Rise of the Planet of the Apes- Movie Review

Directed by Rupert Wyatt
Written by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Running time: 105 minutes (1h, 45 mins.)
Rated PG-13 (for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence)
Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Like the title suggests, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is basically the beginning of how the apes led the revolution that we see in the original film and its sequels. In short, this is a way of introducing people to the series, a way of reminding fans of the original and a way for Fox to make money off this franchise again. Its premise reminded me of the fourth film in the series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, however it's not a remake of that film.

When the film opens, we see a bunch of chimpanzees getting kidnapped. Why? It's for a drug company named GEN-SYS where Will Rodman (James Franco) is working. He's a scientist who's been developing a cure for Alzheimer's disease entitled ALZ-112 and has been testing it on these chimpanzees and it zooms up their IQ. Unfortunately on the day of a board meeting where his treatment could get financed, a test chimp named Bright Eyes goes berserk because she thinks her baby could get harmed. She's get shot by police and the experiment is called off. Suddenly, it's Will's duty to take care of the baby chimp and takes him home for "a few days". Soon those few days turn to weeks, then months, and then years. During that time, he falls for a primotologist (Freida Pinto) who later becomes like a mother to Caesar. But of course, something happens to Caesar, which will make him become the ape he is, but due to spoilers, I can't say.

One of the best things about the film is the relationships between the characters, especially Will and Caeser. I like how the film's scientist is thrust a role he doesn't want at first, but later in the few years raising him accepts. James Franco plays Will well. In fact, this is the second franchise he's been a part of, following the Spider-Man original trilogy. Same thing for Tom Felton, who plays a very cruel keeper at an animal control facility. The movie comes out three weeks after the Harry Potter series ended. John Lithgow plays Will's dad, a former music teacher who suffers from Alzheimer's and is the main reason why Will is developing the drug. And as seen in the commercials, there's a big battle sequence between the apes and the humans and I was rooting for the apes 100%. Humans should know not piss off an ape or they beat you half to death. Remember that.

But the best performance in the whole film comes from Andy Serkis, who plays Caeser by using motion-capture technology. He uses the mannerisms of a real ape and sometimes it makes you feel like it's a real-life ape in this film (thanks to WETA Digital for the designs of the apes).

I enjoyed the film. It's good sci-fi entertainment that's more character-driven and much smarter than the average summer blockbuster. So my rating for the film is *** (3 stars).