Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters tomorrow, so make sure you’re up to speed with Caesar’s Rise!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes didn’t really seem like it stood a chance when it hit the box office back in 2011. Yet another Planet of the Apes reboot – only this time the title was too long, there was no desolated Statue of Liberty, and no musical numbers about the fantastically named Doctor Zaiuss (you know the words…). Was this just another cynical, money-grabbing Hollywood scheme? Quite the opposite, it turned out – as Rupert Wyatt’s “preboot” turned out to be one of the best films of the year. The perfect blend of a spectacular script, moving direction, and brilliant performances from a stellar cast ensured that Rise got a sequel.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The film follows Will Rodman, who adopts a young Caesar after the testing of viral based drug ALZ-122 (a potential Alzheimer’s cure) is shut down because the chimpanzee’s mother goes on a murderous rampage in the Gen-Sys headquarters. When Will discovers his primate lodger inherited his mother’s drug-induced intelligence, he decides to raise him and study his growth and capabilities.
After years of happiness, Caesar attacks one of the Rodman’s neighbours when Will’s father Charles (himself a dementia sufferer) gets into a confrontation with him. Caesar is immediately forced into an ape sanctuary, where he is subjected to cruelty and torment from one of the guards and some of the other chimps. Despite the dramatic change in atmosphere, Caesar quickly acclimatizes to his unforgiving surroundings, overthrowing the “alpha” chimp and assuming the position of the apes’ leader.
ALZ-113 (a new, gas-based strained of the experimental drug) is produced, and Will takes some home to try and treat his father. Will’s friend Franklin is infected by it, causing him to fall ill. He travels to the Rodman’s house to warn them of the dangers, but instead he encounters their neighbour, who he infects by sneezing blood. When Will tries to reclaim his old friend from the sanctuary, Caesar refuses to go with him – instead escaping independently and stealing several cannisters of ALZ-113 from the Rodman’s home. That night, he sneaks back into the facility and administers the drug to his fellow inmates, giving them heightened intelligence.
When the sanctuary guard tries to continue his abuse of Caesar, the chimpanzee speaks for the first time – shouting “NO!” at him, before accidentally killing his captor and releasing the other apes. The newly free inmates rampage through San Francisco, releasing other captive apes and heading for the Golden Gate Bridge. There, they fight with a police blockade – murdering many of them and even destroying a helicopter. Finally, they reach Redwood (a place Will used to take Caesar) and the chimp tells his former owner and friend “Caesar is home.”
And so ends the ape’s Rise, or so it seems until we return to the Rodman’s neighbor – who it is revealed is an international pilot. As the credits roll, we see a graphic depicting the spread of the infection as the pilot flies to Paris – and the virus hits Europe, and eventually the rest of the world via travelling plane passengers…
The Apes
Here’s a short guide to the apes we can expect to see again in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes:
Caesar
The protagonist of the rebooted Planet of the Apes films and the catalyst of the primates rise. Having inherited his mother’s heightened intelligence, he administers ALZ-113 to his fellow inmates and releases them from the sanctuary.
Cornelia
The female chimpanzee “lead.” Having been released from the sanctuary by Caesar, she becomes his wife and the mother of his two children.
Koba
A scarred bonobo who spent most of his life as a captive and test subject in many laboratories. He holds a grudge against humans, and was one of the fiercest fighters in the battle of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Maurice
Having been retired from the circus, Maurice the orang-utan meets Caesar at the sanctuary and befriends him when they communicate through sign language. He becomes Caesar’s third in command, and one of the members of the ape council.
Rocket
Rocket used to be the dominant alpha of the sanctuary in which he was a captive, until he was overthrown by Caesar. Having settled their differences, he is now the ape leader’s second-in-command and most trusted friend.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes hits American theaters on July 11, with a release in most other territories following in the coming weeks.