Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

Whereas the first look at this summer’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes cast the imminent primate uprising as the inevitable result of man’s hubris—specifically, that of smirking super-scientist James Franco—the full trailer provides a surprisingly more sympathetic argument. Much of it comes off like an even darker twist on recent Sundance hit Project Nim, with Franco raising his adorable baby chimpanzee Caesar just like a human child, only to have him shuttled off to a zoo, where his higher brain functions and fancy sweaters make him an immediate outcast. So Caesar does what any super-intelligent ape would if they had access to magical gas: He makes like Lancelot Link and starts an “evolution revolution.” We already knew that the Planet Of The Apes was born out of anger; what we often forget is that anger is born out of love. Yes, it seems we can all learn something from this movie.