Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Discussion/Review

[Procutus]

As I said I don't much recall the original movie but I think I can see how this movie could work as a sort-of prequel to it, at least in part. I don't recall much detail in the original movie of it being to explicitly stated they were on a FTL mission to an etra-solar location. And if it did, clearly this movie wants us to think that's what the shuttle launch/loss was and that this is what happened in this series of movies.

In PotA, Taylor tells Dr. Zaius that he's from a different planet in another solar system. In the beginning of the film, he talks about the ship travelling nearly at the speed of light, and how 600 years have already gone by back on Earth. When the three of them are walking through the desert, they speculate about which star it is overhead.

The evidence of it being a star-flight are pretty clear.

The original PotA was used here as a source of inspiration, not a distant point to line up with.

 

[Trekker4747]

As I said I don't much recall the original movie but I think I can see how this movie could work as a sort-of prequel to it, at least in part. I don't recall much detail in the original movie of it being to explicitly stated they were on a FTL mission to an etra-solar location. And if it did, clearly this movie wants us to think that's what the shuttle launch/loss was and that this is what happened in this series of movies.

In PotA, Taylor tells Dr. Zaius that he's from a different planet in another solar system. In the beginning of the film, he talks about the ship travelling nearly at the speed of light, and how 600 years have already gone by back on Earth. When the three of them are walking through the desert, they speculate about which star it is overhead.

The evidence of it being a star-flight are pretty clear.

The original PotA was used here as a source of inspiration, not a distant point to line up with.

Got it. Last time I saw POTA was likely when I was in high school which was over 14 years ago so I forgot some of the details of how they explained who they were and where they were from/came to figure out where they were.

Still, I think the the Icarus craft we see discussed in this movie is supposed to be "the" Icarus ship with Taylor on board, just with the details changed a bit. Now we can either take this to be a "retcon" and fit the original movie in and just rethink what we learn there to fit (sort of how we fit Superman:Returns into the 1978/80 movies despite the decades differences) or that in this continuity the Icarus crew will awake x-many years in the future on Earth and have the same experiences while drawing slightly different conclusions on what happened to them and their trip.

It would be interesting if this movie series "makes it" and gets to a point where they remake the original, classic, movie with these small changes in the mythos. But who could play The Hest?

 

[Procutus]

^


Back before the Burton travesty was greenlighted, there were rumors about Cameron directing an Apes remake and allegedly, Big Jim wanted The Arnold to play the role of Taylor. And, there was talk at the time of doing the apes in CGI.

 

[Trekker4747]

I'm sorry, which Burton movie?

 

[Procutus]

I'm sorry, which Burton movie?

That Which Cannot Be Named. I refer to it as 'The Abomination'.

 

[sbk1234]

I know this is rather fanwank, wishful thinking, but I suppose the Mars aspect of the spaceflight was really only the public story to keep the whole interstellar aspect of the mission under wraps.

 

[Trekker4747]

I know this is rather fanwank, wishful thinking, but I suppose the Mars aspect of the spaceflight was really only the public story to keep the whole interstellar aspect of the mission under wraps.

Hmmmm, could be. I think I actually like that idea.

 

[Samurai8472]

^


Back before the Burton travesty was greenlighted, there were rumors about Cameron directing an Apes remake and allegedly, Big Jim wanted The Arnold to play the role of Taylor. And, there was talk at the time of doing the apes in CGI.

"Avatar" with Apes!

 

[milo bloom]

Wife and I just saw this, we both thought it was great. CGI was mostly spot-on, and it was pretty good at answering it's own questions. Great credits sequence, our theater applauded twice.

Bring on the sequels!

 

[Dark Gilligan]

I think we're taking the Icarus thing much too literally. Think of the "Apes" films from the point of view of the mainstream audience. All your Average Joe knows is that some astronauts from Earth ended up in the future. Were they going to Mars or another star? Joe doesn't know, and probably doesn't even care. He remembers a spaceship getting lost and the new movie gives it to him. Judging from the conversations I heard in the theater lobby, that's good enough for most people.

 

[Trek4Ever]

Voted A plus, my favorite film this summer, it just reinvigorates the entire Apes saga. Hurry up I want a sequel!

 

[JD]

It was just better written and better developed and is a very good basis to build upon for further movies.

Well, the original's screenplay was written by Rod Serling. Can't do much better than that. It was wickedly clever in its day. Yes it was reflective of its time (the political unrest of the late 1960s) but so is this new one.

The original remains, IMO, one of the five best science-fiction films of all time. The fact that it was down on such a shoe-string budget, and yet worked, is testimony to the creative efforts of all involved. Even without Serling's twist ending, it was still a phenomenal movie.

Ok, this brings up something I read a while back that never made sense to me. How was making the apes society primative, rather than the modern like it was in the original book (at least according to what I read online, I've never read the book) cheaper? I would think it would be cheaper to use modern stuff that is already around, instead of having to make primitive looking stuff.

 

[DarthPipes]

Budget reasons were the cause of the Apes going from high-tech to low tech in the original Apes movie.

 

[Kelso]

Box Office Mojo is estimating a $54 Million opening weekend, beating the prediction of $45 Million they posted on Friday. (And on a production budget of only $93 Million)

Also..

Shame it's probably going to get stomped this weekend by The Change-Up.

HAHA! Eat that, you pessimistic fool! How does it feel to be PWNED!?!

 

[Cmndr J Crichton]

The original book by Pierre Boulle was amazing! It could easily be done today. I actually pictured Jean Reno as Ulysse, the main character of the novel. It would revive the original names of Cornelius, Zira, Dr. Zaus, and others. Now, It could be anyone from Jason Issacs, Gerard Butler, or even Hugh Jackman could play the part of Ulysse! If done right, Pierre Boulle's novel of Planet of the Apes could be epic. Lord of the Rings epic. There is a twist ending to the novel. It's subtle. However it's there. Not as in your face as the Statue of Liberty, but it fits with the novel. Enough to make you read the last page a few times as you are in disbelief as to what you just read!

 

[PsychoPere]

Saw the film last night with a couple of friends and absolutely loved it. I'm definitely looking forward to the inevitable sequels, and I hope that at least the first of those stays in a near-future timeline, as some people in this thread have theorized may be likely.

If I wasn't in the middle of reading the ST: A Time to... series, I'd be considering hunting around for my copy of Pierre Boulle's original novel to give it a second reading now.

 

[CaptainCanada]

I imagine they'll stay in the near-future to keep Franco's character around (not to mention Caesar himself; actually, how long does a chimpanzee normally live?).

 

[DarthTom]

Saw the film last night with a couple of friends and absolutely loved it. I'm definitely looking forward to the inevitable sequels, and I hope that at least the first of those stays in a near-future timeline, as some people in this thread have theorized may be likely.

If I wasn't in the middle of reading the ST: A Time to... series, I'd be considering hunting around for my copy of Pierre Boulle's original novel to give it a second reading now.

One of the things I like best about this film is the attention to detail from the writing/directing staff.

For example if you watched the original Heston film his space ship is lost on a mars mission. The newspaper headline references that this mission is lost. Another as someone noted earlier is the broken statue of liberty.

One thing I didn't get though was unless I missed something from the original there are no references to a global pandemic whereas in this film they definitely imply that causes the downfall of humanity.

 

[Vendikarr]

Saw the film last night with a couple of friends and absolutely loved it. I'm definitely looking forward to the inevitable sequels, and I hope that at least the first of those stays in a near-future timeline, as some people in this thread have theorized may be likely.

If I wasn't in the middle of reading the ST: A Time to... series, I'd be considering hunting around for my copy of Pierre Boulle's original novel to give it a second reading now.

One of the things I like best about this film is the attention to detail from the writing/directing staff.

For example if you watched the original Heston film his space ship is lost on a mars mission. The newspaper headline references that this mission is lost. Another as someone noted earlier is the broken statue of liberty.

One thing I didn't get though was unless I missed something from the original there are no references to a global pandemic whereas in this film they definitely imply that causes the downfall of humanity.

In the original Dr. Zaius only says they did to themselves, and turned the garden into a wasteland. This leads everyone to believe a nuclear war led to the fall of man. And in 1968 that was a good assumption.

A nuclear exchange is still possible in the future of Caesar's world. Likely a nation or nations believing the virus was an attack. Maybe only a limited exchange, but still possible.

 

[Harvey]

I imagine they'll stay in the near-future to keep Franco's character around (not to mention Caesar himself; actually, how long does a chimpanzee normally live?).

According to a quick Google search, 60 years in captivity, 35-40 years in the wild.

I'm looking forward to this movie, but I want to get through the original series with my girlfriend first (we've seen the first three so far).