The original Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite movies but I hated all the sequels and remakes after it. This is one of the reasons why I didn’t immediately watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I have already dismissed it as another one of those movies trying to make a quick buck by associating it with the franchise. I am surprised to find myself entertained by it in so many ways.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the prequel of all the prequels of the Planet of the Apes. It shows how the apes manage to take over the world from us humans. The chimps, especially Caesar, are better in showing emotions than most Hollywood starlets. That’s how good the CGI is in this movie. Caesar’s character is also well-written that you’ll find yourself engrossed with his journey. As the movie progresses, you will understand Caesar and why he did the things he has done. Through an ape, we find ourselves staring at our own humanity.
Plot-wise, it is very good story. It is not as intelligent as the original Planet of the Apes but it is not as dumb as the rest of the movies in the franchise. My only complaint with regards to the movie is the various subplots that lead to nowhere. Character development of the humans is also rushed, which I think is due to the time constraints in order to decrease the movie’s runtime.
Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto): I love chimpanzees. I’m also afraid of them. And it’s appropriate to be afraid of them.
Andy Serkis delivers a great performance as Caesar but it can also be because of the great CGI team behind him. He is the same person who played Gollum in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. James Franco and Freida Pinto play their parts well but that didn’t hide the fact that their characters’ chemistry is weak.
Tom Felton is stereotyped as a bad guy since he played Draco in the Harry Potter series. In Rise of the Planet of the Apes, he plays one of Caesar’s tormentors. Hopefully he gets to play other roles in his next movie projects.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the most emotional movie of the Planet of the Apes franchise. Finally we get a movie that gives respect to the original sci-fi classic. It hints of a prequel in the end and hopefully the same crew will sign up for it in the future.
