Rise of the Planet of the Apes
I was not expecting much when I sat in the theater to watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes, featuring James Franco and motion capture by famed Andy Serkis (Gollum – The Lord of the Rings). In all honesty I was taken by surprise and clearly entertained by the movie. It was funny, had a good plot, and was not filled of exposition. This movie acts as both a reboot and prequel to the Planet of the Apes franchise which has seen better days since Tim Burton’s version back in 2001.
The story takes place in the near future where a scientist is experimenting on an Alzheimer cure, and during testing it so happens that primates benefit from increased intellect after being exposed to the drug. Most of the action takes place around Caesar, a young chimp raised by said scientist leading to a series of events that will provoke the rise of the apes.
The movie is a fun ride and I highly recommend it. Fans of prior movies will recognize to nods and famous quotes from the series and there are legitimate “oh snap” moments. In my book this is the last of the summer feeling movies of the season, grab it in theater while you still can.
IMDB: 8/10 | Rottentomatoes: 82% | Metacritic: 68/100