Review of The Ape

The Ape (2005)
8/10
Go Ape for the Ape!
27 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Sorry for the corny title... but I couldn't think of anything better! Being a James Franco fan, I naturally wanted to rent The Ape, even though it didn't look like a promising film from what people said. My friends and I settled in to watch it having NO idea what to expect. In the beginning, the movie made us laugh. James Franco's response to the ape was hilarious; the ape itself is just amusing to look at.

As the movie progressed, I began to tire of the film though. The ape was incredibly foul-mouthed and I hated to watch the main character, Harry Walker, slowly ruin his life thanks to the influences of the crass primate. There were still scenes that made me laugh, but Franco's acting weakened a bit, especially when he was upset with his wife and boss.

Yet the ending of this movie redeemed it for the most part. I was expecting a campy ending in which the ape removes his clearly obvious mask and he and Harry Walker go their separate ways. Instead the ending was dramatic and poignant, really making me reevaluate the movie on the whole. The entire movie was symbolic of a typical man's downfall.

Despite the bad language and, at some points, weak acting, I enjoyed this absurd and surreal movie on many levels.
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