Krishna
The original planet of the apes was interesting, in that the twist at the end was unexpected. This one is a take on that movie, and imagines how it would have all continued several years later. The trailers did not do justice to the movie and I almost did not go. The popular review sites had reviews that persuaded me to give it a try and I am glad I did. For it is a well made, intelligent movie.
The main draw in the movie, though, comes out in the trailer. The apes that they portray are believable as lab experimental monkeys that escaped with genetically modified human intelligence and emotions. Very interestingly told on how they teach their young, how they live in a crude city with roofs over their heads, albeit of the thatched hut variety and how they remember the previous torture. The human kind, in the meanwhile has been wiped out fully, or so the apes believe, due to a virus that spread through them.
The encounter begins when a group of humans come across the apes on their way to repair a dam – the electricity being vital for their survival. The beauty of the movie is that you understand the conflict from everyone’s viewpoint, even the evil ones. The people have a perfectly valid reason for acting as they do, and you feel that if you were in their position, you would act the same way too.
Now for the story. Part of it has been described above. The monkeys from a genetic lab escape following a pandemic which nearly destroys human race. The leader of the pack is called Caesar. I thought it was a title, modeled on Roman emperors, but turns out it is his name. He is the one who planned and got all the monkeys released, some of whom were tortured (from their viewpoint) in the name of science, and his assistant, Koba, who is as eternally grateful to Caesar as he is implacably aligned in hatred against the human kind.
Caesar is a wise, thoughtful and pragmatist man, and when he finds some humans in his path, even though one kills an ape in confusion, lets them go. Koba is furious but obeys.
When the apes go to find where the humans are they come across a vast “colony” of people and Caesar agrees that they can repair their dam and go back. In the meanwhile, with their medicine, they cure Caesar’s wife, making Caesar indebted to them.
The complex web spins from there, and the story is told with style and promise. The people and apes have certain members who completely disagree with their leaders’ plans for coexistence and plot to subvert it. Things go wrong with people smuggling guns into the ape colony against the express agreement, Koba rebelling against the sudden weakness of Caesar against the obnoxious humans, humans in turn not trusting the apes causing almost another death with a smuggled gun, all of them are told in a tight, exciting narrative.
The dialogs are tight and powerful, with sign language of the apes interspersed with short English sentences while conversing with humans.
The bond that forms between Caesar and Malcolm, the human, is touching. So is the powerful statement from Caesar, when he faces rebellion on the ranks of the apes : “We thought man was our enemy and we were a different race. See how similar we are to them!”
A good story, definitely worth watching.
7/10
– – Krishna