Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) by Bradley C — 09 Aug 2013

I recommend this movie.

This was one of my favorite movie experiences in theater. I love the original films in all their campy glory and the thought of a reboot seemed interesting. I went in without seeing any previews just strong word of mouth. The pacing in this movie is excellent, they explain just enough to get a good idea of what is going on but don't go overboard. The beginning is quite sad though with the introduction of Caesar but it maintains it course and it has quite a few twist and turns that are quite enjoyable. First thing of note is that this is not how apes conquer humans and what not, this movie is more about how intelligent apes came to be. (Fun fact but did you know apes can't talk because of their vocal chords?) The story is very well written and the action is entertaining enough, the acting at moments were on the cheesy side but John Lithgow's performance was almost heartbreaking because he played his part so well. There is one particular moment in this movie where you could feel the air rush into everyone at the movie theater as everyone in the audience held their breath and then all released at the same time in a "oh shit did that just really happen moment.".

I found this movie highly entertaining and if you haven't seen it yet and are looking for a good movie to watch this is a good one.