My Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes

        So with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes being released I thought it would be fitting to review the first film in the rebooted franchise Rise of the Planet of the Apes. So without further ado...

        A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Caesar (played by Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug's creator, Will Rodman (played by James Franco) and a primatologist Caroline Aranha (played by Freida Pinto), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and imprisoned in an ape sanctuary in San Bruno. Seeking justice for his fellow inmates, Caesar gives the fellow apes the same drug that he inherited. He then assembles a simian army and escapes the sanctuary - putting man and ape on a collision course that could change the planet forever.

        This film was a pleasant surprise. After the abomination that Tim Burton created in 2001, Rupert Wyatt takes the helm of the rebooted franchise and does a marvelous job setting up this new universe. All anyone can talk about the film is the performance of Any Serkis who gives another Oscar-worthy motion-capture performance. The way he has helped developed motion-capture work over the past 15 years has bee spectacular. James Franco also gives his best performance outside of his Oscar nominated work in 127 Hours. The visuals in the film are just absolutely breathtaking and possibly the best of 2011. Not only does Serkis do great in his motion-capture work  but he other actors who are apes are amazing as well. The film suffers only from very poor pacing and a small runtime of 105 minutes. Overall the film is a well-thought out story that breaths new life to the franchise. I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes a 9 out of 10.

        So ladies and gentlemen what did you think of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, what would you rate it, what did you think of my review and are you excited for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes? Let me know in the comments section below and let your voice be heard. 

                                                                                                                                         Jonah Sparks