In the Tim Burton adaption of The Planet of the Apes, there
are many dualities expressed that move the characters and the plot along. My personal favorite is the clash between
bellicosity and passivity. Throughout
the film, we find instances in which both types of behavior are crucial to the
development of the characters.
One way that this arises is in the very beginning. It starts with a defiant soldier who wants to
go after his chimpanzee in the middle of an electromagnetic storm. Captain Davidson, against orders, launches
himself into the storm, and the main plot begins. If he had been more passive and submitted to
his superior, than the whole mess of Planet of the Apes would have been no more
than a chimp being sucked into a wormhole.
We see this again later when Birn, the teenage boy in the band of
humans, defies Davidson’s orders to stand back and help with the forces during
the final battle. His defiance shows
Captain Davidson what it’s like to be defied, which gives him some insight on
his own urge to fight issues of ego.
Passivity does help character and plot development, too. There is a scene at the beginning, when Limbo
ends up in the mix between the apes and the human escape attempt. When Davidson turns the gun toward Limbo, Ari
tells him to stop. Telling Davidson not
to “stoop to his level,” Ari chooses a passive route that sends Limbo on the
same journey as the other runaways. This
pivotal point leads to an exodus that ultimately changes his view of the humans
in the end.
Both attributes have different strengths and weaknesses, but
at the same time, there is no right answer to which one they pick. Either path that they choose, the other side
is just as legitimate. Each temperament has the ability to strongly influence the
plot.
I also thought the duality between passivity and bellicosity interesting. It seems like every little decision made in this movie was based on these two factors. It is also interesting that each side has both bellicosity and passivity. On the apes’ side, Thade is the main character expressing bellicosity. This rage towards humans is absolutely necessary for the plot line, as it is the reason the humans have to flee and why the fight scene at the end is so important. The apes also have their passive defender as well, as shown in Ari like you stated. The humans’ bellicosity is not as obvious as the bellicosity expressed in Thade, but the fight against orders is an important plot builder. The humans also express passivity in their care for the apes at the very beginning of the movie as well as their acceptance of being a slave, like the little girl who was taken as a pet. She did not fight but instead allowed herself to be pushed down to a pet level. Each aspect that bellicosity and passivity is, like you said, absolutely important in making this an intriguing movie.
ReplyDelete-Allison Davis