A short Serkis saves this movie from disaster! Caesar rules!

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2012)

I am sorry, but I did not go ape crazy with cinematic ecstasy with my "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" viewing experience as many moviegoers and numerous critics did. This movie is a prequel to the "Planet of the Apes" and it reveals the genesis of how the apes went ballistic and eventually wiped out the entire human race. And to think it all started in times of Caesar. More on that in just a sec "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" stars James Franco as Will Rodman, a scientist who vehemently tries to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease which his father Charles suffers from. Will tests out an Alzheimer experimental drug on chimpanzees in the lab he works with; when that experiment goes ape crazy, he has no choice but to go back to square one and do a Huey Lewis, "I Want A New Drug". Will takes in Caesar, a baby chimp who eventually gets older and gathers humanlike intelligence from the experimental drug's effect; which also help cure Will's father Charles from Alzheimer. When a bullying neighbor tries to hurt Charles outside Caesar's Palace (that would be the Rodman home), Caesar goes bezerk and almost kills the neighbor. Consequently, Caesar is court ordered to an ape sanctuary. What follows is a sort of an ape prison escape type of situation led by a very angry Caesar. Director Rupert Wyatt does a credible job with the action ape sequences of the film, but lays flat when it came to the humans. None of the humans were engaging at all, and it did not help that they had nothing fascinating to say thanks to Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver's humdrum screenplay. Franco looked bored playing Will Rodman, maybe he would have had more fun if he was playing Dennis Rodman. Freida Pinto's performance as primatologist and Will's love interest Caroline Aranha served hardly any purpose in the movie and was just thrown in there for eye candy pinta when seeing the gorgeous Pinto. John Lithgow was OK, but not vintage Lithgow with his performance as Charles. The thespian who stole this show is no doubt Andy Serkis, the performance-capture master who once again showed he is the Lord of the Walking Things with his work as Caesar. His Serkis continues to be the Greatest Show on Earth in the performance-capture movie arena. Another positive rise of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was its breathtaking visual effects; I do visualize that it just might take the Best Visual Effects Academy Award. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is a cinematic planet worth visiting primarily due to the Serkis ride of Caesar the primate. *** Average