Apes stole the show...

Rating: 8/10 (10 August 2011)

First and foremost, apes are not monkeys; apes are apes, the animal which manages to be the main character of the show. No doubt, what sells this movie is the ape itself, behind their story of evolution because of man. Caesar, the lead ape, is the baby of the product of an experimenting chimpanzee. Caesar grows attached to the human world, becoming foreign to its own, with intelligence that is beyond ordinary that will later lead in a rise of the apes. This movie depicts a drama that is beautifully crafted to show the relationship between man and ape, giving its 'wow' moments in bits and pieces until the credits, or post-credits.
Definitely a prequel to the other 'Apes' movie, this movie explains and exudes the beginning of the whole story with simplicity that binds me from the start to the end. James Franco's performance as the leading man (Will Rodman) is one to be praised aside from the apes. He has proved again that he is an exceptional actor. Likewise, John Lithgow (Will's sick father who finds temporary relief using an experimenting virus), Tom Felton (Dodge Landon, another villain role that deserves for what he did) and David Oyelowo (Steven Jacobs, the stubborn man that seeks money out of experiments) portray their characters well. However, there wasn't much screen time of Freida Pinto given the hype created around her. His and her love story is not much presented; but then, why the need for their love story when the focus on the ape and Will far surpass the need for it? And in the short time of appearance, I believe this isn't her best performance yet.
Once again, I would like to mention that this movie is drama at its best, in which there are some scenes that touch the heart. I predicted some of this sort, knowing it has a human-animal relationship. I was not disappointed; in fact, I enjoyed that it wasn't tear-jerking but suffice to pull heartstrings. Growing a connection with Caesar, we must realize that some things in life are best left unchanged- this is told in much depth. I thought there would be war between ape and man at its climax, somehow like the previous ones, but I was fooled. Because there wasn't any war; in fact, there isn't a need for war to bring out the essence of the movie. The final lines of the movie tell it all.
In short, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' lives to its great expectation and to say that it has no 'wow' moments would be a great lie. Unlike many current movies with extensive use of bombs or gun fire, this has enough to capture the attention; but then again, why the need for extensive explosions when the stage set for the story of ape and man was delivered splendidly.