stupid Humans

Rating: 8/10 (17 November 2011)

Considering the last attempt to bring Planet of the Apes to the screen was a complete disaster, it's hard to believe this film even got the go ahead to be made. However, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is nothing less than a pleasant and extremely exciting surprise.
The film starts out as a drama: James Franco plays a doctor who is working on a cure for Alzheimer's. When there is a fatal accident in the lab, Franco sneaks a baby chimp home, where he discovers that the Alzheimer's drug given to chimps is genetic, and as a result, makes little baby Caesar extremely intelligent. But as the years go by, Caesar becomes more and more displaced, and eventually winds up at the pound. It is here, among average chimps, orangutans, and a gorilla, that Caesar becomes increasingly depressed, and then the real action starts.
Franco is fantastic as the ambitious young doctor, and John Lithgow is great as Franco's Alzheimer's stricken father. It is strange to see Tom Felton portraying anyone else besides Malfoy in Harry Potter, yet he too is perfect as the obnoxious employee at the pound. But it's Andy Serkis (covered up in motion-capture CGI) as Caesar that steals the show. Serkis blends ape mannerisms seamlessly with human attributes, and supplies the most touching moments in the film.
Newcomer Rupert Wyatt directs this film with precision. Not a moment is dull or unwanted. Wyatt constantly pays tribute to the original series by reusing classic lines and plot elements that make the movie so pleasing.
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the most thrilling movies of the year, and is part of a recent trend of very well done sci-fi films. A suspenseful and exhilarating ride, one can only hope the sequel will be as good.
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