Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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Both personable and action-packed this film is sure to please. It’s recommended to see this film in a cinema that isn’t close to playground monkey bars. Read on for triplew.me’s review of the Rise of Planet of the Apes…

This Sci-fi adventure harks back to the origins of the Planet of the Apes genre, providing the precursor to the film made in the 60s (and Tim Burton’s remake in 2001). Where those were based around astronauts landing on a faraway planet governed by advanced primates, in this movie the plot explores the background as to how these clever chimps came about (and learnt to space travel).

Set in San Fran, Will Rodman (James Franco) is a scientist working for a large pharmacological company seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s. The vaccine is being tested on chimpanzees and mutates within their cells, providing them with an extraordinary degree of human intelligence. Rodman soon finds himself rearing an orphaned baby chimp who he names Caesar.  Caesar has inherited the vaccine strain and his intelligence develops at an amazing rate as he grows.

Jumping ahead some years, this human/primate interaction between Rodman and the now matured Caesar (played by, Andy Serkis – ofcourse!) is the focus of much of the film with key questions asked by Caesar as to what he is now, pet or human? His ability to reason as a human while witnessing human cruelty against his species melds him into the character which goes on to be a main protagonist in the other, earlier (but chronologically later) Planet Of The Apes films - still with me?

While the 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes was distinctly crammed with special effects, this movie is refreshingly less so (at least in its conspicuity) with the human scale more the focus. There is still the fair share of CGI and generally good it is too in bringing to life not only a city of rampaging apes but also face to face-ing with our supposed predecessors in the chain of evolution.

The cast’s performances are convincing, including Slumdog Millionaire’s Freida Pinto (playing Rodman’s love interest) - the primatologist Caroline along with John Lithgow, in an uncharacteristically somber (although equally compelling) role as Will Rodman’s father.

On the whole the film entertains the movie-goer more than adequately. Questions of human cruelty in animal testing are touched upon in the old adage of greed versus good and mankind’s well documented interaction with primates is rendered neatly in the script with some moving scenes.

Stay seated for the rolling credits at the end as there is a short sequence within that clues you into the association with the future plot of the original Planet of the Apes films. We think you’ll live if you decide to leave though (maybe for the hardcore Planet of the Apes fans only).

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE

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