Movie Review# 671: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)

Well, everyone, this is it. Today, we shall start on the newer Planet Of The Apes franchise that began in 2011, and has continued up to this present point. So now, let’s discuss Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes.

Plot: When a pharmaceutical chemist named Will Rodman (James Franco) begins to test a viral-based drug by the name of ALZ-112 at a biotechnology company by the name of Gen-Sys by testing it on an ape, and attempting to cure Alzheimer’s Disease, the test goes awry, causes some of the apes in the lab to go crazy, as well as, eventually, become intelligent. In spite of this, and a plague from the ALZ-113 that starts to cause harm on a lot of the human race, can Will help save the human race, or will the human race be wiped out, and replaced by the now intelligent ape species?

Though the storyline may not be one of the strongest points for this movie, the film does still have other stronger points. First of all, to see Andy Serkis voicing the main ape character, Caesar, how we not appreciate that, especially those of us who enjoyed seeing him voice Gollum in the Lord Of The Rings movies? Yes, unlike in those films, when he played an antagonistic character, he did quite the opposite this time around, but still. And James Franco as main human character Will Rodman, also a great performance. And yeah, same goes for the other performances. Also, there was some really cool action in this film, particularly near the end, when the climax occurred. Also, how we not love, and appreciate the bond that was well developed between Caesar, and Will Rodman, and Dr. Caroline Aranha, who also served as Will’s love interest? The cinematography was also really good, especially of the wilderness, and the view of San Francisco from trees, and mountainous areas. And yeah, there is still some heart to this film, particularly when it comes to the main relationships. Finally, there may be some valuable lessons in regarding using wisdom with how to help others, save lives, and things like that.

Still, the storyline seemed to feel a little lackluster. I mean it felt a little too fast paced, and the film might have been a little too short, giving the film very little time to develop things like relationships, buildup to the climax, and the story overall. Honestly, considering the following three films ended up having a longer running time than this first film, you got to wonder if maybe the filmmakers did in fact realize how much development did seem to be lacking here. Even the ending might have felt a little rushed. Truthfully, I’d say it was a miracle that this film was successful enough to spawn more sequels for this reboot.

And that’s my review for Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes. Even though it may not have been quite a strong start to this newer franchise, it did have some good things to make it enjoyable. For those reasons, the action, and likely being curious to see more of this world after this film, I’d say still it for those reasons alone, if not more. And plus, the only way to go left from here was up. Did they? Well, we shall find out soon.

Final Grade: B-