Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review

If you became uninterested just trying to finish reading the title of the movie I urge you please continue onward, because without a shadow of a doubt this reboot of the revered Planet of the Apes franchise, is the biggest surprise of the summer and easily the most fun you'll have at the theater with monkeys involved. That may seem like a huge conceit, but its more because this has been a terrific year for summer blockbusters. Rise of the Planet of the Apes--which from here on out I will refer to as "Rise of the Apes (the original title of the film until they were asked to change it)-- is defiantly worth your hard earned money as it contains the best performance of the year so far as well as a truly thrilling and sincerely genuine story of hyper intelligent chimpanzee Caesar and his revolt against humans.

I will begin by saying you should run not walk to the theater to see this movie for the sole purpose of being one of the first to witness the next evolutionary step (no pun intended) in CGI. WETA Digital the effects house behind such films as Lord of the Rings and Avatar easily out due themselves in this film with the most groundbreaking CGI yet. Rise of the Apes does more for CGI than cat eyed blue aliens, by crafting some of the most fully realized and realistic creatures to date. These apes don't simply look utterly fantastic but they exude such emotion and personality that once the film takes a dark and chilling turn you will become so immersed in this society of apes that you will begin to feel as if these CGI creations aren't just living breathing animals but that they are capable of incredibly nuanced and emotionally affecting performances, kudos WETA, you have truly out done yourselves here.

The plot is pretty thin, but acceptable since its only a launching point for the apes to become intelligent and subsequently revolt. A lab coat wearing James Franco, Will Rodman is developing a drug that allows the brain to create new cells and repair itself. Will is dedicated to creating this drug because back at home his father is suffering from Alzheimer's. When an ape they have been testing on breaks loose and is brutally put down, they discover a baby in said apes holding cell, unable to kill the newborn Will takes the baby home and as most people would, he becomes attached and begins to raise him. This newborn chimp is given the name Caesar and as he grows up it becomes exceedingly clear that the drugs being tested on Caesars mother passed on to him, making Caesar incredibly intelligent with exponentially increased cognitive skills. Its unfortunate that the humans in the movie aren't as interesting as the apes, with decent performances from the entire cast, they fall prey to broad character types, like "passionate but unethical scientist" or "cold hearted business man who cares more about money than the apes" and finally "pretty girlfriend who softly chides the unethical treatment of animals". When the CGI creations exude more personality and emotion than the human actors you know you have a problem. In the end its forgivable since Caesar and the many other apes are easily the main stars of the movie and the real reason to go see this film.

Caesars quickly becomes the main protagonist as a violent outburst lands him in what is essentially an ape prison, fit with an evil warden and an abusive guard; Here is where Caesar is forced, violently to become an animal. Up until this point in the film, Caesar had been treated well by all the people in his life, as well as being spoiled by his surrogate family. The harsh realities of being an animal in this hostile human world is hard on Caesar as he is repeatedly abused by the "prison guard" played by the preternatural sleazy and evil Tom Felton and is even beaten up by the prisons alpha male chimp who not only humiliates Caesar but gives him a hard beating. This is where Andy Serkis who plays Caesar through motion capture truly begins to shine as the often times humorous and adorable young Caesar is replaced by a beaten and tattered being, who must use his extreme intelligence if he is going to survive in this harsh new environment.

Serkis's performance throughout the entire film is wonderful but once Caesar undergoes abandonment and continuous abuse it becomes truly riveting, as we watch somebody who has been taken to his breaking point and his forced to fight back. Its is a fantastic performance, that even though transmitted through a CGI ape is no less engrossing or memorable. Serkis has breathed more life into CGI Caesar than most actors do when they are actually on screen, his uncanny ability to communicate fear, pride and cunningness through a subtle facial expression is astonishing. It truly is mind blowing watching such a powerful performance fill this CGI creation with such life. Through the perfect marriage of the wonderful CGI and the captivating performance of Andy Serkis, Caesar and his ever growing force of apes are the most compelling part of the entire movie. And as Caesar and his fellow apes begin to exact their plans of conquest, you sympathize with their plight and subsequently when they begin to hurl spears at police officers you will begin to question where your loyalties lay, with the apes or the humans. Because we understand what has transpired up to the final moments of the apes revolt,  its so easy to root for their success and cheer when they display acts of bravery and compassion.

Lastly credit most be given to several specific things that greatly increased my enjoyment of the movie, mainly the fact that director Rupert Wyatt smartly lets things play out, and doesn't interfere with the emotion of a scene or the action as it unfolds, instead he sits back and lets things unravel, making for powerful moments as well as thrilling action throughout. WETA also does a fantastic job differentiating the apes from each other and imbuing them with a sense of  individuality, allowing you to tell them apart which is important once the apes are in the hundreds and causing chaos in the streets. Cementing my enjoyment of film is the tone, which is sincere and unwavering in its depiction of this highly improbable situation with apes becoming highly intelligent and fighting back against their oppressive human overlords. This movie is earnest in the best way possible, no matter how preposterous you may think it is, they don't tone it down one bit and its a way better movie for that, since it adds weight to the proceedings and increases your attachment to these apes and their mission.

Rise of the Apes-- my unofficial name for this movie-- is easily the most fun I have had at the movie this summer. And as cheesy as it sounds I laughed, I cried, I cheered; in all seriousness I loved the hell out of this movie, it affected me in a way I could have never expected. But I cant in good faith bring myself to give this movie a perfect score since the script isn't anything to praise nor are any of the human components of this film. Andy Serkis deserves at the very least an Oscar nod for his performance as Caesar which is riveting and is easily the most engaging part of the entire film. Rise of the Apes has thrilling action, chilling and heart wrenching moments and easily some of the most groundbreaking CGI yet. I highly recommend this movie. Ignore the slightly less than perfect score and GO SEE Rise of the Apes.

(4 out of 5)