a franchise reinvented.

Rating: Null/10 (25 August 2011)

I never watched the original Planet of the Apes, nor any of the sequels or the television show that followed. I just never had any interest in the cheesiness of it all. I did see the 2001 remake, directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Wahlberg; and I came away unimpressed. It was my lack of interest that suppressed my desire to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. After my initial viewing of the first trailer for the movie, I remained disinterested. I was interested in the cast, but not the movie or at least enough to convince me to see it. As momentum built towards the release of the film, slowly my interest started to intensify. Once I started to notice that word of mouth from various screenings was positive; and then after viewing footage of the film's making, it wasn't long before my curiosity took over, and I did in fact want to see the movie.
Rupert Wyatt, the director, keeps the pacing nice and steady. By no means is this a special effects driven film; it's much more. The script is very well balanced, and the story is uncomplicated and thankfully not filled with useless filler attempting to link it to the prior films. James Franco's performance as Will Rodman is good. Franco adds depth and sincerity to a character that could have easily been overshadowed by the apes around him. John Lithgow provides a touching performance as Will's father and inspiration. Although the acting performances are top-notch, it's important to realize that the actors are not the driving force behind the movie; the apes are meant to be the stars. To be more specific, the true star of the movie is Caesar, thanks to Andy Serkis and special effects company Weta's motion capture technology. Serkis previously did work with Weta as Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and then as King Kong, in Peter Jackson's remake. In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Serkis provides a realism and humanistic element to Caesar, unlike anything I've ever seen. The emotions clearly seen on Caesar's face are because Serkis is the one reflecting those emotions. Serkis may not be nominated for an Academy Award, disappointing a legion of fans pulling for him with an "Oscar for Andy" campaign currently on Facebook and Twitter, but it goes without saying that without him we wouldn't have cared as much for Caesar.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes may not gross the same amount as Transformers: Dark of the Moon or Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, but without a doubt this was a far superior movie. A movie that provides wonderful character development, special effects, a great story and plenty of action is sure to be one that's fully enjoyable. Although Rise is marketed as a prequel to the Planet of the Apes franchise, provided a different title the movie would have stood on its own. However, since it is part of a franchise, I expect more to the story in the future. I may not have started out as one, but now I'm definitely a fan of that "damn, dirty ape"!
Grade: A
Visit our site at www.twodudereview.com