WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES : Tuesday 1st August 2017.

'WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES' which I saw last week has a long history on both the big and small screen as various derivatives of the 'Planet of the Apes' saga, but this last reboot of which this marks the third and supposedly final instalment has received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. The original reintroduction to the franchise came in 2011 with 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and was Directed by Rupert Wyatt for US$93M and grossed US$482M and starred James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar, the first intelligent ape. In 2014 its sequel 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' was Directed by Matt Reeves for US$209M and grossed US$711M worldwide and starred Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Keri Russell, and Andy Serkis as Caesar again and Toby Kebbell as Koba, a renegade lieutenant to Caesar. Now in 2017 we have 'War for the Planet of the Apes' Directed once again by Matt Reeves for US$150M and so far since its US release on 14th July has taken US$278M and stars Woody Harrelson as the main human protagonist and Andy Serkis again as Caesar. There are several likenesses with the fifth film in the original franchise series 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' but this is not intended as a remake of that earlier 1973 film. 'War for the Planet of the Apes' has met with widespread critical acclaim with strong praise for the acting (Andy Serkis for his Mo-Cap performance especially), the storyline, the action scenes, the music score and the overall Direction.

And so to this gripping instalment. Set fifteen years or so after the outbreak of the Simian Flu, that infected and near wiped out the worlds human population and gave rise to ever increasingly intelligent apes, a rogue group of soldiers known as Alpha-Omega are patrolling through the undergrowth of a dense forest. As they progress it is clear that they are on a mission to seek out and destroy an ape colony. In the distance and up an embankment, the soldiers spy several apes keeping guard on horseback. They let loose with crossbow fire taking out three guards on horseback, before letting rip with the might of rocket launchers and automatic machine gun fire on the unsuspecting ape colony hidden amongst the trees. The apes muster themselves and have the higher ground advantage and give back as good as they get, but ultimately there are many casualties on both sides.

In the aftermath of the attack in which the apes gained the upper hand, there are four live soldiers remaining who are being held captive by the apes. Caesar (Andy Serkis) arrives, and it is clear from his entry that he is the revered leader of this clan of apes. He orders that the four men be released with a clear message to be delivered to their leader that he did not start the war, and that he wants peace between the apes and the humans. Soon after their release, Caesar's son, Blue Eyes (Max Lloyd-Jones) and Rocket (Terry Notary) a lieutenant to Caesar and close friend, return from a reconnaissance mission to find suitable safe haven for the apes to relocate to where they can establish themselves away from humankind and live in peace. They report that they have pinpointed a perfect place for them across the desert and with plenty of water.

Later that night after the injured apes have been attended to, a crack team of Alpha-Omega troops led by Colonel McCullough (Woody Harrelson) descend on the apes colony hidden behind a cascading waterfall. Caesar is alerted to their presence and quietly musters support to take them out, but not before the Colonel has killed Caesar's wife, Cornelia (Judy Greer) and his son, Blue Eyes. Caesar is distraught and the rage builds up inside him, wanting to exact his revenge on the humans for killing his family after he extended the hand of peace.

The next day, Caesar departs to seek out his revenge on the Colonel. He leaves his youngest son, Cornelius (Devyn Dalton) in the care of Blue Eye's mate, Lake (Sara Canning), and has every intention of going it alone while the clan make for their safe haven beyond the desert. However, Maurice (Karin Konoval) a wise and trusted Bornean oragutan, Rocket and Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) decide to accompany Caesar on his perilous journey, and reluctantly Caesar agrees.

En route they come across what seems to be an abandoned run down lakeside village. They split up and investigate and are greeted by a soldier type, who plays it all innocent before reaching for his gun, only to be shot dead by Caesar. They search through the soldiers hut and come across a young girl (Amiah Miller) cowering in her bed. She cannot speak. Maurice insists they they take her with them, for left alone she will surely die. The two share a connection when Maurice picks up a old rag doll from under the bed and gently hands it to the girl, who accepts it graciously.

In time Caesar, Maurice, Rocket, Luca and the girl make it to the Colonel's camp, but notice that it is being evacuated. Caesar learns from another captive ape that the Colonel has departed for the 'border' where a new Alpha-Omega camp is being established, but none of them know where the border is. They decide to follow behind the outgoing convoy of Alpha-Omega and along the way discover three human soldiers shot and left for dead and buried in the snow. Uncovering the bodies, one remains alive but like the young girl, cannot speak. He soon dies from his wounds. Caesar is left wondering why the Colonel would turn on his own?

Continuing their journey they meet up with another ape in an abandoned resort hotel. Bad Ape (Steve Zahn) can speak, and converses with Caesar that he has been living alone all these years keeping out of harms way, and that he originated from the Sierra Zoo before the Simian Flu pandemic. He learnt to speak human from his captors, who chided him and berated him calling him, Bad Ape! Bad Ape reveals that he knows the whereabouts of the border encampment, and reluctantly agrees to take them there.

Upon arriving at the Alpha-Omega camp Caesar and his party observe that there are hundreds of apes all being held captive. While checking out the facility, Luca is killed protecting Caesar by a patrol soldier, and in his anger and having proceeded alone is captured by Red (Ty Olsson) a lowland Gorilla and former follower of Koba as played by Toby Kebbell in the previous films, who now serves the Colonel against Caesar. In the camp compound Caesar comes to realise that many of the captive apes are from his own clan, including his young son Cornelius, and Lake. He witnesses them being forced into hard manual labour building a high fortified defensive wall and without any food or water.

The Colonel reveals to Caesar that the Simian Flu virus has mutated, causing the human survivors of the original strain to devolve becoming mute and reverting back to a primitive state. Caesar deduces that the Colonel is barricading himself into this heavily fortified remote mountainside hideaway to fend off the remains of the U.S. Army from the North, who want to eradicate him because of his beliefs in killing off any infected humans, including his own son, to stop the spread of the virus. The Colonel firmly believes that he is battling a 'Holy War' for the survival of humankind, before the world becomes an ape planet!

Caesar is tied to a cross at night in the freezing conditions and is then locked up in a solitary cell, and tortured with starvation and hard labour too. Maurice calls the young girl Nova, and she sneaks into the camp under cover of darkness and gives Caesar the rag doll, as well as food and water to revive and sustain him. Rocket allows himself to be captured as a distraction to Nova being found out. The next day when the Colonel inspects Caesar to determine if he still lives, he notices the rag doll in his cell. Asking where it came from, everyone is clueless, so the Colonel takes it with him. Caesar is strengthened by the food and water from Nova, and so hatches a plan with Rocket to effect an escape for all the apes using an underground tunnel that leads out of the camp. Maurice and Bad Ape co-ordinate and execute the escape plan setting free all apes. Caesar goes in search of the Colonel intent on killing him as his final act of revenge.

The camp then comes under attack by the US Army. As Caesar reaches the Colonel he sees that he has fallen victim to the virus that he was so intent on halting himself, and can no longer speak. Caesar pulls a gun to the weakened Colonel's temple, and sees the rag doll on the floor beneath the bed - the source of the virus infection. Caesar rethinks and pulls the gun away laying it to rest on the Colonel's bedside table and turns away. The Colonel picks up the gun, and shoots himself in the head.

As the camp comes under heavy attack from the US Army, Caesar needs to get away and save his own ape clan who while escaping have come under attack from the Alpha-Omega soldiers within the camp. Caesar sees his opportunity to blow up a fuel tanker which results in a cascading explosion that sees the defensive wall of the camp topple over the side of the mountain wiping out just about all of the Alpha-Omega troops, and allowing the US Army to claim a victory. Caesar effects his escape from the fireball mayhem through the tunnel, emerging beyond the perimeter.

As the US Army approach the now decimated Alpha-Omega camp and let out a collective rallying cry, they turn almost in unison to look at Caesar looking at them. Then, with a tremendous roar in the background, they observe a huge avalanche of snow and ice hurtling down on them from high above the mountain caused by the earlier attack commotion. They too are wiped out without a trace leaving Caesar and his clan looking on from the safety of high trees that they were able to escape too to evade the treacherous avalanche. In the aftermath of this, the apes regroup and Caesar leads them to beyond the desert and their safe haven, where the gathered clan rejoice in their new found freedom, the wide open spaces and the land of plenty.

This is a fitting end to the latest and most successful of this franchise reincarnation yet. The CGI and motion capture technology behind the anthropoids is quite stunning, making for a more realistic experience backed up by a smarter, stronger, layered sequel that for the third instalment in a series is unusual in itself. The film serves up raw emotion, gritty action, epic spectacle all underpinned by first rate believable performances, assured Direction and a story you can invest in. At over 140 minutes long however, perhaps just a tad too long, that said, the film moves along at a fast pace and never labours. Talk of a fourth film in this rebooted franchise has already been mooted. Catch it on the big screen while you can - you won't be disappointed.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Thursday 27th July 2017.

'Planet of the Apes' which sees another film released under this banner this week (see Preview below) started out life way back in 1963 as a novel by French Author Pierre Boulle titled 'La Planete des Singes' (translated as 'Planet of the Apes' or 'Monkey Planet') and since then has gone on to spawn it's original 1968 film adaptation with Charlton Heston in the iconic role as Astronaut George Taylor who crash lands on a seemingly alien planet inhabited by intelligent apes who rule over humans, only to discover in the closing scene that he is in fact on Earth sometime in the distant future (if ever there was a twist at the end of a movie this ranks up there amongst the best of them!). In turn 'Planet of the Apes' in 1968 saw four sequels - 'Beneath the Planet of the Apes' in 1970; 'Escape from the Planet of the Apes' in 1971; 'Conquest of the Planet of the Apes' in 1972; and 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' in 1973. These first five films cost a combined US$16M to bring to the big screen, and collectively they grossed a total worldwide Box Office stash of US$160M.

Then of course came Tim Burton's reimagining with 2001 'Planet of the Apes' which cost US$100M to make and raked in US$362M, but which met with a luke warm critical response. In the meantime, there had been a fourteen episode televisions series in 1974 that was based on the earlier film franchise that saw Roddy McDowall return as chimpanzee Galen, whereas McDowall played the ape Cornelius in two of the original films and Caesar, the son of Cornelius in the latter two. The series was canned after its first season due to lacklustre ratings, and in 1975 an animated series hit the TV screens for thirteen episodes, but once again due to average ratings only at best, a second season was never commissioned. However, the storyline continued in various novels by noted Sci-Fi authors of the day, as did comic books, toys and merchandise, video games and apparently a theme park ride is under construction in Malaysia too. Which brings us up to the present day, and a successful reboot of the franchise that is so far three films in, going strong and has seen solid Box Office returns and largely critical acclaim.

This week then there are just two new release films coming to your local independent theatre or multiplex. First up we have the second sequel in a successful rebooted Sci-Fi franchise that sees mankind face of head to head, hand to hand and toe to toe against simian kind to determine the rulers of our planet, and then we have a children's tale of a young lad learning a few life lessons from a giant walking, talking tree.

Whatever your taste in big screen film entertainment is this week - be it any of the two new releases as Previewed below, or those doing the rounds currently on general release and as Reviewed and Previewed in previous Blog Posts here at Odeon Online, you are cordially invited to share your movie going thoughts, opinions and observations by leaving your relevant, succinct and appropriate views in the Comments section below this or any other Post. We'd love to hear from you, and meanwhile, enjoy your cinematic experience in the coming week.

'WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES' (Rated M) - the 'Planet of the Apes' saga has a long history on both the big and small screen, but this last reboot of which this marks the third and supposedly final instalment has received widespread critical acclaim and commercial success. The original reintroduction to the franchise came in 2011 with 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and was Directed by Rupert Wyatt for US$93M and grossed US$482M and starred James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, David Oyelowo and Andy Serkis as Caesar, the first intelligent ape. In 2014 its sequel 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' was Directed by Matt Reeves for US$209M and grossed US$711M worldwide and starred Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Keri Russell, and Andy Serkis as Caesar again and Toby Kebbell as Koba, a lieutenant to Caesar. Now in 2017 we have 'War for the Planet of the Apes' Directed once again by Matt Reeves for US$150M and so far since its US release on 14th July has taken US$178M and stars Woody Harrelson as the main human protagonist and Andy Serkis again as Caesar. There are several likenesses with the fifth film in the original franchise series 'Battle for the Planet of the Apes' but this is not intended as a remake of that earlier 1973 film. 'War for the Planet of the Apes' has met with widespread critical acclaim with strong praise for the acting (Andy Serkis for his Mo-Cap performance especially), the storyline, the action scenes, the music score and the overall Direction.

And so to this gripping instalment. We join Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes who are forced into a deadly conflict with a military faction of humans known as Alpha-Omega led by the ruthless paramilitary Colonel McCullough (Woody Harrelson) who is obsessed with wiping out Caesar's tribe and any humans infected with the Simian Flu to preserve mankind's place as the dominant species. After the apes suffer huge losses at the hands of the Colonel's army, Caesar needs to come to terms with his own inner darker instincts and so embarks on his own journey to avenge his kind. As that journey counts down to the final face to face conflict, Caesar and the Colonel are pitched against one another in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of them as individuals, their species and the planet. Talk of a fourth film in this rebooted franchise has already been mooted.

'A MONSTER CALLS' (Rated PG) - Directed by Spaniard Juan Antonio Garcia Boyega whose previous credits include 2012's 'The Impossible', 'A Monster Calls' is based on the low fantasy children's book by Patrick Ness published in 2011 of the same name. The film Premiered back last September at TIFF, was released in Spain in early October, then the US last Christmas and in the UK on New Years Day, and only now does its reach Australian cinemas having recovered US$46M from its US$43M budget outlay. Telling the story of young lad Conor O'Malley (Lewis McDougall) who is having to deal with far more challenges in his young life than other boys of his age. His beloved and devoted mother Elizabeth 'Lizzie' Clayton (Felicity Jones) is terminally ill. He has little in common and wants little to do with his strict and ruling grandmother Mrs. Clayton (Sigourney Weaver), and his father, Mr. O'Malley (Toby Kebbell) who has divorced his mother Lizzie has resettled thousands of miles away in the US. But Conor finds a most unlikely friend when one night at 12:07am a tree-like Monster (Liam Neeson) appears at his bedroom window, and proceeds to tell Conor that he has come to tell him three true stories, after which Conor must tell the Monster his own story - that of the truth behind his own nightmare. Ancient, wild, and relentless, the Monster takes Conor on a journey of courage, faith, and truth that powerfully fuses imagination and reality.

With just two new releases this week to tempt you out on a cold mid-Winter evening, remember to share your movie going thoughts with your other like minded cinephiles afterwards here at Odeon Online. In the meantime, I'll see you sometime somewhere in the week ahead at your local Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

Birthday's to share this week : 17th-23rd April 2016.

Do you celebrate your Birthday this week?

Andy Serkis does on 20th April - check out my tribute to this Birthday Boy turning 52, at the end of this feature.

Do you also share your birthday with a well known, highly regarded & famous Actor or Actress; share your special day with a Director, Producer, Writer, Cinematographer, Singer/Songwriter or Composer of repute; or share an interest in whoever might notch up another year in the coming seven days? Then, look no further! Whilst there will be too many to mention in this small but not insignificant and beautifully written and presented Blog, here are the more notable and noteworthy icons of the big screen, and the small screen, that you will recognise, and that you might just share your birthday with in the week ahead. If so, Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online!

Sunday 17th April

• Rooney Mara - Born 1985, turns 31 - Actress | Producer  
• Olivia Hussey - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actress
• Jennifer Garner - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actress | Producer
• Nick Hornby - Born 1957, turns 59 - Writer | Producer
• Sean Bean - Born 1959, turns 57 - Actor | Producer 

Monday 18th April

• Eli Roth - Born 1972, turns 44 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director  
• Eric Roberts - Born 1956, turns 60 - Actor
• David Tennant - Born 1971, turns 45 - Actor
• Edgar Wright - Born 1974, turns 42 - Producer | Director | Writer | Actor
• Rick Moranis - Born 1953, turns 63 - Actor | Producer | Writer
• James Woods - Born 1947, turns 69 - Actor | Producer  

Tuesday 19th April

• James Franco - Born 1978, turns 38 - Actor | Writer | Producer | Director
• Tim Curry - Born 1946, turns 70 - Actor | Singer
• Hayden Christensen - Born 1981, turns 35 - Actor | Producer
• Kate Hudson - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actress
• Ashley Judd - Born 1968, turns 48 - Actress | Producer   

Wednesday 20th April

• Jessica Lange - Born 1949, turns 67 - Actress  
• Andy Serkis - Born 1964, turns 52 - Actor | Producer | Director
• Michael Brandon - Born 1945, turns 71 - Actor
• Ryan O'Neal - Born 1941, turns 75 - Actor | Producer
• George Takei - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor
• Leslie Phillips - Born 1924, turns 92 - Actor | Producer  

Thursday 21st April

• James McAvoy - Born 1979, turns 37 - Actor | Producer  
• Tony Danza - Born 1951, turns 65 - Actor | Producer
• Charles Grodin - Born 1935, turns 81 - Actor | Writer
• Andie MacDowell - Born 1958, turns 58 - Actress | Producer
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Born 1983, turns 33 - Actress  

Friday 22nd April

• Amber Heard - Born 1986, turns 30 - Actress  
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan - Born 1966, turns 50 - Actor
• John Waters - Born 1946, turns 70 - Writer | Producer | Director | Actor
• Lee Tamahori - Born 1950, turns 66 - Director
• Jack Nicholson - Born 1937, turns 79 - Actor | Producer | Director | Writer

Saturday 23rd April

• Michael Moore - Born 1954, turns 62 - Writer | Producer | Director  
• Dev Patel - Born 1990, turns 26 - Actor
• John Cena - Born 1977, turns 39 - Actor | WWF Wrestler | Television Personality
• John Hannah - Born 1962, turns 54 - Actor | Producer
• Lee Majors - Born 1939, turns 77 - Actor | Producer
• Judy Davis - Born 1955, turns 61 - Actress

Andrew Clement Serkis was born and raised in Ruislip Manor, Middlesex, England to mother Lylie Weech - a teacher of disabled children and father Clement Serkis - an Iraqi gynaecologist of Armenian descent. His father often returned to the Middle East to work while he was growing up, and the young Serkis would often holiday in those Middle Eastern lands with his siblings during their younger years. He attended St. Benedict's School - a co-educational independent Catholic School in the London suburb of Ealing. Open leaving school, Serkis attended Lancaster University and studied visual arts with the aim of designing posters. As a member of the University's County College and student radio station, he joined a studio to get involved in play design and production. Toward the end of his first year, he agreed to act in several productions and was so taken by acting that he changed his major subject to acting. In his third year he joined the local playhouse to gain his Equity Card and upon graduation joined as an Actor, working in a diverse range of stage productions from the classics including Shakespeare right through to the modern day contemporary playwrights.

His small screen debut came in 1989 in a couple of episodes of 'The New Statesman' with Rik Mayall, with the next eight years or so taken up with appearances in a string of television series including 'Streetwise', 'The Darling Buds of May', 'The Bill', 'Grushko', 'Finney' and 'Kavagnah QC'.

In 1994 he took a small role in 'Royal Deceit' - a retelling of 'Hamlet' with Gabriel Byrne, Christian Bale, Brian Cox, Tom Wilkinson and Helen Mirren. The mid-90's continued with smaller fare including 'The Near Room', 'Stella Does Tricks', 'Career Girls' for Director Mike Leigh, 'Loop' and 'Among Giants' with Rachel Griffiths and Pete Postlethwaite. 'Sweety Barret' with Brandan Gleeson and Mike Leigh's 'Topsy Turvey' saw out the decade with Jim Broadbent, Timothy Spall and Dexter Fletcher. In the meantime , there were further television series appearances with the likes of 'Jump', 'Touching Evil' and 'Oliver Twist' in which Serkis plays Bill Sikes.

2000 kicked off with 'The Jolly Boys Last Stand', Julien Temple's 'Pandaemonium' with John Hannah, Linus Roache and Dexter Fletcher, 'Shiner' with Michael Caine and Martin Landau, and 'Five Seconds to Spare' with Ray Winstone.

The turning point came for Serkis in 2001 with the release of Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings : The Fellowship of the Ring' in which he appears as Smeagol/Gollum through cutting edge Motion Capture technology as it was back then, and as the voice of the character. Serkis received much critical acclaim for his role although his performance did begin a debate over the legitimacy of CGI supported acting and whether this was therefore award worthy. And in some quarters it was, and in others not so! He reprised the character in all its Mo-Cap CGI glory in both successive films 'Lord of the Rings : The Two Towers' and 'Lord of the Rings : The Return of the King'.

In the meantime there was '24 Hour Party People', 'The Escapist', 'Deathwatch', '13 Going On 30' and 'Blessed' before his Mo-Cap skills were summonsed once again by Peter Jackson on 2005's 'King Kong' remake with Serkis playing the giant ape of the film's title. As the latter half of the decade wore on Christopher Nolan's 'The Prestige', 'Longford', 'Extraordinary Rendition', 'Sugarhouse', 'The Cottage', 'Einstein and Eddington', 'Inkheart' before his turn as the polio affected rock musician Ian Dury in the 'Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll' biopic of 2010.

That same year a remake of the classic Graham Greene novel and film of 1947, 'Brighton Rock'  co-starring with Helen Mirren and John Hurt was released, with 'Burke & Hare' and Serkis and Simon Pegg playing the title historical characters.

Returning to Mo-Cap again Serkis portrayed super intelligent chimpanzee 'Caesar' in the reboot of the classic 60's and 70's film franchise - 'Planet of the Apes' with the first instalment 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes', a role he would again reprise in 2014 in 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and again currently filming 'War for the Planet of the Apes' due in 2017.

Meanwhile 'Death of a Superhero', 'Wild Bill' for Dexter Fletcher, and more Mo-Cap with Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson in the CGI animated 'The Adventures of Tintin' with Serkis lending his voice to Captain Haddock, which he is set to do another two times with 'The Adventures of Tintin : Prisoners of the Sun' announced, and a third instalment as yet untitled.







He returned to the Gollum character once more for Peter Jackson in 2012 with 'The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey' before 'The Avengers : Age of Ultron' as Ulysses Klaue - a role he'll reprise too in late 2017's 'The Black Panther'. Last up we saw Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke in 'Star Wars : Episode VII - The Force Awakens'  - a role he also reprise in 'Episode VIII' which is currently filming.

Also in the works is his Directorial debut with the Warner Bros. adaptation of 'Jungle Book' due for release originally in October 2016, then shifted back to October 2017, and now slated for release in October 2018. With an all star cast that includes Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch and Cate Blanchett, Serkis will also star as Baloo, as well as Produce through his own Production Company 'The Imaginarium Studios' based in Ealing, London which he established to further progress performance capture technology in film making.

All up, Serkis has 92 acting credits to his name, three Producer credits and one as Director. He has also lent his voice talents to to the likes of 'Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit', 'Tintin', 'The Simpsons', 'Flushed Away', 'Arthur Christmas' and several video game characters. He has thirty award wins and another 42 nominations. He married Actress Lorraine Ashbourne in July 2002 with whom he has three children - Ruby (born in 1998), Sonny (born in 2000) and Louis (born in 2004). He is an accomplished painter and a keen mountaineer, and a supporter of The Hope Foundation.



Andy Serkis - the Motion Capture go to guy . . . anywhere and for everything; better known for your CGI characters that the real life humans you portray - 'Tintin', 'Gollum', 'Caesar', 'Snoke' and 'Kong'; is certainly multi-talented and increasingly sought after and in demand; and you would probably not recognise him unless you are in the know - but Andy - keep blazing a trail, we love you for it and the characters you bring so convincingly to life - Happy Birthday to you from Odeon Online.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES : archive from 16th August 2011.

The image of Charlton Heston peering up at the half buried Statue of Liberty poking out of the sand, in the closing minute of the 1968 'Planet of the Apes' film would rank as one of the most iconic images in film history. Anyone who has seen this film nearly always refers to that one scene when Heston's character - George Taylor comes to the realisation that he is in fact on planet Earth at some undisclosed future date and there is every chance that he is stuck there with little or no way of getting back to his own world. This film spawned a movie franchise, a spin off television series, an attempted reboot courtesy of Tim Burton in 2001, and now a whole new imagining in 2011 - 43 years after Heston's future world offering.

And so, with great expectation and eager anticipation, I saw 'RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' last night. I have to say that this is powerful and respectable retelling of the classic 60's novel that has had so many big and small screen treatments go before it. But here, once again, we have a whole new audience who will know very little about that rich back catalogue, hence this new updated take. This origin story Directed by Rupert Wyatt, sets the tone for a new franchise updated for 2011 from the Apes perspective.

Here we have an ape - Caesar (Andy Serkis yet again proving he is the king of mo-cap and the king of the apes!) that is being raised in largely domestic surroundings in a San Francisco suburb by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) who works for biotechnology company 'Gen-Sys'. Caesar's mother was killed in the lab some years earlier while being tested upon for a cure for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's using an experimental viral drug known as ALZ-112. The 112 virus was passed genetically onto Caesar who now growing, is showing increasing signs of intelligence and human-like ability.

Various events unfold that lead to Caesar being locked up in a shelter with other chimps where he is treated cruelly by the keeper, and the other chimps. But Caesar is no ordinary monkey and he learns quickly to break free from his cage, gain access to a common area and overcome the alpha male chimp. At the same time 'Gen-Sys' has taken the drug to the next level with ALZ-113 now in a gaseous form and ready for testing. Rodman takes several canisters home for intended use on his dying father in a last ditch attempt to save him from the ravages of age, cancer and Alzheimer's, and, is able also to have Caesar released with the intention of taking him home too, but Caesar escapes, gets there first, steals a number of the drug canisters and makes off.

The now motivated Caesar returns to the lock-up and sprays the other chimps and apes with ALZ-113 so enhancing their cognitive and intellectual powers overnight. They then escape releasing all from that compound and do likewise with all the simian inmates at San Francisco Zoo too. The set piece of the films is staged on the Golden Gate Bridge as ape and human armies collide with the police forces attempting to halt the apes path to the forested San Francisco hinterland. The apes however, having grown strong physically, in numbers, in their determination and in their motivation overcome the human barricade and flee to the hills but not before a path of destruction has been left in their wake.

As the film draws to a close we see and hear Caesar utter his first human words to Rodman who has given chase in an attempt to warn his ape friend that the humans will hunt them and kill them without mercy, and that Caesar should return home - to which Caesar replies 'Caesar is home!'. As the credits roll we see the neighbour of Rodman leave for work as an airline pilot. He was previously infected by the new ANZ-113 drug that has adverse effects on humans but not on apes. As he arrives at San Francisco International Airport for his flight to Paris, his nose drips blood onto the ground. The closing graphic shows the spread of the virus rapidly across the world via airline travel, and the consequences this will have on the future of humanity, and the rise of the apes!

Disturbing in some ways but compelling viewing & well executed in many others. James Franco, John Lithgow (as Charles Rodman - Will's father and tester of ALZ-112), Brian Cox (as John Landon - the manager of the primate shelter where Caesar finds himself holed up for a while) and David Oyelowo (as Rodman's boss at 'Gen-Sys') all do well, but Andy Serkis steals the show with his powerful take on Caesar, laced with solid storyline that comes to this updated telling with a fresh approach and the latest technology to take the series to the next level. Recommended viewing, and you can now catch 2014's 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' and watch the two back to back! 'Rise' was made for US$93M and grossed US$482M which when coupled with 'Dawn' at a US$709M take, make for a very successful franchise so far!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES : Tuesday 15th July 2014.

At a cost of US$93M to make with a global box office haul of just under US$500M it was inevitable that 2011's 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' would spawn a sequel - particularly given the magnitude of the 'Apes' franchise spanning now six decades. And so with a bunch of mates I saw 'DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES' earlier this week. The production has been ramped up in this instalment with an estimated budget this time around of US$170M and a new Director at the helm - Matt Reeves.

The action takes us ten years on from 'Rise' (so effectively the mid 2020's) when a global simian flu has all but wiped out the worlds population. The opening montage tells us that just one in 500 humans survived because those that did are genetically immune. The simian flu came about through human researchers injecting monkeys with various viruses in test laboratories, and when the monkeys escaped, they gave it back to us humans and we got wiped out - ahhh, the circle of life!

With the world literally in ruins, cities in collapse, no infrastructure, no electricity, no communication, no transport systems and petrol supplies almost run dry, there are small enclaves of human colonies scattered about the globe. The action here is centred around a community holed-up in San Francisco (where the action is 'Rise' came to such a dramatic climax) led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) and supported by Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and various others doing their damnedest to survive with what is left of civilisation.

The Apes are led by a grown 'Caesar' now (expertly cast once again by Andy Serkis who has proved himself the master of motion-capture movie making technology) living in a forest in the San Francisco hinterland. The apes number in their hundreds and are advanced in their intelligence using sign language, learning to read, write and for many, speak. Caesar however, as leader, is the most developed having got off to a good start by his teacher and mentor from 'Rise' - James Franco. We learn early on that there has been no Ape/Human contact for over two Winters now, and the Apes wonder if in fact the human race has died out completely.

Then, right on cue, all this changes! As Malcolm and a band of explorers search through the forest they needless to say come across two straying apes. There are gunshots and the ape colony is alerted and quickly descend on the explorers. There is a standoff between Caesar and Malcolm in which dialogue is exchanged and the two groups part company going back to whence they came agreeing never to darken each others doors again! If only it were that simple? The humans are searching for a dam, which has a dormant hydro electric power plant attached to it, and if this can be rebooted then San Fran can have power restored, and some degree of normalcy can be reinstated.

What ensues is a battle of wits between apes and humans, where latitude is shown by both parties, but there are factions on both sides who are not satisfied with the genuine intentions of the others, there is in-fighting, there is bloodshed and there is ultimately a climatic battle which is likely to change the ape/human landscape again forever.

This film is far richer than 'Rise', the story more detailed, the characterisation has more depth, and the ape effects by those actors donning the mo-cap suits day in day out during filming are outstanding. The stature, the mannerisms, the expressions, the horse riding, and the way the apes walk, run, grunt and behave with one another is so real and life like that even 'Caesar' comments that the apes have more in common with the humans than they know! The dystopian landscape of an overgrown San Francisco is reminiscent of Will Smith's 'I am Legend' and is almost faultless. This is Andy Serkis' film and quite rightly he gets top billing as Caesar and his other ape 'family' counterparts do a pretty good job too - most notably Toby Kebbell as 'Koba', Karin Konoval at 'Maurice', Terry Notary as 'Rocket' and Nick Thurston as 'Blue Eyes' - son of Caesar.

This is a strong sequel that should be seen on the big screen. I saw it in 2D and this was more than acceptable - 3D would add to the richness and depth of imagery but you can live without it I would think. Needless to say the ending sets up another sequel with Director Matt Reeves set to return and a release date already announced for July 29th 2016.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-