One of the Best Hollywood Reboots!!!

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2014)

This intelligent but imaginative reboot of Twentieth Century Fox's "Planet of the Apes" franchise is largely entertaining as a science fiction film, but you have to enjoy ersatz computer-generated-imagery for this above-average epic about man versus animal to succeed as a narrative. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is as much a documentary about primates as it is a melodrama. Since the primates are the focus, no single charismatic human steps up to engage our sympathy as the hero who saves the day. James Franco comes closest as a scientist who looks differently at the apes from start to finish. Initially, the apes amount to little more than numbers to him in a research lab. Later, they become almost human to him. He dresses Caesar in a sweater at one point as if he were a little boy. Nevertheless, the story creates greater sympathy for the primates to make it more compelling, especially during the scene where Bright Eyes goes berserk and storms the board room. The Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver screenplay charts the growth of the primate protagonist from birth to freedom. "Escapist" director Rupert Wyatt shoots the movie whenever possible from Caesar's perspective as the chimp learns how to behave and then survive not only in captivity but also the wilderness. The filmmakers portray mankind sympathetically in the character of Will Rodman, but also greedy in the character of Will's ambitious supervisor Steven Jacobs. Caesar is not the only primate of interest. Other than Caesar's mother Bright Eyes, Koba is another chimp. While Caesar is treated heroically as the thinking man's' chimp, Koba emerges as a classic villain. Koba comes into his own in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." At a biotechnology company named Gen-Sys, research scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) conducts experiments on primates with a serum to cure Alzheimer's disease. After one of the apes runs amuck and the program is shut down. The reluctant lab technician Franklin kills 12 apes, but hands a baby to Rodman to kill. Instead, Rodman takes the chimp home and it exhibits the ability to behave like a child. Eventually, with some much freedom at hand, the chimp named Caesar goes crazy when he sees Will's father, Charles (John Lithgow), being prodded by a man. It seems that Charles left the house, got into a neighbor's car, and cranked it up. Unfortunately, he slams the car into the one parked in front of him. Caesar attacks the neighbor, and Will has to turn him over to an enclosure. A handler at the facility mistreats Caesar. He blasts him with a water cannon and knocks him out. Caesar grows accustomed to life in the San Bruno primate facility and makes friends initially with ex-orangutan circus performer Maurice who exchanges sign language with him.
Little by little Caesar establishes himself at the top chimp, steals a pocket knife from a visitor, and learns the number for the punch-pad key lock. Caesar stages an escape and they run to Gen-Sys to join Koba who has been transferred there for testing. After they break out of the Gen-Sys laboratory, they storm the Golden Gate Bridge and havoc ensues. A gorilla leaps into a helicopter where Sheriff's personnel are shooting at the primates on the bridge. Will tries to stop the madness, but he gets there in time to see this mayhem happen. Jacobs, Wills' African-American supervisor who jump started the second phase of primate testing, dies at the hands of Koba in a scene straight out of "For Your Eyes Only." Like Bond who pushed a murderer in a car off a cliff to his death, Koba does the same thing for Jacobs in a helicopter and kills him. The primates head to the sanctuary tree-clad mountains. At the conclusion, Will confronts Caesar in the mountains and promises to take him home with him, but he is too late. Caesar pulls a pugnacious Koba off Will and whispers in Will's ear that he is home.
This reboot is nothing short of brilliant, and British director Rupert Wyatt relies largely on imagery rather than dialogue to tell the tale. Caesar's first use of the word "no" is extraordinary as his final words to Rodman in the forest. If you enjoyed the Charlton Heston franchise, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is for you.