Rise of the Planet of the Apes -- Reviews (1 Viewer)

Saw this in a matinee with my kids today. I liked it a lot. Andy Serkis should get most of the credit -- his mo cap work is awesome and the CGI apes were believable and effective. A few nods to the original classic and a wide open door for sequels. The cheese was limited and there was heart and emotion throughout. James Franco led the ensemble quietly. The role afforded him no flash or gamble -- anyone could have played the part. I could say the same for Brian Cox. Tom Felton practically twirled his mustache the whole time -- lots of scenery chewing, bad-guy stuff. Freida Pinto had little to do. She's beautiful and played her role capably. John Lithgow was the bright spot in the cast and his scenes are the most interesting, besides the ape mayhem. The apes are the movie and, as I said, they deserve to be center stage. There were many moments when the three of us said "cool." It's worth a look on the big screen if you are at all intrigued by the trailer. By the way, if you are bothered by the concept of a few apes defeating humankind, they have a great (logical) way of dealing with that. ****/*****

Saw the matinee myself. I thought it was great! Really grabbed me at one point and carried me all the way to the end. I was smiling when I left. Not bowled over by the effects at first, thought the early stuff was acceptable. But after Caesar grows UP a little it was all different. Really, very good CGI work in my book. I'm sure there will be some complainers who have to have everything sooo perfect. That's fine for them... nothing bothered me. the primates all looked terrific. I have to say that gorilla LOOKED like a gorilla. Terrific! And the shape of the older Caesar's face fascinated me as well. So much expression there. Nicely done! Seems like an effective Star Trek-like reboot. Really hoping they can carry it with a couple of more films. I'd love to see more. As long as it's different. 8/10 :tu: PS. don't leave the theater as the credits roll. You'll miss something. Everybody but me left and missed that extra bit. Oops! Not sure why they stuck such important stuff in that that way. But I guess it's their loss when they shoot out of there.

Radioman970 said:

Saw the matinee myself. I thought it was great! Really grabbed me at one point and carried me all the way to the end. I was smiling when I left. Not bowled over by the effects at first, thought the early stuff was acceptable. But after Caesar grows UP a little it was all different. Really, very good CGI work in my book. I'm sure there will be some complainers who have to have everything sooo perfect. That's fine for them... nothing bothered me. the primates all looked terrific. I have to say that gorilla LOOKED like a gorilla. Terrific! And the shape of the older Caesar's face fascinated me as well. So much expression there. Nicely done! Seems like an effective Star Trek-like reboot. Really hoping they can carry it with a couple of more films. I'd love to see more. As long as it's different. 8/10 :tu: PS. don't leave the theater as the credits roll. You'll miss something. Everybody but me left and missed that extra bit. Oops! Not sure why they stuck such important stuff in that that way. But I guess it's there loss.

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I think they telegraphed it well enough. The extra part during the credits hammered it home.

^ true. But it was still funny that my audience all left. lol! they'll probably forget all about that part

I am not a big fan in the re-boot, especially classic sci-fi movies like Planet of the Apes/Star Trek. I have all the planet of the apes movies on dvd and do watch them from time to time. The rise of the apes reminds me of the Conquest of the Planet of Apes when Cesar led the apes. I realize the new movie has a different take due to how cesar was created, but the overall plot of leading the apes is very similar. I will wait for it when it comes on dvd as i have no desire to pay $14-15 dollars in a theatre to see a re-boot.

^the blu set is really cheap. I paid about $55 for mine. Haven't watched them yet. But will soon. I'd love to pay more than $4.50 to see if flick in a really good theater. My little home town one is terrible. the film was being shown too bright so there was a lot of flickering. the sound was bad...yep, on RELEASE night! Worst thing...a hole in the screen right in the middle. It looked like somebody was shinning a small flashlight through it. And...I still enjoyed the hell out of this ape flick.

Loved it. A terrific reboot that's emotionally satisfying as it is entertaining. They seriously need to create a new OSCAR cateory for mocap performance so they can give it to Andy Serkis. BEST film of the summer, tied with Potter for me. :star::star::star::star:

I wish more re-makes were were as good as this. I'm glad the campiness was kept out of the story as a lot of the science (fiction) behind it seems to make "sense." I won't get into the details so as not to spoil it for those who have not seen it. What's refreshing is that enough time was given to all the characters as you get to understand what was at stake. The performances from all were good without the typical throwaway characters. Each had an important role. Serkis definitely deserves a nod come Oscar time as Tino has mentioned. Needless to say there will be a sequel. For those who have yet to see it, keep your eyes open for the "Lost in Space" sequence.

Loved it! I agree with the other posters. Lots of room for a sequel. Ceaser and john Lithgow stole the show in my book!

Fantastic film! Easily my favorite "Apes" film. Agree with the above poster: Mr. Lithgow and especially Caesar were brilliant. Can't wait for the Blu-ray and wouldn't begrudge a sequel...

Between this and Deep Blue Sea, when will movie characters learn they should only test intelligence-boosting Alzheimer's treatments on non-aggressive species? An above-average popcorn flick, it entertained me for two hours but I'm not sure how much re-watch value it has. The cutesy references to the original movie took me out of the movie more than once and there's very little here you couldn't predict from the trailer. All that said, it was still a fun ride and I'd recommend it.