Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

20th Century Fox

I’m pretty certain most movie watchers are familiar with the plot of the original, where astronauts think they crash-landed on a distant planet but in reality they time-traveled to Earth’s future and apes have enslaved what’s left of the human race. It was even remade exactly 10 years ago to less success by Tim Burton and starred “Marky” Mark Wahlberg. However this movie is not a remake and I wouldn’t even call it a “prequel” to any Ape film we’ve seen before. The earlier films played on fears of a nuclear holocaust but “Rise” adds a modern spin since now we’re all searching for cures to diseases and what happens when we try to “play God.”

In past movies all of the apes were actually people in costumes and make-up but “Rise” is all done with computerized effects. I was very skeptical at first when I saw the trailers but it turned out to be among the best special effect work I’ve seen this year. The way they achieved it was through motion-capture, where actors played the parts of each ape and then it was digitized later on computers. It was very effective as the lead ape, Caesar, drew me into the story with his mannerisms and facial expressions. The actor who played Caesar deserves recognition for his hard work but I felt that James Franco (who played Dr. Will Rodman) as his caretaker didn’t hold up his end of the film. He was supposed to be distraught but ended up looking stoned throughout most of his scenes.

You don’t need to be familiar with the Planet of the Apes series to enjoy this film, but if you are, then the writers added several “easter eggs” for observant fans. Even the famous line from the original, “get your stinking paws off me”, is said in the movie. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t end with a goofy twist but it does have a satisfying conclusion that hints at a future sequel. At the time I felt it was the best movie of the summer season, but it turned out to be my favorite of the entire year. "Rise" isn’t just a cool-looking action movie or a fun way to waste two hours, it’s actually a story with heart and actually pays off moments that are set up early in the film.