tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post8468536656830564562..comments2023-09-08T01:35:21.679-07:00Comments on Zaki's Corner / Zaki Hasan: Zaki's Review: Rise of the Planet of the ApesZakihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06150118173142516267noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post-6602151700506330992011-08-10T09:46:02.730-07:002011-08-10T09:46:02.730-07:00Some very good points. I definitely keyed in on th...Some very good points. I definitely keyed in on the fact that the only "good guy" humans in CONQUEST are minorities. <br /><br />I'm hopeful that future installments in the series will dial up the social commentary a bit more, without hitting us on the head with it a la BENEATH.Zakihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06150118173142516267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post-8515524191317489632011-08-10T03:04:32.253-07:002011-08-10T03:04:32.253-07:00I agree that the quickie evolution of the apes in ...I agree that the quickie evolution of the apes in Conquest is a strain on ones credulity but it isn't a big one by science fiction standards<br />(see The Highlander series) especially for a time travel story (e.g. the movie version of A Sound of Thunder...although the original short story was awesome).<br /><br />In terms of the racial allegory, I was introduced to the films at a young age so they were pretty formative. But even now, I would argue that the allegory was handled well in terms of not crossing a line and being offensive. McDonald (the governor's black assistant) (along with Armando) is clearly the most intelligent, principled, sensitive human character in the film. And McDowall's clipped (effeminate?) British accent also helps the film stay on the non-offensive side of the line. The film isn't saying Blacks are apelike in some racial sense, but that as a "descendant of slaves" (which is how Caesar refers to McDonald at the end) there is a kind of similar moral position. Also, given the time the movie came out (in the wake of the riots, the political protests, the assassinations, etc.) any film featuring a slave revolution and burning cities can't help but have a similar political dimension.<br /><br />(On the other hand, having David Oyewolo's character be a sort of villain and James Franco and John Lithgow be the heroes definitely preclude this kind of reading of Rise)Abdul-Halim V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03811018180731403335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post-9746947675468881432011-08-10T00:24:47.679-07:002011-08-10T00:24:47.679-07:00Abdul-Halim -
It's interesting that you cite ...Abdul-Halim -<br /><br />It's interesting that you cite the racial allegory as one of your favorite elements of CONQUEST. As I said in my review, for the film, that's one part that, while effective in the film, still made me a little uncomfortable (specifically, using apes as stand-ins for African-Americans). The other thing that bugged me about CONQUEST, again mentioned in my review, is how it bypassed evolution to have apes go from pets to slaves inside of eight years. Just defies logic.<br /><br />I definitely think the new one is going for a slightly different allegory -- one focused more on animal rights and genetic engineering than racism and nuclear horror.Zakihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06150118173142516267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post-9292639426673685832011-08-09T18:41:54.477-07:002011-08-09T18:41:54.477-07:00Just wanted to let you know that the moderator at ...Just wanted to let you know that the moderator at HuffPo is censoring comments on your post. I wanted to engage in some of the issues raised by both of these excellent movies. Chimpanzee research, primates as pets, need for more sanctuaries... but I guess HuffPo just wants to allow entertainment observations. That is too bad.Dawnhttp://chimptrainersdaughter.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post-59260104749616694792011-08-09T02:30:45.840-07:002011-08-09T02:30:45.840-07:00I've been thinking of how the movie did extrem...I've been thinking of how the movie did extremely well, with more dark foreboding economic news seeming to brew and cynicism in full swing. It's hardly endemic to these times alone, but it seems very much the zeitgeist. Perhaps I'm merely drawing the connection conveniently together with your assessment of the other movies and the relatively downbeat story matter at the core of these APES movies.Ceasehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16852602817305513997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9014106.post-25711848249880766312011-08-08T21:22:46.708-07:002011-08-08T21:22:46.708-07:00To be honest I was disappointed by Rise of the Pla...To be honest I was disappointed by Rise of the Planet of the Apes for reasons which are probably unfair. Basically, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite all-time movies (definitely top 10, probably top 5). So I was disappointed with Rise because the apes weren't allegorical Black/Third World revolutionaries, they were really just apes and I missed the political content.<br /><br /><br />On the other hand, if I don't burden the film with baggage from the earlier series I have to admit that Rise is pretty good. It's certainly better than the Tim Burton version.Abdul-Halim V.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03811018180731403335noreply@blogger.com