Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a thought provoking and emotionally driven thrill ride!

Rating: Null/10 (5 August 2011)

If you're like me, you will be completely fascinated by the story of this film. I'm a big fan of Planet of the Apes and to get to see its origins is really great. Out of the entire series of movies, I think this one truly is the best. It was just absolutely spectacular! The actors delivered fine performances for their well developed characters; the writers, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, didn't miss a beat with their fantastic and intelligent script; and the story was compelling, exciting and emotionally touching.
The star of the film is an ape named Caesar (whose emotions were brought to life brilliantly by Andy Serkis) who is the baby of an ape that was tested on for scientist Will Rodman's (James Franco) research in an effort that resulted in a way for the brain to heal itself, and what could possibly be the cure for Alzheimer's; a disease very personal for him because his father (John Lithgow) suffers from it -- even though Rodman is warned not to let personal issues get in the way of science. The drug also had another affect... it lead to the development of intelligence in apes. As Caesar grows older and smarter, though, he becomes more aware, questioning who and what he is. It is during an incident that causes Caesar to be separated from Will, in a feeling of abandonment, and then being mistreated by Dodge Landon (Tom Felton) at a shelter that ultimately leads to a hurt and confused Caesar plotting for revenge.. what becomes a war for primacy.
Unlike the Planet of the Apes films from the past, this one did not have people running around in ape suits but instead presented us with CGI primates, emotional performances captured from actors. If I hadn't known it were CGI, though, I would have sworn that they were real apes. They were brilliant! Director Rupert Wyatt did a wonderful job of connecting this prequel to the first film, really catching every little detail and even littered respectful homages to the original throughout the entire film. Honestly, I just loved finding out what lead to the great ape takeover. And as I mentioned before, the script was just wonderful and made for a thought provoking and emotionally driven thrill ride!