Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011) Review

Listen to this one: There's a long running film series, getting gradually worse with every entry and suddenly this year there's the big surprise, a sequel that doesn't suck! If you thought I was talking about Fast Five, think again (although I have to admit it was a shitload of fun). I am of course referring to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

After the original by Franklin J. Schaffner in 1968 there was a flood of four sequels, a regular TV series and an animated TV series during the 70s. Then Hollywood had had enough of the ape craze and didn't rediscover the series until 2001 with a remake by Tim Burton. Unfortunately this film was so crappy that it sent the whole franchise back into limbo. And here we are now, 10 years later, with a new entry. So is Rise of the Planet of the Apes worth anything?

Luckily, it is a great summer blockbuster. The story is a prequel to the original Planet of the Apes and fits surprisingly well into the whole universe of the franchise. Our (human) main character is a scientist played by James Franco who is the foster father to hyper intelligent chimpanzee Caesar. After a nasty incident Caesar has to be put into an ape shelter where he becomes the leader of the primate revolution.

Sounds cheesy? Of course it is, honestly, what else was the original than a better B-movie with some social commentary? That's why it is astounding that this movie works so well. On the one hand there is so much to criticize, starting with the characters who are either entirely pointless (enter eye candy Freida Pinto and old grumpy Brian Cox) or completely one-dimensional (come on Tom Felton, another evil bastard after Draco Malfoy?). Then we also have the very clumsily handled social criticism in the form of Franco's corporate boss David Oyelowo (favorite line to Franco: "You make history and I make the money!").

So why do I still consider it to be a good movie? Because of Andy Serkis, the real actor behind Caesar's motion captured face. Serkis who already brought Gollum to life is great as Caesar, just working with his facial expressions and gestures he is more charismatic than lead Franco. Thanks to him we never lose interest in the story although watchers of the original probably have an idea what it all leads to in the end. So if you want to see a good blockbuster then go and check this one out, you won't be disappointed.