Thursday, August 11, 2011

Part 2 for the Explanation of the "Planet of the Apes" post

This concerns the "case" that I so vaguely referred to at the very end of the post on Tuesday. Most of you readers fell under the impression that the case was this:
Movies these days are shitty remakes and Rise of the Planet of the Apes [2011] is one of these.

I'm sorry but the only way you guys could have made that mistake would be because you guys missed out on watching the original. A real shame. Otherwise you would have seen from the trailer that the plot is entirely different. You young'uns...tsk tsk.

The truth is my 'case' referenced my post On the Creation of Zombies, in which I posited that previous generations held a fascination with nuclear power and energy, a fascination that films of the age reflected. These days that fascination has changed to focus on genetic research and development.
I used a comparison of zombie origin stories to illustrate this shift. When I saw the trailer for Rise of... I noticed that it also showed this shift well.

Exhibit A: At the end of Planet of the Apes [1968] the protagonist rides out from the land of the apes to what is known as the Forbidden Zone (ooga booga!!). There he discovers that he did not land on an alien planet as he had originally thought but in fact has landed on Earth sometime in its distant future. He delivers a famous cry of despair, implying that humanity destroyed itself through nuclear war, allowing the apes to become the dominant race on Earth.

Exhibit B: Rise of the Planet of the Apes [2011] has changed this origin story. The cause of mankind's downfall now lies in genetically enhancing the apes.

There you go. Hope that clears things up, guys! (^_^)-b

11 comments:

  1. Yes, but the edits to the first post you've made make it nice and clear too.

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  2. You know, I don't mind this reinvention. It actually looks decently written for a blockbuster.

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  3. @Bonjour Tristesse: Agreed! James Franco and John Lithgow should help things.

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  4. but that's just blatant fear-mongering!

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  5. hmmm..

    wait..can I ask you if the movie is worth watching or not? :)

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  6. I'm a fan of the originals and Japans "time of the apes' so i'll check this out. +followed!

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  7. again, I just think all the CGI is retarded. I love how they did the first remake with actual costumes and whatnot.

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  8. I don't plan on seeing this movie anyways.

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  9. @Mai Yang: I haven't seen it myself but yes, I do think it is worth watching.

    @Rob: Actual costumes, ok, but the plot was bad. I won't dismiss the CGI based on the haterade though.

    @My 2 Pesos: I do hope I will disagree with you. (>~<)

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