Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) by Stefan G — 18 Jul 2014

If this was intended to be the start of a new series of films, then what a start it was. The film opens with a beautiful jungle scene, setting up the rest of the film so that it doesn't seem like the chimps came out of nowhere.

The rest of the story is quite clever, and I think it has the potential to encourage the viewer to think of what might happen if a drug like the one in this movie were actually tested on chimps, even though the premise occasionally risks being somewhat unrealistic for the sake of heightened drama.

The characters are played in such a manner that you know who's likeable and who isn't, but I find that the film has a less positive portrayal of the human characters than the apes. It may only be a slight difference, but it's something that I notice.

Overall, it's a rare example of an intelligent sci-fi of our generation, and it's a good start to what I hope is a brave new take on the Planet of the Apes story. If it's not one of the best sci-fi movies this decade, then at least it's better than that awful Tim Burton remake.