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Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

thereviewers
Jul 25, 2015
3 min read

Rise of the Planet of the Apes swings into focus when a scientist on the verge of a medical breakthrough begins testing an experimental drug, called ALZ-112, on a young chimpanzee named Caesar. However, when the chimp develops human-like intelligence and emotions an epic battle ensues to determine the dominant species on the planet.

Overall Review Score

9.5 out of 10

Review

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a 2011 sci-fi action drama that seeks to robot the Planet of the Apes series. It blends impressive and stylistic special effects with an extremely detailed and action packed script to create a unique and emotional human-ape coming of age story. The first half of the film centres on Doctor William Rodman (James Franco) and serves to explain Caesar’s back-story and why ALZ-112 was created in the first place. While the second half of the film focuses more on Caesar (Andy Serkis) and explains how he goes from an innocent, cute and naive ape to the Commander of an ape revolution. Despite the film feeling somewhat predictable in places and lacking momentum during later scenes, all the cast – both main and supporting – put on good displays and help move the film along in a subtle but impactful manner. However, the most noteworthy performance is Andy Serkis’s portrayal of Caesar, which is simply astonishing. He effortlessly connects with the audience and sets them on an emotional rollercoaster that causes them to laugh as Caesar explores the redwood forest, worry as Caesar attacks his neighbour, and shed a tear as Caesar gets emotionally and physically abused in the animal shelter. Overall, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a fresh, quick-paced film that captivates the audience attention throughout its 100-minute run time. Its cinematography and special effects are visually pleasing, while the cast’s performances inject an organic sense of reality into their characters making the film seem truly believable and the ending rewards the audience by setting the film up nicely for a sequel. The Rise of the Planet of the Apes ultimately reboots the series in an enthusiastic, energetic, and engrossing manner and is such a remarkable film that both Reviewers would highly recommend.

Reviewer 1's score & comments:

Score: 10 out of 10

Comments:

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is nothing short of a masterpiece in terms of overall story, character development, acting, and special effects. Andy Serkis’s character (Caesar) is brought to life with stunning CGI, that intricately captures his wide range of emotions throughout the films 100-minute run time, that results in the audience truly feeling Caesar’s anger, pain, fear and loneliness.

Reviewer 2's score & comments:

Score: 9 out of 10

Comments:

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is something special. It is an unusual film spawn out of an unusual concept but it effortlessly manages satisfy the audience on every level. The relationship between Caesar (Andy Serkis) and Dr. William Rodman (James Franco) feels real and pulls at the audience’s heartstrings as they subtly become close before being forcibly separated. Although, despite the film being genuinely epic with great special effects, good acting, and a powerful storyline I could not give it a 10. This is because I felt the film was slightly predictable in places and that the director, Rupert Wyatt, and writers, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, spent too much time establishing Caesar as a cute, naive, and innocent ape, which caused the ape uprising to come off as rushed and ill thought-out. However, overall, I really enjoyed the film and would highly recommend it.