Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Watch Trailer The Making of Rise of the Planet of The Apes ROTPOTA Clip: Caesar Exceeds ROTPOTA Clip: One Subject ROTPOTA Clip: The Miracle
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Starring: Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, James Franco, John Lithgow
Details: US/106mins 12A
Franco is a pioneering scientist looking to find the cure for Alzheimer's, as his father suffers with the disease and is rapidly deteriorating. Working mainly with primates, he has a breakthrough when a young chimp showing exceptional intelligence from an early age is born. Raising the monkey as his own, he soon realises that his research has come at a price; this may just be the start of a revolution.
I'm ashamed to say that I was one of those people who wrote this film off as a probable flop. The summer was looking like a sprightly one, with the likes of The Green Lantern, Thor and Captain America being the obvious heavyweight contenders. But as mildy enjoyable as those films were, ultimately they were disappointing. 'Apes' always looked like the underdog, and while there may be an element of lowered expectations involved in the enjoyment of this film, there's no doubting that it's hugely entertaining stuff.
Sure, the 'scientist in search of a cure' thing has been done countless times before, and character development of the humans is minimal, at best. But lead chimp Caesar is so believable - both aesthetically and emotionally - and his development so carefully handled, that the film is engaging despite some cheesy moments. How much of Andy Serkis is in Caesar is anyone's guess, given the technology involved - but the Oscar whispers didn't start on a whim. There is a humanity in the chimp's eyes and a subtlety to his facial expressions that feels disconcertingly real. All of those components result in the best character of this type since motion capture was heralded as the saviour of cinema.
Hemler Rupert Wyatt - who is taking on a film on this scale for the first time - shows assurance and a steady hand with sequences that could easily have peaked too soon, particularly when this film is obviously building towards sequels. There are action sequences, too, but not as many as the trailer would have you believe. The journey leads to a payoff, and unlike Transformers (or films of its ilk), that payoff is paced beautifully.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a rare beast: that is, a smart, well-executed and affecting blockbuster.
Review by Mike Sheridan
Your Comments
roger
A CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence. That says in all.......
Posted 05/08/2011 12:23:37
krimescene
Its Hands down the best movie this year ,maybe in the last couple ,the scenes in the Ape "zoo" where Caesar is firstly Brutalised and eventually ends up leading ,is some of the Most gripping and exciting stuff on screen in ages ,As the power struggle starts over who is in Charge in the place..with only one Eventual Winner.
Posted 11/08/2011 20:04:29
spikeprint
To be fair, the plot is not as clever as the original Conquest of the Planet of the Apes. It's just a well worn path that apes now walk it. The original was a politically charged film reflecting the race relations of the time it was filmed, this one reflects the power of CGI. But it is still a cut above the rest of the summers fare.
Posted 11/08/2011 20:34:33
Ciara
I hate to be picky but they're apes, not monkeys (paragraph 2), two different things!
Posted 12/08/2011 11:17:34
Mary
But like what is the difference between a Monkey and an Ape??
Posted 12/08/2011 14:32:45
damienmcd
Seems like a pretty decent movie and all the reports so far are that it's a well-made movie despite the low expectations I had about it. Can't wait to see it!
Posted 12/08/2011 14:42:21
noel
Waste of time, while the photo real fx are interesting they are only good for the movements not facial movements still cant get around the dead eyes look,a movie with fx as its main selling point rather than a movie with fx that are an enhancement to the movie, The screening i saw was full on hilarious and that was unintentional, though the walkouts half way through were not, this is a very silly very boring film. Tom Felton deserves a mention because he get's to utter those immortal words.... Get your hands off... etc!!! Wait for it on dvd and save your money. Overall very very poor.
Posted 12/08/2011 21:12:32
ted29
@Noel whilst you are entitled to your opinion 82% on rotten tomatoes says other wise. Which means 82% of the worlds top movie critics liked it, a lot.
Posted 15/08/2011 17:40:59
Eve
I really enjoyed it. Highly entertaining. Kept me gripped from start to finish.
Posted 16/08/2011 11:36:10
shinnyd
This film is so entertaining & enjoyable. Couldnt take eyes off screen. Hard to say why I enjoyed it so much, the film was just great Start to finish!
Posted 23/08/2011 09:08:44
Baron FlyGuy
I really enjoyed this film, it was better than what I expected. The winks and nods to the mythology of the earlier movies was done nicely.
Posted 23/08/2011 11:50:46
LIZZY 61
BEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR - great story line - brilliant acting and superb effects, It definitely is a MUST SEE movie, BUT DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT - GO SEE IT FOR YOURSELVES! *****
Posted 24/08/2011 23:26:38
Fitz
Great movie. It's going to set the standard for CGI in the future, making recent CGI laden movies (Transformers etc) look like the equivalent of stop motion.
Posted 25/08/2011 11:19:48
Hank
Roadworks on the way to the cinema meant I sat DOWN needing a wee (opening credits were already running). Figured I'd nip out for a Jimmy riddle during the first dull bit. 105 minutes later I nearly had to be CARRIED to the damn loo but it was well worth the bladderial distress- the film was MUCH better than I expected. I hope there isn't a sequel though, as this one wraps the story up nicely. Anything more would only spoil it (Yes, Alien 3, I'm talking about you). Next time I'm late to the cinema I'm buying one of those Slushee cylinders in case of emergency.
Posted 26/08/2011 18:51:10
Tomboy
This is one very good movie, great from start to finish. I cant wait for the follow up. Five stars from me.
Posted 12/09/2011 16:53:56
mrybo
This movie did nothing for me. Although a slight twinge of emotion was felt at the start - it quickly went downhill from there on. Disappointing.
Posted 24/09/2011 12:52:04
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Your Reviews...
The surprise hit of a disappointing summer - Simon Connolly
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a prequel to the original, a film which finally tells us the story of how the apes... MORE08/11/2011 00:48:04
Super Movie - Tomboy
Loved it, Entertaining from start to finish, looking forward to the Sequel.12/09/2011 17:01:24not what I expected, in a good way! - Sarah
First off, I havent seen any of the original Planet of the Apes films, or the one from a few years ago with Mark... MORE08/09/2011 19:23:48Summary - Stephanie19
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a brilliant film! It was full of suspense from the start. The characters added a... MORE08/09/2011 17:44:54
