets older Will realises that his intelligence is much higher than a child counterpart and decides to feed the medication to his father as the medication not only cures brain problems but actually develops the brain.
The film does not have any racial satirity like in the 1968 classic where apes ruled over white human slaves showing the effects of karma on the world. In this prequel the film takes a different route and shows Caesar develop a consciousness for other apes whilst locked up in a cage.
The film is highly suspenseful and involving due to its fast paced story and great characters. Caesar’s mannerisms and expressions seem neither simian nor human and seem scarily realistic. The film was surprisingly tender as a strong family bond forms between Will, Caesar and Charles and when Caesar starts to show extreme emotions such as love and hate towards humans.