Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci
A partner section of Cinérevue, NeuchVox's film program. Next live broadcast: Monday October 2, 2017, 8:30 pm - 9:00 pm
«I offered you peace, and you killed my family.»
After the first two episodes of Origins and the’Confrontation, Caesar lives in the heart of a remote forest with his tribe of apes. Despite their isolation, Colonel McCullough and his independent militia still see them as a threat to humanity. One night, they launch a secret attack to impose human authority. The struggle, though brief, leads to the tragic deaths of many apes, including Caesar's wife and eldest son.
The head of the clan had offered the colonel peace, but in the wake of events, the time for reprisals has come. Overcome by hatred, César sets out to find him. He is accompanied on his thirsty quest for vengeance by three wise and valiant companions from various simian races: Maurice, Rocket and Luca. The road is long, hard and dubious. It's not without its surprises, which eventually lead the ape to face the enemy; in terrible conditions, towards unexpected revelations.
Masked actors
If the plot reaches a climax here, the film is already marred by numerous erasures. Starting with the apes themselves. Quite simply, the emotions conveyed by their story just don't come through. The first set of flaws stems from their appearance. Their gestures are sometimes robotic, sometimes theatrical caricatures.
From theater, the monkeys turn into a carnival. The reason: the human gaze worn by the primates, causing an unpleasant discrepancy. Actors covered in sensors played the roles. Digital technology then dressed them in virtual fur. The on-screen result is the sorry observation of masked actors. What's more, with low-quality disguises. The brightest scenes reveal overly shiny, synthetic hair.
Read also: Planet of the Apes, a story told through its eerie sounds and music
«Hu, ha, ha»
However, the viewer is not out of luck with these grotesque beasts, as their language is in even worse taste. The desire to evoke reality can be felt, but the «hu, ha, ha» is really getting tiresome. Moreover, communication shifts incoherently from human language to shouts, to deaf-mute signs. These are poorly translated by subtitles in yellow characters, the height of aesthetics.
The facial features, which are supposed to underpin the whole thing with subtlety, further subvert the monkeys' credibility by making them look rather funny. In fact, they're reminiscent of the puppets in the guignols. Finally, what comes out of their mouths, namely sentence grammar and scansion, is reminiscent of misinterpreted cavemen.
Slow and predictable
As for the pace of the story, it's as heavy as a bulimic gorilla. Caesar rides across the snowy plains in pursuit of the colonel. Nevertheless, this part of the story is so long in proportion to the whole film, that it's not inappropriate to wonder whether the ape has forgotten his goal in favor of some gentle stroll.
The sentences, thought out and rethought to give gravity to the characters, contribute to this slowness. This is all the more true given that they are almost always banalities, except for a small number of sentences of a more philosophical nature. In addition, the film's dramatic devices are loaded with predictability. One series of sequences stands out in particular for its repetition: when the colonel approaches Caesar to speak to him, he crouches down, tilts his head slightly, and puts on a face of grimaced pity. Clearly, the moment in question loses some of its depth if the viewer has fun recomposing the movements and displacements of the film set himself.
Extreme tones
On the photography side, Planet of the Apes: Supremacy doesn't produce anything exceptional either. Beautiful landscapes are captured on film, but the wonder quickly turns to disgust as the shots of immaculate nature ring false. It doesn't take long for the images to become ugly and tiresome.
Whether in the cold and snow of war, or in the dry, fertile heat of the «promised land», the tonalities appear too extreme. The wanderings of César, Maurice, Rocket and Luca are drowned in the harsh gray of winter. The orange sun does the same, under the best omens of a people who have regained their freedom. The impression of warmth is so accentuated that the viewer feels more like he's watching a vacation advert on the beach.
«Leave it alone!»
Matt Reeves« direction has at least one redeeming feature: symbolism. On this point alone, the film remains remotely interesting. Biblical, historical and political allusions are all relevant. The figure of the patriarch Moses, for example, is clearly visible in Caesar, who wants to free his people. At a time when apes are reduced to slavery, the cry of the primate messiah resounds in that of the biblical character. »Moses and Caesar both cry out in despair as an old man is unjustly whipped to death. Animation culture should remember the scene vividly depicted in The Prince of Egypt.
Supremacy, Even the chapter's French-language title can't help but evoke echoes of American white supremacists. A war between the north and south of the country is also mentioned in the film. A link to the American Civil War. No more blacks to liberate, but monkeys. Nazi ideology, for its part, is not lacking in visibility either. The camps immediately evoke those of the Reich, as well as genocidal projects and speeches advocating the salvation of racial purity.
The third instalment of the simian saga is unpleasant to look at, and its director signs an artistic failure which, by the laws of commerce, is nonetheless a success in cinemas. At the very least, Pierre Boulle's inspired work continues its mission of reflection and reasoning, in a West not exempt from totalitarianism.
«You're all home at last.»
Write to the author: loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com
Photo credit: © i2.wp.com
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