“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was a fantastic movie and
one that not only made me yearn for more but also revitalized my interest in
the classic films. James Franco's
performance is flawless as Will, a scientist working for a company trying to
develop a cure for Alzheimers who
accidentally stumbles across a way to drastically improve the intelligence of
one of the test chimps the company uses.
After a dramatic accident, Franco ends up smuggling the baby of this intelligent
chimp, named Caesar back to his home where over the course of the next several
years the two form an incredibly close bond.
I won’t give away how we get from lovable intelligent chimp to the
beginnings of the planet of the apes, but suffice it to say the story is very
well thought out and leaves no loose ends.
Overall, the film’s best aspect is its believability. It all seems like something which could
actually occur and that only serves to further peek the viewers interest. Great supporting roles by John Lithgow as
Will’s father and Freida Pinto as Will’s love interest also help the viewer to
empathize with not only the apes in particular but also humanity itself as we
come to grips with the significance of what we’ve done. While some throwbacks to the original films
of the 1970’s and 80’s feel forced like the classic “get your hands off me you
damn dirty ape” line which does show up, other instances are more subtle and
will make fans of the originals happy that this is not only a Planet of the
Apes for a new generation, but also one that plays tribute to its predecessors.
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