Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Thoughts On: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)
The first film that we will dissect in looking at the subtext of the Planet Of The Apes Prequel Trilogy.
Having just seen the third Planet Of The Apes movie, I have been struck with the realisation that this trilogy has just re-written some of humanity's most profound and fundamental stories with world history and some ground-breaking technological innovation. What I will now then be dissecting is how these three stories function and exactly what it is they say about modern societies. If you want to read this essay in 3 separate parts, as it is going to be a long one, please click here.
We then start with Rise. The story of Rise is centred on the birth of a species and its emergence from the proverbial Garden of Eden. With Rodman, as played by James Franco, being a creator, a God of sorts, we see him give a new awakening to apes. This is signified with Bright Eyes. She is taken out of the wild, brought away from a primitive vision of the world...
... and given access to another level of consciousness; she is awakened.
However, despite this awakening, there remains a primitive drive in Bright Eyes. She has to protect her child.
This is what leads to the downfall of herself and of the entire genetic experimentation of 'God', Rodman. This is the first profound gesture of this movie as it not only chronicles the birth of a new species, but it describes how and why they are not just pawns or pets to the higher power - an idea which is echoed throughout this narrative primarily with the image of a leash or cage. Bright Eyes has a sense of self-sovereignty and a will to protect and establish her own family and kind. This suggests that what makes a species truly conscious, not just intelligent and awakened, is its assumption of freedom and family.
It's at this point that we see elements of the Adam and Eve archetype being twisted, but also the 'Terminator narrative' being revised. To expand, with the developing technological age, we have questioned the role that A.I will assume in the future - if and when we create it. As the Terminator series asked, will A.I destroy us all? The Planet Of The Apes is an equal expression of this, but concerns a biological and genetic innovation of science, not just a technological one. But, there is a core difference between the story of humans giving birth to an artificial intelligence and a superior biological species. Whilst A.I is usually used as a narrative tool to comment on the fragility and absurdity of human nature, and so is often used to comment on war and human chaos, the modern Planet Of The Apes narrative uses apes to explore the fundamental positive drives of humanity. This is why we see Bright Eyes' sacrificial and rebellious act of protecting her child as one that draws the line between humanity and apes; it says that consciousness of a human level only functions with freedom and responsibility.
So, what we see with Rodman raising Caesar is God keeping apes in the Garden of Eden despite them being conscious. In such, Rodman awakens Caesar without giving him true freedom and responsibility. The Tree of Eden, or, The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that Rodman leads Caesar to is then in the redwood forest; it is a tree that represents apes' unique physical capabilities and strengths (which allows Caesar to climb the gigantic tree) combining with new vision:
So, what Rodman teaches Caesar as he raises him is how to take responsibility and build a family. But, there is a contradiction within Rodman. He keeps Caesar on a leash and treats him like a subordinate - though, with respect and care. Moreover, Caesar is a mistake and a side-effect of Rodman trying to take care of his own father - who loses both sight and consciousness with his Alzheimer's disease. There is then a tension in this narrative born between humans and people that is never truly overcome. And this is something that Caesar recognises when he stands atop his Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The 'good' that Caesar is taught by Rodman concerns family and responsibility. However, the 'evil' that Caesar holds in his genetics and body is his potential to overcome humans - as is represented by the threat of violence, which Caesar often represents but sometimes embodies throughout this narrative. This then signifies a new kind of Tree of Eden; it is one that encapsulates both potential power and evil as well as internal good.
When this rift between good, evil, apes and humans is pushed to its very limits with Caesar protecting Rodman's father, we see reality thunder into the idealistic relationship between Rodman and Caesar; humanity and apes.
When Caesar bites the finger off of the dickhead neighbour, he is exiled from humanity; it is recognised that he is a threat and so is put in a new Garden of Eden with other apes where he finds a new Tree.
However, the ape sanctuary is a torturous Garden of Eden for unawakened apes, one that keeps their consciousness suppressed. It is then Caesar's job here to not only assimilate with his own kind, but turn to his back on God, awaken his new family and escape into the world away from the Garden of Eden. This all suggests that this Garden isn't good for humanity or any fully awake organism; for them to truly mature and develop, they must leave. So, as we all certainly feel when watching Rise, this entire sentiment is encapsulated with one action.
Caesar says "NO!", and the fact that that sends such intense tingles down everyone's spines says that we universally recognise that something radical has changed. In fact, that "NO!" has to be one of the most powerful moments of all of cinema for the way that it drives so deep into the human condition. This "NO!" is the articulation of a true awakening; the apes are given a voice, they have established a family, turned their back on God and are ready to walk out of the Garden of Eden.
The fact that the apes do this by turning tools of oppression (the electric prod, the hose and later broken parts from the gates of a zoo) against humans introduces a new dimension to this movie; human history. These tools are all allusions to riots and rebellions, most starkly, the Black Rights movement of the 1960s. This is emphasised with Caesar's, by and large, peaceful uprising and escape from humanity. Beyond this, the infection that plays a hugely significant part of the end of this narrative holds further allusions to races being wiped out by disease - an example being the Native Americans. However, the strength of this use of history will not yet come into full play just yet, but, let it be noted that this idea has been seeded.
The final profound element of Rise comes with a reconciliation with God, or Rodman. Not only does Caesar step out of the Garden of Eden, bringing with him a new family, but he goes having come to peace with Rodman. This is one of the biggest revisions to biblical tales that The Planet Of The Apes makes. Whilst the values that Rodman, or God, teach Caesar remain with him and his culture, God is allowed to die off-screen - which is a significant statement in its own right. This marks the birth of a new species that will not live in the same ambiguity that humanity does; whilst we do not have any idea who our creators are, apes will. And whilst you could argue that the apes will also never know where humans and all biological life came from, this foundational contact with 'God' is something that puts them at a clear advantage, culturally speaking. So, with Caesar taking this into the real world having broken away from God to build a new home, the horizon seems promising.
It is then at this point that the narrative of Rise gives way to that of Dawn.
The first film that we will dissect in looking at the subtext of the Planet Of The Apes Prequel Trilogy.
Having just seen the third Planet Of The Apes movie, I have been struck with the realisation that this trilogy has just re-written some of humanity's most profound and fundamental stories with world history and some ground-breaking technological innovation. What I will now then be dissecting is how these three stories function and exactly what it is they say about modern societies. If you want to read this essay in 3 separate parts, as it is going to be a long one, please click here.
We then start with Rise. The story of Rise is centred on the birth of a species and its emergence from the proverbial Garden of Eden. With Rodman, as played by James Franco, being a creator, a God of sorts, we see him give a new awakening to apes. This is signified with Bright Eyes. She is taken out of the wild, brought away from a primitive vision of the world...
... and given access to another level of consciousness; she is awakened.
However, despite this awakening, there remains a primitive drive in Bright Eyes. She has to protect her child.
This is what leads to the downfall of herself and of the entire genetic experimentation of 'God', Rodman. This is the first profound gesture of this movie as it not only chronicles the birth of a new species, but it describes how and why they are not just pawns or pets to the higher power - an idea which is echoed throughout this narrative primarily with the image of a leash or cage. Bright Eyes has a sense of self-sovereignty and a will to protect and establish her own family and kind. This suggests that what makes a species truly conscious, not just intelligent and awakened, is its assumption of freedom and family.
It's at this point that we see elements of the Adam and Eve archetype being twisted, but also the 'Terminator narrative' being revised. To expand, with the developing technological age, we have questioned the role that A.I will assume in the future - if and when we create it. As the Terminator series asked, will A.I destroy us all? The Planet Of The Apes is an equal expression of this, but concerns a biological and genetic innovation of science, not just a technological one. But, there is a core difference between the story of humans giving birth to an artificial intelligence and a superior biological species. Whilst A.I is usually used as a narrative tool to comment on the fragility and absurdity of human nature, and so is often used to comment on war and human chaos, the modern Planet Of The Apes narrative uses apes to explore the fundamental positive drives of humanity. This is why we see Bright Eyes' sacrificial and rebellious act of protecting her child as one that draws the line between humanity and apes; it says that consciousness of a human level only functions with freedom and responsibility.
So, what we see with Rodman raising Caesar is God keeping apes in the Garden of Eden despite them being conscious. In such, Rodman awakens Caesar without giving him true freedom and responsibility. The Tree of Eden, or, The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that Rodman leads Caesar to is then in the redwood forest; it is a tree that represents apes' unique physical capabilities and strengths (which allows Caesar to climb the gigantic tree) combining with new vision:
So, what Rodman teaches Caesar as he raises him is how to take responsibility and build a family. But, there is a contradiction within Rodman. He keeps Caesar on a leash and treats him like a subordinate - though, with respect and care. Moreover, Caesar is a mistake and a side-effect of Rodman trying to take care of his own father - who loses both sight and consciousness with his Alzheimer's disease. There is then a tension in this narrative born between humans and people that is never truly overcome. And this is something that Caesar recognises when he stands atop his Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The 'good' that Caesar is taught by Rodman concerns family and responsibility. However, the 'evil' that Caesar holds in his genetics and body is his potential to overcome humans - as is represented by the threat of violence, which Caesar often represents but sometimes embodies throughout this narrative. This then signifies a new kind of Tree of Eden; it is one that encapsulates both potential power and evil as well as internal good.
When this rift between good, evil, apes and humans is pushed to its very limits with Caesar protecting Rodman's father, we see reality thunder into the idealistic relationship between Rodman and Caesar; humanity and apes.
When Caesar bites the finger off of the dickhead neighbour, he is exiled from humanity; it is recognised that he is a threat and so is put in a new Garden of Eden with other apes where he finds a new Tree.
However, the ape sanctuary is a torturous Garden of Eden for unawakened apes, one that keeps their consciousness suppressed. It is then Caesar's job here to not only assimilate with his own kind, but turn to his back on God, awaken his new family and escape into the world away from the Garden of Eden. This all suggests that this Garden isn't good for humanity or any fully awake organism; for them to truly mature and develop, they must leave. So, as we all certainly feel when watching Rise, this entire sentiment is encapsulated with one action.
Caesar says "NO!", and the fact that that sends such intense tingles down everyone's spines says that we universally recognise that something radical has changed. In fact, that "NO!" has to be one of the most powerful moments of all of cinema for the way that it drives so deep into the human condition. This "NO!" is the articulation of a true awakening; the apes are given a voice, they have established a family, turned their back on God and are ready to walk out of the Garden of Eden.
The fact that the apes do this by turning tools of oppression (the electric prod, the hose and later broken parts from the gates of a zoo) against humans introduces a new dimension to this movie; human history. These tools are all allusions to riots and rebellions, most starkly, the Black Rights movement of the 1960s. This is emphasised with Caesar's, by and large, peaceful uprising and escape from humanity. Beyond this, the infection that plays a hugely significant part of the end of this narrative holds further allusions to races being wiped out by disease - an example being the Native Americans. However, the strength of this use of history will not yet come into full play just yet, but, let it be noted that this idea has been seeded.
The final profound element of Rise comes with a reconciliation with God, or Rodman. Not only does Caesar step out of the Garden of Eden, bringing with him a new family, but he goes having come to peace with Rodman. This is one of the biggest revisions to biblical tales that The Planet Of The Apes makes. Whilst the values that Rodman, or God, teach Caesar remain with him and his culture, God is allowed to die off-screen - which is a significant statement in its own right. This marks the birth of a new species that will not live in the same ambiguity that humanity does; whilst we do not have any idea who our creators are, apes will. And whilst you could argue that the apes will also never know where humans and all biological life came from, this foundational contact with 'God' is something that puts them at a clear advantage, culturally speaking. So, with Caesar taking this into the real world having broken away from God to build a new home, the horizon seems promising.
It is then at this point that the narrative of Rise gives way to that of Dawn.
