Review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) by Spangle — 14 Jul 2016
Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a truly incredible film. I have never see any other Planet of the Apes films, but Rise was out of this world surprising to me. I never expected to like this film as much as I did, but this is what a blockbuster needs to be.
Smart, well made, epic, and a true feast for the eyes, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a thrilling and stirring opening to this new take on the much discussed franchise. The ape characters, namely Caesar, are incredible.
They are so well developed, regardless of their status as mute for the most part, it is impeccable. These apes are practically human with the amount of emotional depth and complexity they exhibit. The film does a great job expressing their emotions in a very human way to ensure our sympathies lie with them and the film does a great job using their body language for them to emote and express themselves.
In terms of the special effects, wow. I was blown away by these special effects, especially in the battle sequence, which was not just visual effect eye candy, but also incredibly well choreographed and well shot.
The entire film, however, is really well shot with special emphasis on the closing establishing shot with them looking over the world from the trees, which is such a well crafted shot it is mind boggling.
The score in that scene is also fantastic, though is very good throughout. The direction from Rupert Wyatt is inspired and the film is properly epic and everything expected of a blockbuster, just minus the mindless part that typically accompanies it.
Instead, he blends great set pieces with heady ideas about the ethics behind medical testing on apes, the treatment of animals in zoos, and on the way we treat those we deem less intelligent than ourselves.
The film is a brilliant opening to this series that leaves me dying to watch the next installment and blew away my initial expectations of a popcorn movie. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a truly remarkable film.
This review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) was written by Spangle on 14 Jul 2016.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes has generally received positive reviews.
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