Another film that exceeded my expectations

Rating: 6/10 (3 September 2012)

Those who like to refer to the golden age of the old Planet of the Apes movies should be forced to go back and watch them. The first one was a classic, though it's aged badly. The subsequent ones got worse and worse until they reached the point of being unwatchable. Burton's remake was marginally better but an unnecessary exercise.
Because of the diminishing returns of the old Apes movies I had no intention of ever watching the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Indeed the fact that it was promoted as a CGI-fest was enough to deter me as I believe CGI to be responsible for some of the worst excesses of modern cinema. However, it was a rainy afternoon, I had nothing better to do and I found myself watching "Rise of.." etc., expecting I'd be bailing out within the first few minutes. To my surprise I watched it to the end and I enjoyed it.
This isn't some fiendishly clever film with lots of plot twists and top notch dialogue but it is a decent version of the hero's journey, with our hero being Caesar the ape. The characters, human and simian, are well developed on the whole and there's an emotional core to the film. Thankfully it isn't an action-fest though the showdown at the end is well done. The CGI is obvious, especially when you have scenes with masses of apes, but it's acceptable in this type of movie.
There's no point in whining about plot holes and believability – look, apes get intelligent and they take over the planet and you're expecting the story to be believable? Go and read a history book or two if that's what you're looking for. This film is better than I was expecting and it's a decent enough attempt to make a fun film with a few philosophical questions thrown in if you are inclined to think about them.