The action scenes were very well done, but the rest of the movie was far less engaging

Rating: Null/10 (18 September 2011)

The Verdict
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is an OK Sci-Fi action movie. A truly great Sci-Fi action movie walks a fine line between an exciting pure action and a smart thought-provoking Sci-Fi content. Unfortunately, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" has failed to walk that fine line: the action scenes were very well done, but the rest of the movie was far less engaging.
The Positives
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes", unlike "Planet of the Apes", clearly and unequivocally depicts the re-born apes as intellectually and possibly even morally superior than the humans. I thought that it definitely added more depth and freshness to the plot and was a significant redeeming factor for the movie.
The result of the collaboration between Andy Serkis and the visual effect wizards was outstanding: the apes in the movie had surpassed most of the humans not only in intellect, but also in acting as well.
All the mass scenes with the apes were done very thoroughly and became a highlight of the movie.
John Lithgow, Brian Cox, and Tom Felton were convincing in their supporting roles.
The Negatives
I like modern cars. They are safer, more reliable, roomier and at the same time more fuel efficient than the older models. However, there is one thing that I do not like about them: too much cheap plastic used in their interior. When I think about "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" movie, I have a very similar feeling - too much cheap plastic.
Let me explain. John Lithgow, one of my favorite actors, is very convincing as an Alzheimer victim. However, I just cannot make myself feel any compassion to his character or any genuine interest in his suffering, because this whole story line is a piece of cheap plastic to fill the hole in the plot, and the whole subplot goes nowhere.
In the original "Planet of the Apes" female chimp Dr. Zira played a crucially important role in the story and only her compassion, intellect, intuition, and courage helped the main human character to survive. In contrast, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" definitely lacks a strong woman presence. The main woman character, played by the lovely and promising actress Freida Pinto, could be safely removed from the movie without any significant impact on the plot. Her character looks more like a cheap plastic accessory for the lead actor - James Franco, whose one-dimensional performance was mostly uninspiring and unimpressive.
In the original "Planet of the Apes", the main conflict is represented by a cosmic clash between the two civilizations - the apes and the humans - their values, their priorities, their ways of seeing things. This conflict was a tool to allow us to take a long and hard look at our human civilization with all its greatest achievements and all its horrible flaws. In the "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" the conflict has been reduced to bullying, bad conditions in the animal shelters, bureaucracy in the court system, and finally - to dealing with crazy neighbors. It is all very nice, interesting, and true to life, but that is not what I would expect from a good Sci-Fi action movie.
If I am so interested in dealing with crazy neighbors or bureaucracy, I can get it free of charge – one look around would be enough.
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