Are the Apes Rising Already?

This weekend the apes will rise when 20th Century Fox releases the much-anticipated prequel to the classic, The Planet of the Apes, and we finally learn how those damn, dirty apes took over.

Interesting fact: Early on in the shooting of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a research team was hired to build a collection of video clips of real apes that Director Rupert Wyatt could use for inspiration for the 100% digital apes that star in the film. (Really? They got a money to smoke for The Hangover II. They couldn’t train a real ape to act for this one?)

So it was crucial for Wyatt and WETA Digital (the effects company creating the digital ape thespians), to understand all the ways in which apes move and behave. Some of the footage they captured was “shocking”. (Cue “leaked” documentary footage…)

According to WETA Digital, “What we found was remarkable footage that surprised us with how smart apes really are.” Case in point: The “amateur footage” clip you can watch below, of an ape in a German zoo, walking upright. Like a human! (Cue ominous music from the movie.)

Whether the footage is real or not doesn’t matter. (And yes, you know by now I am a fan of creative “leaked footage” style promotional campaigns, like this one.) My butt will be in a seat this weekend to catch the opening. The original PotA was one of my favorite movies growing up, I even had all the action figures, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes looks like it has summer blockbuster potential. I’m just not sure if we’re supposed to root for the apes… or against them.