Monkey Business

Rating: 7/10 (26 July 2013)

I usually find prequels are just a way for the producers to squeeze a little bit more money from a popular movie. Practically just a waste of time. Luckily Rise of the Planet of the Apes felt more than just that. The movie had its point and the creators of the movie bothered to give it a unique touch and look while respecting the original Planet of apes too. The plot itself is pretty straight forwarded and doesn't have big surprises that you wouldn't see coming. The characters of the movie are fairly ordinary and with the first look you can already see who's the good, who's the bad and who's the ugly of the film. On the other hand the 3d-effects and the environments of the movie are stunning. These 3d monkeys of the movie are very realistic looking and well done. Only the "main ape" points out from the crowd with his more humankind face, as the movie makers for sure intended to. The red woods look breathtaking and give a nice touch of the nature to the film and a great contrast to the city life where the main part of the film takes its place. Although the main plot is very straight forwarded and we already know how it is going to end, the small details and references to the original Planet of Apes are the spice that keeps the interest of the audience up and the movie goes through pretty fast and easily. With little improvements in the plot, the movie could have easily become more than just an average movie. I assume the producers and the directors wanted to avoid risks and create a straight forwarded smooth movie to avoid negative ratings the prequel might have with a more radical plot. The result is still amusing to watch and honors its original masterpiece.