Originally published by L.S. Media. September 1st 2011.

Cast: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo,

 Rise of the Planet of the Planet of the Apes will surely go down as one of the finest films from the summer of 2011. It was certainly up against some good opposition from the Marvel comic- franchise with their surprisingly good Captain America and the last in the series of films involving everybody’s favourite teenage wizard, however with a story line that had fans of the original Charlton Heston movie salivating over their popcorn there can be only be only one true winner.

Thankfully the film shies away from the Tim Burton wooden and frankly disappointing re-imagining of 2001 and delivers a film under the directorship of Rupert Wyatt that is punchy, well -crafted and adept and giving the audience a thrill whilst delivering several important lessons, not just on story-telling and superb visual effects but how to treat the fans of the genre with a bucket full of respect.

The big star of the film has to be Andy Serkis whose skills on blue screen are legendary and without equal, his mastery at being able to give life to notable characters such as King Kong and the unforgettable Gollum from Lord of the Rings stands in good stead as he provides the character aspects to Caesar, the ape that’s been genetically changed to help and supposedly aid mankind in its fight against Alzheimer’s disease. To watch Andy Serkis is to praise him, yes it wouldn’t mean a thing without the aid of digital manipulation but knowing what’s behind the magic doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.

There is not a single bad performance from the actors on screen, from James Franco’s caring scientist who raises Caesar as his own when his mother dies protecting him through to John Lithgow’s performance as Franco’s father who gives a truly stunning and sensitive portrayal of a man struggling to come to terms with his life as he slips further into the grip of dementia.

If there can be any complaint about the film, and its being cynically picky by doing so, is the underuse of British actor Brian Cox as the corrupt primate sanctuary owner, a man who can command such presence on screen he is able to chill you with his acting ability deserves more than to play second fiddle to the ominous talent of Tom Felton as his disrespectful son Dodge. It feels as though the two characters could have been combined as one, giving either of these two fantastic actors a real chance to shine.

For fans of continuality there are some fantastic references to the original set of movies, spookily, one of the best comes in the form of a blink and you’ll miss it segment that harks back to the original movie with a news report showing the Icarus space team leaving Earth and heading for Mars, there would have been fans of the franchise hugging themselves as they recall the name of the ship that lost its way and found itself stranded in a future and its astronauts finding a world populated by the simian race. Every piece, every nod to those halcyon days of storytelling was just simply scripted magic.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a film of notable quality, deftly shot, just the right amount of sardonic humour in the right places to give it depth and humanity and one big shot in the arm for science fiction story telling.

4 stars

Ian D. Hall