Grounds the original concept while eradicating 2001's remake

Rating: Null/10 (8 August 2011)

In a personal bid to help his father's medical condition a man's experiments for a genetic engineering company leads to the dangerous development of an intelligence in apes.
Although it departs in many ways from the original films, it is a fantastic piece of entertainment in its own right. Rise of the Planet of The Apes mixes the right amount of character development with story, effects and performances capturing the imagination of a new generation.
Despite a good cast with great performances notably from John Lithgow and James Franco, it's the apes themselves and Andy Serkis coupled with some state of the art special effects that steal the show.
Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa's writing keeps the action and emotion somewhat believable, that Franco handles particularly well. The contemporary setting of San Francisco gives the film a familiar believable feel and it is a good contrast to the dark caged scenes and sterile lab sets. Patrick Doyle's score compliments the action and stirs feelings during the poignant moments.
Rupert Wyatt's direction ensures there's enough surprises and action setups to give Rise momentum. Wyatt's handling of Caesar manages to demand attention throughout with a welcomed display of edginess, danger and intelligence. There's also an added odd eeriness due to the ape actions and glancing looks. In addition, the writers and Wyatt thoughtfully give enough nods to the original to humble fans and hints at possible sequels throughout to tease further interest.
Overall, Rise manages to be an emotional ride, successfully grounding the concept of the originals while eradicating Burton's 2001 missed opportunity. Caesar is home...