What We Want: Rise of the Planet of the Apes 2

The Planet of the Apes reboot -- Rise of -- was a bona fide, if unexpected, hit. And being a hit these days means you get a sequel, especially when the film in question is the relaunch of a decades-old franchise that had previously spawned six movies, two TV shows, comics, toys and... this.

But what needs to happen in order to make the next film a success like Rise? Well, not surprisingly, we've got some ideas on the matter. Here's What We Want from Planet of the Apes 2. (And, needless to say, watch out for SPOILERS from the first film.)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes walked a fine line when it came to its portrayal of the simians and their nascent rebellion against mankind. While Caesar and his fellows were clearly being mistreated and had every right to seek their freedom, the film is careful to avoid painting the apes as cold-blooded killers. Only "bad" guys come into direct harm from the apes, with the seeds of mankind's downfall instead being planted with the virus that is spreading worldwide by the film's end.


This won't stand in Apes 2. If the film, as director Rupert Wyatt and writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have hinted, is to tell the continued story of Caesar's rise to prominence while the planet is slowly but surely ceded to the apes, it will be necessary to cast these characters in a more violent light. You don't win wars by playing nice, and it seems unlikely that humanity is just going to hand over civilization to a bunch of monkeys without a fight, Super Virus notwithstanding. If Caesar is to truly earn his predestined role as the savior of ape-kind, then he's going to have to get his hands dirty in the process -- his stinking paws, in fact. As a revolutionary, he will need to fight, kill, burn and destroy, even while the old world crumbles around him. This doesn't make him a villain. But what great military leader doesn't have blood on his hands? Anything less will feel like a cop-out.


Look, I'm sure James Franco seemed like a good idea when Rise was casting, but it didn't really pan out for him. The poly-talented thespian can do a lot of things, but convincingly playing a genetic scientist isn't among them.

So that means ditch Franco's character in the sequel. Or even better, write him out in the first act; let him die, as he was meant to in the original version of Rise, with his death being an impetus to drive Caesar even further in his crusade against mankind. Billing notwithstanding, Andy Serkis was clearly the star of the first film, and the lack of Franco (or Freida Pinto for that matter) would hardly be noticed.


Actually, this leads to a bigger point. Apes 2 will need to seriously reconsider how it portrays its human characters in general. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was full of caricatures of humans -- saintly good guys, evil bad guys, dimwitted assistants, angry neighbors. The film worked in spite of this because of its nuanced approach to the apes, most of all Caesar. But imagine how much better it would've been if its humans were just as -- dare I say it? -- relatable? (O.K., I was able to relate to a bunch of CGI monkeys. So sue me.)