Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Director Franklin J. Schaffner originally created the film “Planet of the Apes” in1968. The prequel to this film directed by Rupert Wyatt is a modern take on the original film. The entire team involved deserves praise for their efforts in creating an astonishing film.

James Franco plays the role of scientist “Will Rodman” who is attempting to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by testing a new age retrovirus on chimpanzees. The virus mutates the chimps, giving them higher levels of human intelligence. One of the female chimpanzee’s brakes out on a rampage at the test facility while attempting to protect her new secretly born baby from being found. The female monkey gets shot down after braking into a boardroom meeting. The boss eventually orders Will to put down the rest of the chimpanzees. After finding the baby, Will is caught in a moral dilemma, which results in him taking the chimp home. While the chimp is staying with him, he notices that the high intelligence levels that were given to his mother during the tests were passed on to her baby and begins to raise the chimp on his own while continuing to test the retrovirus on “Caesar”.

I had no idea on what to expect before watching the film, all I knew is that after reading through reviews and hearing words through the grapevine I knew I could possibly be watching an epic movie.

The movie grabbed my attention within the opening scene and held me there till the very end. James Franco is up there with my favorite actors and as to my expectations did not disappoint. He presents a character that the audience could humanize with and appreciably moved the movie along at a steady pace without faltering.

Caesar is an outstanding character with expressions and mannerisms that’s are neither human nor simian, but are curiously convincing as a combination of both, comical and dramatic, if not scientific in a way. Caesar should be absurd, but never at any point will you feel the urge to laugh at him, though you may laugh with him, as he grows up to realise his destiny.

John Lithgow plays the role of Will Rodman’s father Charles who suffers from dementia explaining Franco’s obsession with finding a cure for the disease. Charles gets introduced to Caesar in the second scene and immediately develops an infatuation with the Ape. Through unexpected twists and turns throughout the film Caesar finds himself in an enclosure for apes after breaking out and attacking someone during the film.

The third act of the film is when things start to get interesting and the “rise of the apes” begins to unfold. The way Caesar starts to interact with the other apes in the enclosure has an affect over your mind that actually makes you contemplate whether or not this could be possible.

This prequel completely blows the old one out of the water, with the new digital FX technology that has evolved to such an extent that super intelligent apes can be shown convincingly on screen for the first time.

I do not want to give too much away about this film because in my opinion everyone should see it. It is a gripping story that the editors have adapted to fit in modern times; they definitely succeeded. The storyline is more believable and when the film finally finishes, it leaves you sitting there still wanting more. If you are in the mood for 106 minutes of draw dropping astonishment, then I highly recommend this movie to you all.