Image of the Week #3 “What is Caesar?”

This week’s image was chosen by MA Philippe Bédard

What is Caesar?

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Dir. Rupert Wyatt. Starring Andy Serkis, James Franco.

The Scene:  After an encounter with a dog on a leach in the Redwoods, Caesar (Serkis) is starting to think that he might be a simple pet, and not a member of the family like Will (Franco) would have him believe. Caesar demands to know his origins and Will obliges by bringing him to his laboratory. This is where an experiment gone wrong led to the miraculous mutation that is Caesar. It’s at this point that Caesar begins to lose faith and to grow resentful of the humans that made him into what he is.

The Legacy: Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a perfect example of the amazing performances that motion capture technologies have enable in the past decade. Serkis gives what remains, in my opinion, one of the most moving film performances. Some would even agree that Serkis is more convincing as an ape than some actors are as human beings. While the original Planet of the Apes (1968) hasn’t aged very well, as far as its acting is concerned, this 2011 reboot will surely stay with us for the decades to come.

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