You'll Go Ape! (Excuse the Un-Original Pun)

Rating: 10/10 (16 May 2013)

I've seen the original Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston and although I enjoyed it I have to say I wasn't overwhelmed. The 4 sequels it produced also seemed to deteriorate as they went further along, and the Tim Burton's poorly received remake in 2001 left many viewers (including myself) skeptical as to what sort of impact this 'reboot' would deliver.
An absolute knockout punch in my opinion that resurrects the franchise with a bang!
This film has blockbuster written all over it and the effects are absolute brilliant. I'd like to go on record to say how much of a genius Andy Serkis is for his incredible motion capture performance as Caesar, the chimpanzee whose story the film revolves around. Having already used his ability to give us the on screen presences of Gollum and King Kong, Serkis absolutely nails this one, making us pity, love, admire, suspect and fear his character simply through body language.
The film acts as a kind of prequel/kind of reboot that could easily set up a whole new franchise on its own. We watch young, ambitious scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) as he relentlessly tries to find a cure for Alzheimer's to save his father. But by 'playing God' and testing on chimps Will gets more than he bargains for when they display different side effects to humans. The first test subject Caesar seems to react positively becoming Will's companion and crowning achievement. But Caesar soon notices his inferiority to humans and as he continues to develop, Will realises he can no longer control him or his ideas.
The movie has an excellent script with an abundance of trivial nods to the original franchise, as well as a promising cast including Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow and Tom Felton who breaks away from his 'Potter' typecasting quite well.
With stunning shots of San Francisco, and some captivating action sequence including the heart-stopping finale which takes place on Golden Gate Bridge, this film will excite and amaze both old fans and those new to the series.
For someone who is not usually a sci-fi fan my attention was kept throughout the entire film, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone, especially to those unimpressed by the original series and Burton's remake because this was an all-round hit!
Now all that remains is to anticipate the sequel 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' which arrives in May 2014, but one thing's for sure as long as Serkis is back wearing that motion capture suit we're in for a real treat.