Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Review
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Planet Of The Apes is one of the most beloved franchises in Hollywood. It has some of the most memorable quotes, spoofs and has a huge fanbase. It has spawn one remake by Tim Burton, and now director Rupert Wyatt takes his shot. However is this a film to go bananas for?
Story - An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. That is the story synopsis.
Rise Of The Planet The Apes is an origin story of how the Apes began to evolve. The story follows Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist who is close to a scientific breakthrough to not only improve the human mental condition, but also cure Alzheimer's. In order to get funding for Human trials, Will first tested his new miracle drug on Apes. As time progresses the Apes grew smarter and little too smart. For the sake of keeping this spoiler free, I won't go into details on how the Apes rise. If you are concern with the story, you can relax and be happy to know that the story is wonderful. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is pack with a rich story with tons of social commentary. One of the themes I really enjoyed was fate and greed. Will Rodman's father is suffering from Alzheimer's, this situation puts Will in a must not fail case. However he sees the danger's of the drug, but his fear of losing things close to him, causes him to continue with the drug. The story is engaging and the real driving force of it is the apes themselves. Seeing the world from their eyes is the real joy. Especially the main character Ceaser, unlike Transformers which focus more on the humans than the robots. Rise The Planet Of The Apes made sure the Apes were the main focus. Every Ape emotion is told through facial expressions, hand gestures and you really connect with them, you will find yourself cheering them than fearing them. The story does lack a character development on certain characters like Freida Pinto character Caroline Aranha. She is kind of introduce like this the love interest and that's it. Her character although she is the supportive character, you kind of wish you knew more about her. However this doesn't effect the film at all. The film as great storytelling, with everyone getting a fair share of screen time. It's truly a breath of fresh air.
Acting - The acting is awesome. James Franco really does a solid job as Will Rodman. Franco brings complexity, emotional depth and you really feel for him. Freida Pinto doesn't get much to do, but when she is on screen, your attention is on her and she has good chemistry with Franco. The real show stealer is Andy Serkis. Even though he's not on screen in live action, his motion capture work is one of the best. The facial expressions, the movement, is all Serkis and he really brings Ceaser to life. Overall the acting is well done and the actors really put their heart into this film.
Music & Filmmaking - The music is done very well, filled with emotional, epic composition. The great thing about the OST is that it builds up towards the rise of the apes. When the final moments come the music really kicks in gear. The film has some of the best CGI to date. The apes look so realistic, it's almost scary. The motion capture effects are right up there with Lord Of The Rings and Avatar.
Final Grade A-/**** - Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is filled with a rich plot, great themes and characters that you will feel for. The acting and visual effects are top notch, and the score is very entertaining. This is a must see film.
Story - An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. That is the story synopsis.
Rise Of The Planet The Apes is an origin story of how the Apes began to evolve. The story follows Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist who is close to a scientific breakthrough to not only improve the human mental condition, but also cure Alzheimer's. In order to get funding for Human trials, Will first tested his new miracle drug on Apes. As time progresses the Apes grew smarter and little too smart. For the sake of keeping this spoiler free, I won't go into details on how the Apes rise. If you are concern with the story, you can relax and be happy to know that the story is wonderful. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is pack with a rich story with tons of social commentary. One of the themes I really enjoyed was fate and greed. Will Rodman's father is suffering from Alzheimer's, this situation puts Will in a must not fail case. However he sees the danger's of the drug, but his fear of losing things close to him, causes him to continue with the drug. The story is engaging and the real driving force of it is the apes themselves. Seeing the world from their eyes is the real joy. Especially the main character Ceaser, unlike Transformers which focus more on the humans than the robots. Rise The Planet Of The Apes made sure the Apes were the main focus. Every Ape emotion is told through facial expressions, hand gestures and you really connect with them, you will find yourself cheering them than fearing them. The story does lack a character development on certain characters like Freida Pinto character Caroline Aranha. She is kind of introduce like this the love interest and that's it. Her character although she is the supportive character, you kind of wish you knew more about her. However this doesn't effect the film at all. The film as great storytelling, with everyone getting a fair share of screen time. It's truly a breath of fresh air.
Acting - The acting is awesome. James Franco really does a solid job as Will Rodman. Franco brings complexity, emotional depth and you really feel for him. Freida Pinto doesn't get much to do, but when she is on screen, your attention is on her and she has good chemistry with Franco. The real show stealer is Andy Serkis. Even though he's not on screen in live action, his motion capture work is one of the best. The facial expressions, the movement, is all Serkis and he really brings Ceaser to life. Overall the acting is well done and the actors really put their heart into this film.
Music & Filmmaking - The music is done very well, filled with emotional, epic composition. The great thing about the OST is that it builds up towards the rise of the apes. When the final moments come the music really kicks in gear. The film has some of the best CGI to date. The apes look so realistic, it's almost scary. The motion capture effects are right up there with Lord Of The Rings and Avatar.
Final Grade A-/**** - Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is filled with a rich plot, great themes and characters that you will feel for. The acting and visual effects are top notch, and the score is very entertaining. This is a must see film.
