Has its flaws, but was so much better than expected

Rating: 7/10 (7 August 2011)

When news first reached me about a new Planet of the Apes film I was mildly intrigued. After seeing the trailer confusion sort of took over that intrigue. I couldn't see the purpose in making an origin story to a franchise that I thought died a horrible death with Tim Burton's remake from 2001. As the release of the film became more and more imminent my skepticism grew. I eventually reached the conclusion that this wasn't going to be a great film, but I'd probably see it anyways. Upon its release the film began receiving rave reviews and a glint of hope was then restored in me. And now that I've finally gotten around to seeing it I'm very glad I did.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes tells the story of the apes first rise to power which, after years of evolution, would eventually lead to the events of the original film. James Franco stars as Will Rodman, a young scientist who is searching for the cure to Alzheimer's. He and his colleagues are testing the serum Will has come up with on apes and, due to a mishap in the lab, Will is forced to take home a baby ape that has been received the Alzheimer's antidote genetically through its mother. This chimp eventually grows up to be Caesar, the highly intelligent ape that will one day rise up to overthrow the humans and take over the world. This film is the account of just how he got there, and wow is it exciting! This is a film that ripens over time. It starts out fairly slow with a sort of clichéd scientist versus corporation hitch. Then Caesar is introduced and he starts to grow up and we see his progression over time as he becomes smarter, and therefore more aware of the situation he is in. The script in Rise of the Planet of the Apes leads something to be desired, so a lot of this setup, albeit necessary, gets old. The film really kicks off after an incident which gets Caesar put into a prison like ape facility. After this the film spends its time switching between the apes and the humans. As should be the case, I quickly began to care less and less about what the humans were doing with their lackluster dialogue and dull subplots, and I cared a lot more about what the apes were doing. Honestly, that's the way it should be.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes does raise one very important question, however. Can someone win an Oscar for a motion capture performance? I'm talking, of course, about the magnificent Andy Serkis who plays Caesar in the film. His portrayal of the defiant ape is possibly the greatest thing about the entire movie. For one, the technical feat of creating such a realistic looking ape through motion capture is astounding, but Andy Serkis makes it all the more convincing with his fluidly brilliant movement and fantastic facial features which make Caesar into more human of a character than the actual humans, who aren't exactly the most developed of characters. The third act of this film is wicked as it kicks off the ape uprising in all its destructive glory. The movie takes off and becomes a truly awesome Summer blockbuster.
I love being surprised by a movie, and that's why I so thoroughly enjoyed Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was so much better than expected, with some really incredible technical feats and gripping action for the last third of the film. There are humans in this film but they are more in the way than anything. It's all about the apes, and this film certainly delivers in that department. This is definitely a must see for the Summer.