Great execution, but we've seen this movie before

Rating: 7/10 (3 September 2011)

I just saw this movie today and I have to say that it was quite good, but not great. It's basically a retelling of 1972's "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes", but whereas "Conquest of" had an great premise with a weak execution, this movie has excellent execution with a bland and overdone premise. The premise was nothing new or original so it didn't leave an impression on me like that those original five movies did.
Still, the execution was superb. Andy Serkis's CGI Caesar in particular was impressive and even outdid even Roddy McDowell's excellent performance as Caesar in "Conquest of". The plot was also more plausible. In "Conquest of" we're expected to believe that Apes evolved into their human-like form in less than 20 years. I'm forgiving of the older film because they didn't have the budget or technology to make the Apes more realistic back in 1972, but still, their appearance could have been explained by the arrival of the Apes who traveled back in time in the previous movie, "Escape From the Planet of the Apes".
In terms of execution, this film was miles ahead of the older films. It also had some great emotional moments, in particular when Caesar is imprisoned and has to endure abuse by his keepers and his fellow chimps. I also liked the Alzheimer's plot, which was heart wrenching and well executed. It managed to capture both the bleak atmosphere of "Conquest of" while still retaining the hopeful spirit of "Battle For The Planet of the Apes". The only moment I felt taken out of this movie was when Caesar said "No" for the first time. It just seemed a little forced and out of place. Obviously it was done as a nod to the older films. "No" is the word that humans are forbidden to speak, and also the first word Caesar is heard saying when he starts his rebellion in "Conquest". Nevertheless, I felt that when he spoke for the first time, the movie had jumped the shark, but it got good again really quick.
The biggest weakness of this film was its bland premise. Scientists try to play god and Evil corporation gets to greedy and we all pay the price. Meanwhile a subjugated group rebels and overcomes its oppressors. Don't interfere with nature ... Blah Blah Blah. It was basically retelling of the "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" movie without the whole "self fulfilling prophecy" angle that made those earlier films so interesting. In a way, one could view this as a prequel to the first two films as long as they act as though the backward time traveling events in "Escape From" never happened. This is how things could have happened had Cornelius and Zira not gone back in time and changed the course of history. So this resides on a different time-line, or is completely removed from the events of those last three sequels. And though it borrows from the ideas and main premise of "Conquest Of", it's more or less a retelling of that story but has no connection to the actual events of that story.
Either way, it could serve as both a reboot, or a prequel to the first two films since it doesn't contradict anything in 1968's "Planet of the Apes" or 1970's "Beneath the Planet of the Apes". I'm sure, however, if they continue with sequels, it will eventually forge its own plot to replace these as well. But, at this point, one could still interpret this as a prequel. It's kind of reminiscent of X-Men First Class, which could work as a prequel to the first two X-Men films, but, depending on the direction they go with the sequels, could also be used as a reboot. It's actually quite smart to do this, and viewing this film as an alternate time-line is thought provoking in itself. Of course, this theme is never explored in the movie, so it's kind of a moot point. Without offering anything new or original to the premise, the film lacks the impression that the original five movies made when they first hit theaters and suffers as a result. B