Going Ape for "Apes"

It was a while ago now, probably about ten years ago that my dad introduced me to the movie Planet of the Apes. And I’m not talking about the 2001 Mark Whalberg remake of Planet of the Apes, I’m talking 1968 Charlton Heston Planet of the Apes. The original. That’s where it’s at. So for any of you that saw the 2001 version and thought, “Wow, this is horrible,” well, that’s because it is. It doesn’t do the 1968 version much justice.

For those of you that haven’t seen the 1968 Planet of the Apes, I highly recommend it. While it may be considered somewhat “slow” by today’s standards, the movie has a very unique and interesting plot line. Three astronauts crash land on an unknown planet in the year 3978 AD, that seems to be uninhibited by any intelligent life. Taylor, played by Charlton Heston, is the leader of the group. Eventually, the travelers come across a tribe of mute and primitive humans. While they are questioning how this could be, the tribe comes under attack from a band of masked horsemen. Being mistaken for part of the tribe, Taylor’s two comrades go missing, and he himself is captured and shot in the neck rendering him speechless. He wakes up to find that his capturers are actually a race of highly intelligent and advanced apes, that have developed their own religion, military, government, and science program (much like our own society). While being medically treated, Taylor befriends Zira (Kim Hunter) and Cornelius (Roddy McDowall), a chimpanzee couple that take an interest in his seemingly far advanced “intelligence” (as opposed to the mute, underdeveloped humans they are accustomed to). The plot thickens as Dr. Zaius, the communities political and religious leader, attempts to silence and kill Taylor for reasons unknown. When Taylor, Zira, and Cornelius escape to try and free him, Taylor stumbles across a surprise that brings him to his knees (not going to spoil it, and if you know anything about pop culture, you should know what the ending is).

This was one of my favorite movies growing up, it’s a great science fiction flick. So imagine my surprise when my dad told me that there is a new installment to the series coming out this summer: Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It is supposed to be a sort of “prequel” to the original movie, showing what happened before the apes took over. Upon hearing this news, I was both excited and nervous. While I’m excited to see the plot they have developed and the special effects they have incorporated (special effects that will most certainly surpass the makeup and costumes of 1968), I’m worried it might take the same path that Planet of the Apes (2001) did. And let me tell you, that one was a bummer. I really hope this movie meets my expectations and is a respectable addition to the Planet of the Apes series.

So far, I don’t know much about the plot. I watched the trailer on Youtube and it seems slightly vague. It appears that it takes place modern day. Scientists are working to find a cure for Alzheimer’s and are using apes as test subjects. When one ape, Caeser, starts to rapidly develop and mutate, things start to get out of control. It will star James Franco (Spiderman, 127 Hours), and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire). John Lithgow (who you may know more formally as Lord Farquad from Shrek, or The Trinity Killer from Dexter) is rumored to have a roll as well. And for all you Harry Potter fans, Tom Feltom (aka Draco Malfoy) is a known addition to the cast.

The movie Rise for the Planet of the Apes will be released in theaters August 5^th, 2011. Don’t feel as though you need to have seen Planet of the Apes to understand the plot. That’s the glory of a prequel, you can go in without having much knowledge of the series at all. But from my own personal recommendation, I say watch Planet of the Apes, it’s really a great movie. As for Rise, I’m holding high expectations, and I really hope they are met.