Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) by Chris S — 26 Nov 2013

Despite having too many "of the"s in its title, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a rare summer blockbuster with both heart and brains. The filmmakers create a palpable universe out of a completely implausible concept.

Even though the film has some great actors, including the always-stoned James Franco, the incredibly underused Freida Pinto, and the incredible John Lithgow, all of them take second chair next to the apes, who are the true stars of the film.

Andy Serkis does indeed provide a fine performance as Caesar, the ape with drug-induced intelligence that torments him by trapping him somewhere in the middle of the ape world and the human world. However, I don't think he deserves the Oscar many critics say should be his.

The paternal relationship between James Franco's character and Caesar is touching, even though it's really just a cleverly devised plot device. The film cleverly keeps its viewers on the apes' side for the duration of the film, and it'll be interesting to see the shift in power as well as the audience's allegiance in the sequels I am desperately hoping will  come into existence soon.

Once the apes take over, it's clear that the humans will be the ones deserving of sympathy, but they're just too damn boring next to those awesome looking apes.