看完《猩球崛起》(Rise of the Planet of the Apes),走出影院,我抬頭看了看夜空中的點(diǎn)點(diǎn)繁星。它們和昨晚并沒有什么不同,但此刻我看它們的感覺卻有了些許變化。星星看似渺小而遙遠(yuǎn),但實(shí)際上恒定、持久。相比之下,我們身旁的高樓大廈雖看似光鮮亮麗,但其實(shí)只需一丁點(diǎn)力量就可以將它們摧毀。而這樣的力量,就來自于人類內(nèi)心的貪婪和自大。
1968年,一部名為《人猿星球》(Planet of the Apes)的科幻電影引起了西方世界的關(guān)注。這部電影描述了一位探索宇宙的宇航員隨飛船墜落在猿人星球后經(jīng)歷的一系列生死冒險(xiǎn)。在那個(gè)故事里,猩猩統(tǒng)治了整個(gè)社會(huì),人類卻成了被展覽的稀有生物,可悲而無助。《猩球崛起》是《人猿星球》的前傳,講述了地球上的人類如何在自私、自大和貪婪的引誘下一步步走向滅亡,而猩猩們是如何因?yàn)槿祟惖乃幬飳?shí)驗(yàn)被賦予了超常的智力,開始作為新興的地球統(tǒng)治者崛起。這是一部幾乎可以從各種角度來理解的影片,我們可以在其中看到科技與文明的負(fù)面力量,可以看到自我的認(rèn)知和覺醒如何突破環(huán)境的束縛,甚至可以看到關(guān)于“我是誰?”“我來自何方?”“我將去往何處?”的哲學(xué)思考。
降生實(shí)驗(yàn)室
—— 初到人間
為了研制出一種可以治療老年癡呆癥的藥物,Gen-Sys公司的基因科學(xué)家Will Rodman埋頭研究了多年,最后終于研制出一種名為“ALZ-112”的新藥物。這種藥物能改變基因,但由于其極危險(xiǎn)的副作用,Will找不到合適的臨床實(shí)驗(yàn)對(duì)象來驗(yàn)證“ALZ-112”的藥性。無奈之下,他將藥物用在了與人類基因十分相似的大猩猩身上。
在接受實(shí)驗(yàn)的大猩猩中,有一只叫“明眸”(Bright Eyes)的猩猩注射藥物后智力得以顯著提升,這讓W(xué)ill頗為驚喜,年輕氣盛的他馬上前往老板Steven的辦公室,申請(qǐng)對(duì)人體展開實(shí)驗(yàn)。但Steven考慮更多的是商業(yè)上的利潤(rùn)和風(fēng)險(xiǎn),他對(duì)這項(xiàng)研究還存有疑慮。
Will: We are good to go. The 112, it works.
Steven: On just the one primate (靈長(zhǎng)類動(dòng)物)?
Will: One is all we need. Full cognitive (認(rèn)知的) recovery. We’re ready.
Steven: Look, are you sure you’re not rushing this?
Will: I’ve been working on this for five and a half years. The data is clear. We’re ready, Steven. All I need is your approval for human trials.
Steven: For this, you’re going to need the Board’s approval. There’s a lot of money riding on this, Will. You only get one shot (機(jī)會(huì)).
Will: One shot is all I need.
Steven: All right. I’ll need to see all the research. And Will, keep your personal emotions out of it. These people invest in results, not dreams.
Steven代表的是追逐商業(yè)利益的企業(yè)家,他和Will的對(duì)話表明他永遠(yuǎn)只會(huì)從利益角度考慮問題。在接下來發(fā)生的種種事件中,我們也能看出他唯利是圖、冷酷無情的一面。
雖然Steven同意了Will的計(jì)劃,但Will還需要爭(zhēng)取到董事會(huì)的支持。當(dāng)Will正在為董事會(huì)作“ALZ-112”藥物實(shí)驗(yàn)報(bào)告時(shí),意外發(fā)生了。接受實(shí)驗(yàn)的大猩猩“明眸”因誤以為工作人員要傷害自己肚子里的寶寶而奮力反抗,不顧一切地逃離了實(shí)驗(yàn)室。驚慌失措的它闖進(jìn)了Will正在作報(bào)告的會(huì)議室,引起了一片混亂,最后被及時(shí)趕來的安保人員射殺。這次事件導(dǎo)致Will的提議沒有得到董事會(huì)的批準(zhǔn),所有“112”藥物也被董事會(huì)沒收。而對(duì)Will的計(jì)劃造成最致命的打擊是,根據(jù)董事會(huì)的指令,參加這次實(shí)驗(yàn)的所有猩猩都將被處理掉,因?yàn)樗麄儞?dān)心其他猩猩也會(huì)像“明眸”一樣“瘋掉”。當(dāng)負(fù)責(zé)實(shí)驗(yàn)的科學(xué)家Franklin請(qǐng)求Steven不要?dú)⑺肋@些無辜的動(dòng)物時(shí),Steven冷漠地說:“It would cost a small fortune to run lab work-ups (診斷檢查) on all of those chimps (黑猩猩) only to tell me what I already know that they are contaminated (被感染).”當(dāng)Franklin說動(dòng)物都是有感情的時(shí),Steven更是嗤之以鼻:“I run a business, not a petting zoo. Find the most cost-effective way to put those apes down …”
這起事件中唯一幸存的猩猩是“明眸”產(chǎn)下的寶寶。痛心不已又心存愧疚的Will將小猩猩帶回家,承擔(dān)起了撫養(yǎng)的責(zé)任。此時(shí),Will的父親Charles正患有老年癡呆癥,情況時(shí)好時(shí)壞??吹絎ill帶回的小猩猩,Charles很是喜歡,他們給它起名叫Caesar。
在Will家慢慢長(zhǎng)大
——“我是誰?”
在Will和父親的悉心照料下,Caesar健康地成長(zhǎng)。它因繼承了母體中的藥效,從小就顯現(xiàn)出超乎同類甚至是人類的智力。
Will: Right away, Caesar displayed signs of heightened intelligence, so I kept him and brought my work home. By 18 months, Caesar was signing (打手語) up to 24 words. By age two, Caesar was completing puzzles and models designed for children eight years and up. At age three, Caesar continues to show cognitive skills that far exceed that of a human counterpart ... I maintain my hypothesis that: A) the green in his eyes indicate that the ALZ-112 was passed genetically from mother to son, and B) in the absence of damaged cells that need replacing the drug in his system has radically boosted healthy brain functioning. And he plays chess pretty well.
轉(zhuǎn)眼間,三年已過。此時(shí),Will父親的老年癡呆癥變得越來越嚴(yán)重。為了幫助父親恢復(fù)神智,情急之下的Will從實(shí)驗(yàn)室偷來“ALZ-112”藥物,將之注射在父親身上。神奇的是,用過“ALZ-112”藥物的Charles病情明顯好轉(zhuǎn),神智也變得清醒。自此,除了Caesar偶爾誤闖鄰居家被打傷之外,一家人相處融洽,一切顯得和諧美好。
時(shí)光流轉(zhuǎn),Caesar已經(jīng)八歲了。在Will和Charles的呵護(hù)下,Caesar生活得很快樂。但在一次去紅樹林游玩時(shí),看到游人的寵物狗,Caesar忽然對(duì)自己的身份產(chǎn)生了質(zhì)疑。它開始感到困惑:一方面,在它看來,Will就像自己的父親一樣,而自己就是這個(gè)家庭中的一員;但另一方面,從種族跡象來看,它和別人手中牽著的寵物狗沒兩樣,分明也是一只寵物。那自己究竟是什么?從哪里來?父母又是誰?這些問題讓它郁郁寡歡。Will看出了Caesar心中的困惑和不快,決定不再向它隱瞞,便帶Caesar來到自己供職的公司,如實(shí)對(duì)Caesar講述了它的身世。
Will: Caesar, this is where I work. This is where you were born. Your mother was here with other chimpanzees. But she’s not here anymore. So that’s why I took you home to live with me. Yeah, your mother’s dead. The thing is, she was given medicine, like the medicine I give to Charles. She passed it on to you. That’s why you’re so smart.
聽完Will的講述,Caesar痛苦萬分,眼神中流露出對(duì)人類的怨恨。這時(shí)的它已明白,自己只是人類科技實(shí)驗(yàn)換來的附屬品。身處人類社會(huì)卻不是其中的一員,它不知道自己的未來究竟在哪里。但是一心想把藥物研制成功的Will并未考慮這些,他關(guān)心的只是藥物所產(chǎn)生的效果。Will的女友Carol極力反對(duì)他這樣做,身為獸醫(yī)的她認(rèn)為Will應(yīng)該從Caesar的角度出發(fā)考慮問題。兩人為此發(fā)生了激烈的爭(zhēng)執(zhí),但Will滿腦子想的都是藥效可能帶來的成功,根本聽不進(jìn)女友的勸告。
Will: I snuck him out of the lab to save his life. I had no idea that the effects had been transferred vertically from his mother. But since then, he’s been displaying incredible signs of intelligence. I designed the 112 to repair, but Caesar has gone way beyond that. Here’s his IQ from last year. Since then, it’s doubled.
Carol: This is all wrong.
Will: My father was gone. This drug brought him back. You never saw how bad he was. He has his life again.
Carol: And what about Caesar?
Will: What about him?
Carol: Where does he fit in?
Will: With me? With us?
Carol: Listen, I know it has been hard for you, but you are trying to control things that are never meant to be controlled.
Will: The 112 works.
Carol: Do you realize how you sound?
Will: All I’m saying is this is a good thing. Caesar is proof of that. So is my father.
進(jìn)入猩猩收容所
——回歸自我
Will從父親身上漸漸發(fā)現(xiàn)人體會(huì)對(duì)“ALZ-112”產(chǎn)生抗體,他給父親注射的藥物開始失效,Charles的老年癡呆癥又復(fù)發(fā)了。一次,Charles獨(dú)自出門,竟然私自開起了鄰居家的汽車,還撞壞了周圍其他車輛,引來了鄰居的厲聲斥責(zé)??吹洁従訉?duì)Charles如此無禮,Caesar十分憤怒,它試圖去保護(hù)Charles,卻因情緒激動(dòng)而咬傷了鄰居。因?yàn)榇耸拢琖ill不能再繼續(xù)撫養(yǎng)Caesar,它被送進(jìn)了猩猩收容所。
猩猩收容所里全是被收容的猿類,有黑猩猩、紅毛猩猩,還有異常強(qiáng)壯的大猩猩。從來沒有離開過家的Caesar不但要面對(duì)離開親人的悲傷,還必須應(yīng)付同類猩猩的欺侮和收容所管理員Dodge的粗暴對(duì)待。到了夜晚,孤單的Caesar用石塊在墻上涂出自己房間窗戶的形狀,用手撫摸著墻壁沉默不語,那樣的場(chǎng)景令人心碎。
對(duì)于Will來說,他一邊想辦法把Caesar從收容所接回來,一邊想辦法研制一種比“112”更有效的病毒來抵御Charles正在惡化的病情。父親和Caesar,他一個(gè)都不想失去。他來到公司找到老板Steven,想說服Steven同意自己繼續(xù)進(jìn)行“ALZ-112”藥物的研究。
Will: In the ten years you have been running Gen-Sys. How many drugs have come down the pipeline that could save millions of lives, that could change everything?
Steven: What are you talking about?
Will: The ALZ-112.
Steven: What happened to you, Will? You used to be the star of this lab. Now you hardly ever show, and when you do, you waste your time and that of your team’s fixating on a drug that, after what happened, is never, ever going to get approved. The 112 is dangerous, Will, and it doesn’t work.
Will: I treated my father with it. It does work.
Steven: You did what? You did what!?
Will: He beat the disease, like we predicted.
Steven: Bring him in.
Will: There’s been a complication.
Steven: Well, does it work or doesn’t it?
Will: My father’s disease eventually outran the cure.
Steven: Oh, for goodness’ sake.
Will: His immune system produced antibodies (抗體) that beat the viral component, but it will work. I’ve already developed a virus strain that I think will be more aggressive.
Steven: You think?
Will: Just let me test it.
Steven: You’re wasting my time.
Will: There’s more! The applications go beyond the disease. There are indications that show the therapy can improve cognitive functioning, memory quality …
Steven: What are you saying?
Will: My father didn’t just recover. He improved.
Steven: You mean increased intelligence?
Will: It’s not conclusive, but yes.
Steven: I want you to start testing the revised 112 on chimps, ASAP (盡快).
Will: Okay.
Steven: I’ll give you whatever you need, absolutely.
唯利是圖的Steven聽完Will的講述,欣然同意了他的請(qǐng)求,并給予全力支持。令人惋惜的是,新型藥物最終還是沒能挽留住Will父親的生命。而讓W(xué)ill吃驚的是,他發(fā)現(xiàn)急功近利的Steven居然沒有按照正常程序來研制“112”的升級(jí)版本“113”。Will心里清楚,這種尚處于實(shí)驗(yàn)階段的新藥極不穩(wěn)定,將帶來極大的風(fēng)險(xiǎn),甚至致人死亡。因此,Will極力制止,但Steven根本聽不進(jìn)去。事態(tài)完全超出了Will所能掌控的范圍,他只能以辭職作為無奈的抵抗。
失去了父親和工作的Will不想再失去Caesar。為了接回Caesar,他不惜用行賄的方式收買收容所的所長(zhǎng)。但面對(duì)來接自己回家的Will,Caesar卻毅然選擇了留在收容所。與Will一家被迫分離的這段日子讓Caesar真正意識(shí)到自己是猿族的一分子,雖然自己因?yàn)閷?shí)驗(yàn)而遠(yuǎn)比同類聰明,但猿族才是它的同類和伙伴。現(xiàn)在的Caesar已經(jīng)認(rèn)清自己在人類社會(huì)中的地位,它不想在Will的保護(hù)下茍且一生,它要獲得自由,活出尊嚴(yán)。它放出鎖在籠子里的大猩猩,以此為手段讓大猩猩臣服于自己,又在大猩猩的協(xié)助下打敗了曾欺辱過自己的黑猩猩,為自己在猩猩世界中樹立了威望。它通過精心設(shè)計(jì)的方案實(shí)現(xiàn)了自己的第一步計(jì)劃。接下來,Caesar開始更有步驟地實(shí)施自己的方案。它偷來Dodge的餅干分給其他猩猩們,以使猩猩團(tuán)結(jié)一致。為了讓其他猩猩變得聰明,Caesar逃出動(dòng)物收容所,從Will的住所偷來新型藥物,讓眾猩猩們的智力借由新型藥物得以提高,使它們懂得團(tuán)結(jié)一致。此時(shí),電影進(jìn)入最精彩的環(huán)節(jié)。
從收容所逃亡
——自我認(rèn)知
看這部電影時(shí),觀眾往往會(huì)有種很奇妙的感覺。雖然我們是人類,但我們的立場(chǎng)卻是站在猿族這一邊。就像看電影《阿凡達(dá)》時(shí),我們會(huì)為人類對(duì)潘多拉星球居民所造成的傷害而流淚,會(huì)為潘多拉的生物聯(lián)盟戰(zhàn)勝地球人而歡呼。在本片中,在Caesar的帶領(lǐng)下,猩猩們策劃了一個(gè)周密的逃亡計(jì)劃。一天晚上,Caesar把管理員Dodge引到收容所的公共區(qū)域,因不聽Dodge讓它回到籠子里的命令,而激怒了Dodge。在與Caesar搏斗時(shí),Dodge揮舞著象征權(quán)威的電棒叫囂:“Dumb monkey! Take your stinking paw off me, you damn dirty ape!”而此時(shí)Caesar抓住Dodge揮舞著電棒的手臂,發(fā)出了一聲震撼全場(chǎng)的怒吼:“No!”這聲怒吼象征著猩猩首次認(rèn)識(shí)到了自我,首次敢于反抗權(quán)威,也象征著猿族的崛起。Caesar順勢(shì)奪過電棒,將Dodge打暈,把其他猩猩放了出來,一起開始了勇敢的大逃亡。
在智力上得到了提升的猩猩們不再各自為戰(zhàn),各自逃生,而是在Caesar的帶領(lǐng)下一起行動(dòng),它們有很強(qiáng)的團(tuán)隊(duì)意識(shí)和集體精神。逃出收容所的猩猩們先來到Gen-Sys公司,救出了用于實(shí)驗(yàn)的同類,又趕往動(dòng)物園進(jìn)行同樣的行動(dòng)。救出同伴后,它們繼續(xù)在人類的槍林彈雨中前行。當(dāng)Caesar遭遇人類直升機(jī)的襲擊時(shí),它的大猩猩同伴奮不顧身地替它擋住了子彈。而反觀片中的人類,例如Will的老板Steven,卻是利欲熏心,自私自利。和團(tuán)結(jié)的猩猩們相比,人類縱使有高科技的武器裝備,也是注定要失敗。
棲息紅樹林
——回歸自然
科技異化一直是好萊塢電影熱衷的主題。這樣的主題在《猩球崛起》中也有所體現(xiàn)。通過片中猩猩哀怨的眼神和憤怒的吶喊,觀眾更直觀地看到了科技對(duì)生命的荼毒。我們感受到的“高尚的猩猩”和“自私的人類”之間的情感沖突,成為影片引導(dǎo)觀眾情緒的力量,觀眾甚至可以在那些猩猩的身上看到自己的影子。最后,影片以疾風(fēng)驟雨式的方式讓“邪惡勢(shì)力”變得土崩瓦解,即使這些“邪惡勢(shì)力”是我們的同類,我們一樣拍手稱快。
Caesar最終率領(lǐng)猩猩軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)勝了人類的封鎖,在紅樹林建立了自己新的家園。Caesar最后就像它的同名者Caesar (愷撒)大帝一樣,讓所有的同類臣服。片尾,Will冒著生命危險(xiǎn)追逐Caesar來到猩猩們的新家——紅樹林。此時(shí),Caesar已經(jīng)能夠用平等姿態(tài)面對(duì)Will。
Will: I’m sorry. This is my fault. This has to stop. This isn’t the way. You know what they’re capable of. Please come home. If you come home, I’ll protect you.
Caesar: Caesar is home.
聽到Caesar所說的話,Will才意識(shí)到,這里才是Caesar真正的歸宿。此刻,他開始第一次將Caesar作為一個(gè)平等獨(dú)立的生命來看待。在影片中,對(duì)于Will來說,這樣的認(rèn)識(shí)還不太晚,但對(duì)于整個(gè)人類來說,這樣的認(rèn)識(shí)已然太遲:用于實(shí)驗(yàn)的藥物“ALZ-112”的升級(jí)版本“113”對(duì)人類有致命的毒性,并且極易傳播——感染了“113”病毒的工作人員Franklin已死在家中;但對(duì)于猩猩來說,這種藥物沒有副作用,而且會(huì)讓猩猩的智商得到提升。隨著病毒的傳播,人類的滅絕將成為必然,而猿族將在Caesar的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下統(tǒng)治整個(gè)地球。
看完影片,我們不禁倒吸一口涼氣:科技所創(chuàng)造的一切究竟會(huì)把人類帶向何方?更加強(qiáng)大,還是走向滅亡?