Miscellaneous Movie Musings the Sequel - Page 109

innerSpaceman · 08-08-2011, 10:01 AM

I was vaguely disappointed with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was well-made and all, but I think it suffers from Phantom Menace syndrome - that is, two-hours to tell the bare beginnings of the known story, that should have been done in a 20-minute prologue.

Spoiler:

I did, however, vastly enjoy the mostly-clever Planet of the Apes references peppered throughout the film. And Andy Serkis realizes his best ape performance evar!

innerSpaceman · 08-08-2011, 10:05 AM

Captain America, on the other hand, was a pure delight. More comic book movies should take place in the heyday of comic books. It gives license to be corny, and that's what more of these tales could use, imo.

Joe Johnston also directed the period-piece comic outing The Rocketeer, some 20 years ago. At least he knows how to do one thing right.

flippyshark · 08-08-2011, 11:25 AM

The Rocketeer is so overdue for a decent video release. Surely it will hit Blu-ray someday soon.

I've been avoiding comics adaptations this summer, being still oversaturated from the last few summers. But I'm on the verge of giving in to Captain America.

Alex · 08-08-2011, 11:37 AM

Re: Planet of the Apes

Spoiler:

Captain America was ok for the drive-in where we saw it, but it did nothing to make me want to see more of him.

innerSpaceman · 08-08-2011, 11:54 AM

Spoiler:

And sure, no R.McD. soundalike, but I did appreciate the riff on the character name.

flippyshark · 08-08-2011, 12:08 PM

By the same token as your comments re: Rise,

Spoiler:

Alex · 08-08-2011, 12:19 PM

I know they will, but I would prefer that they not do any sequels further bridging this movie to the first Planet of the Apes movie. This one explained the alpha, that explains the omega. The middle is just needless expository.

Along the same lines

Spoiler:

Some other spoilers with my quibbles about the movie, just to express them (because the movie was entertaining they don't really bother me):

Spoiler:

1. The chimpanzees in general seemed to be too tall. I know Caesar slowly became more erect as the movie went on, but in general they were all way too tall. A full grown adult chimp is about 4 feet tall when standing erect. Caesar was almost as tall as James Franco in a couple scenes.

2. Too many apes? Yes, when the girlfriends visited one of them said something about there being a couple hundred of them, but that is never otherwise indicated.

3. Capacity to learn does not equal knowledge. Capacity for language does not mean you have a language. Yet Caesar was apparently able to convey to the other group of apes "Hey, go to the San Francisco Zoo, these are the directions from San Bruno, break out the apes, and then we'll meet up at the Golden Gate Bridge" very shortly after they found their new found intelligence. Similarly, they all learned combat tactics pretty quickly.

4. Even the unexposed apes got smarter just by being with the exposed apes. The apes escaping from the San Francisco Zoo were seen grabbing spears on their way out of the exhibit.

5. I don't really blame movies for this since it is a necessary reality but over familiarity with Bay Area geography will cause issues. You can't see the Golden Gate Bridge from San Bruno, you can't get a phalanx of mounted police to the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge in 5 minutes, and most of all you can't EVER go to that part of Muir Woods and be alone.

6. Humans never really reacted in a realistic way to the apes regardless of the conditions. Draco decided to take on a chimpanzee in an open space with just a cattle prod? It doesn't take an enriched chimp to imagine him suffering the consequences of that. A mounted police officer charges a gorilla with just his baton? Hikers encounter a six foot gorilla in Muir Woods and their response is "huh, is that a chimp?"

7. It felt a little off that throughout the movie Franco's relationship with Caesar never seemed to cause him even a moment's twinge about the ethics of animal (or at least chimpanzee) testing.

Gn2Dlnd · 08-08-2011, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

And sure, no R.McD. soundalike, but I did appreciate the riff on the character name.

At first I was

as to what Ronald McDonald had to do with Planet of the Apes.

innerSpaceman · 08-08-2011, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flippyshark

By the same token as your comments re: Rise,

Spoiler:

I cannot stomach any of the Apes sequels. Although I enjoyed two of them when they were released ... and when I was 10 years old!

The original still stands up, however, and I was pleased to see the un-edited/jiggered-with "Conquest" ending on the excellent documentary included with the original movie. Yes, much better ending. But still a sucky movie. I'm embarrassed that I liked "Escape" even as a 10-year-old. Never did like "Beneath," and never even saw "Battle for" - for which I am eternally grateful.

Alex · 08-08-2011, 02:16 PM

I honestly remember nothing of the sequels beyond that they exist. Channel 12 out of Portland, OR, would have theme movie weeks. And an annual (or so) one was the five Apes movies. I know I watched them, but I don't remember them.

Much better remembered is the annual James Garner week, from which comes my undying love for Support Your Local Gunfighter and Support Your Local Sheriff. (Though it wasn't enough to make me like Tank.)

08-08-2011, 10:01 AM	#1081
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	I was vaguely disappointed with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was well-made and all, but I think it suffers from Phantom Menace syndrome - that is, two-hours to tell the bare beginnings of the known story, that should have been done in a 20-minute prologue. Spoiler: And I guess I'm bugged that, despite what the manipulation of the trailers let me to assume, there's no violent battle or attempted overthrow of society by the apes. Their aims are pretty peaceful, only seeking to escape to sweet nature, and only being violent on the defensive. Bah. Kind of revisionary on the p.c. side, and I'm not really pleased with that. Seems from the ending that man was wiped out by the coincidentally-same lab's virus, and the smart apes just happened to be hanging out in the woods ready to take over when everyone died out. Pfft. Lame. But I suppose the sequels will tell for sure how this series intends the tale to play out ... and maybe by the third film, we'll have the story that's itching to be told. #StarWarsPrequelSyndrome I did, however, vastly enjoy the mostly-clever Planet of the Apes references peppered throughout the film. And Andy Serkis realizes his best ape performance evar!
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08-08-2011, 10:05 AM	#1082
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Captain America, on the other hand, was a pure delight. More comic book movies should take place in the heyday of comic books. It gives license to be corny, and that's what more of these tales could use, imo. Joe Johnston also directed the period-piece comic outing The Rocketeer, some 20 years ago. At least he knows how to do one thing right.
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08-08-2011, 11:25 AM	#1083
flippyshark Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 2,852	The Rocketeer is so overdue for a decent video release. Surely it will hit Blu-ray someday soon. I've been avoiding comics adaptations this summer, being still oversaturated from the last few summers. But I'm on the verge of giving in to Captain America.
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08-08-2011, 11:37 AM	#1084
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	Re: Planet of the Apes Spoiler: I'm glad they didn't have the apes themselves overthrowing human society as there is no way that could be written so as not to be incredibly stupid (unless, I guess, Caesar went out and invented the virus). My disappointment: Not one of them sounded like Roddy McDowall. Captain America was ok for the drive-in where we saw it, but it did nothing to make me want to see more of him.
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08-08-2011, 11:54 AM	#1085
innerSpaceman Kink of Swank Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Inner Space Posts: 13,075	Spoiler: Still, I would like if (and it still may go this way) there were a violent rebellion by the apes, and not simply an escape to the redwoods. Maybe this should have played off old titles and have gone by the name "Escape by the Planet of the Apes." As it is, I really didn't see the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," but merely the rise of the circumstances that could one day give rise to the Planet of the Apes! And sure, no R.McD. soundalike, but I did appreciate the riff on the character name.
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08-08-2011, 12:08 PM	#1086
flippyshark Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 2,852	By the same token as your comments re: Rise, Spoiler: The relatively small army of apes at the end of Conquest could not by any means have taken over the country/world either. By the way, I got the Blu-ray set of the Apes films, and it includes the original, much harsher ending to Conquest. It's way better than the last-minute "nice guy" Caesar in the theatrical re-edit. This alone was worth the price of the set.
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08-08-2011, 12:19 PM	#1087
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I know they will, but I would prefer that they not do any sequels further bridging this movie to the first Planet of the Apes movie. This one explained the alpha, that explains the omega. The middle is just needless expository. Along the same lines Spoiler: I was just saying to Lani that I liked that they didn't slap the audience in the face explaining that the virus would go on to decimate humanity making room for the apes, when the coda in the credits began to do just that (though not as explicitly as it could have). Some other spoilers with my quibbles about the movie, just to express them (because the movie was entertaining they don't really bother me): Spoiler: 1. The chimpanzees in general seemed to be too tall. I know Caesar slowly became more erect as the movie went on, but in general they were all way too tall. A full grown adult chimp is about 4 feet tall when standing erect. Caesar was almost as tall as James Franco in a couple scenes. 2. Too many apes? Yes, when the girlfriends visited one of them said something about there being a couple hundred of them, but that is never otherwise indicated. 3. Capacity to learn does not equal knowledge. Capacity for language does not mean you have a language. Yet Caesar was apparently able to convey to the other group of apes "Hey, go to the San Francisco Zoo, these are the directions from San Bruno, break out the apes, and then we'll meet up at the Golden Gate Bridge" very shortly after they found their new found intelligence. Similarly, they all learned combat tactics pretty quickly. 4. Even the unexposed apes got smarter just by being with the exposed apes. The apes escaping from the San Francisco Zoo were seen grabbing spears on their way out of the exhibit. 5. I don't really blame movies for this since it is a necessary reality but over familiarity with Bay Area geography will cause issues. You can't see the Golden Gate Bridge from San Bruno, you can't get a phalanx of mounted police to the middle of the Golden Gate Bridge in 5 minutes, and most of all you can't EVER go to that part of Muir Woods and be alone. 6. Humans never really reacted in a realistic way to the apes regardless of the conditions. Draco decided to take on a chimpanzee in an open space with just a cattle prod? It doesn't take an enriched chimp to imagine him suffering the consequences of that. A mounted police officer charges a gorilla with just his baton? Hikers encounter a six foot gorilla in Muir Woods and their response is "huh, is that a chimp?" 7. It felt a little off that throughout the movie Franco's relationship with Caesar never seemed to cause him even a moment's twinge about the ethics of animal (or at least chimpanzee) testing.
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08-08-2011, 02:16 PM	#1090
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I honestly remember nothing of the sequels beyond that they exist. Channel 12 out of Portland, OR, would have theme movie weeks. And an annual (or so) one was the five Apes movies. I know I watched them, but I don't remember them. Much better remembered is the annual James Garner week, from which comes my undying love for Support Your Local Gunfighter and Support Your Local Sheriff. (Though it wasn't enough to make me like Tank.)
	Submit to Quotes