A RUPERT WYATT
DIRECTED FILM
STARRING
JAMES FRANCO
RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Cast: James Franco, Andy Serkis, John Lithgow and Brian CoxÂ
Directed by: Rupert Wyatt
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence
Genre: Action/Adventure, Thiller
Running Time: 1hr 45min
Opening Date: August 5, 2011
Distributed by: 20th Century Fox
By John Delia
Do you have your Action/Adventure fill for summer, or are you ready for more? Try Rise of the Planet of the Apes for a thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. I like the way Director Rupert Wyatt makes sure each exciting scene develops with emotion, first creating interest, then suspense finalizing in aggressive thrills. If you are ready for a creative story that connects to the original, then swing down to your nearest movie theater.
The story goes something like this; Will Rodman (James Franco) a budding scientist has developed a virus that has signs of curing Alzheimer disease called ALZ112. Testing it on chimpanzees he finds that it makes them smart and easier to manage. His test subject Bright Eyes seems to be progressing nicely till one day where she starts to shy away from her handlers.Â
Because of her aggressive emotional state, one handler tries to move Bright Eyes to another cage and that’s when she bolts escaping from the lab into the foyer. Fearing that she will hurt someone a security guard shoots her, revealing that she was about to give birth. The ape child Caesar gets taken and raised by Rodman. When she starts showing signs of over aggressiveness by injuring a neighbor, Rodman is forced to take Caesar to a special primate compound. When the virus ALZ113 gets discovered things take a serious turn for the worse.
The CGI, make-up, puppetry, performance capture, stuntmen and special effects make the film a success. With the film wholly dependent on the realistic look of the apes, the creators do a superb job of binging the animals to life. I am amazed on how the personalities of each of the animals progress as the film goes on. Showing the playfulness, cleverness and then aggression of the primates, the crew makes the film work.
Director Rupert Wyatt does a great job of moving the story along at a pretty fast clip introducing his characters, interacting them within storyline and keeping his audience on the edge of their seats. His selection of Franco as Will Rodman proves to be a perfect choice making the scientist a caring and instinctive person who can relate to the apes. But the most creative role goes to Andy Serkis as the ape Caesar who Wyatt hones into the most amazing performance this year.
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence. The film has very little flaws during the nearly two-hour playtime. All the apes looked real and dangerous when need be. The support acting is flawless, cinematography bright and expansive, storyline interesting and certainly well worth watching.
Stay after the credits start to roll for the thread that makes the final connection to the original Planet of the Apes.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A thriller with a gorilla. (A)
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