Great movie. Andy Serkis played his role as Ceasar perfectly. The computer animated apes look really amazing! I forgot a few times that they were computer animated, they looked so real. But according to a few sources no real apes where used in the movie because Rupert Wyatt (the director) wanted to show humanity's mistreatment and abuse of captive apes. Apes are the heroes of this movie, and humans are the villains. And Rupert Wyatt said he couldn't imagine a worse way of undercutting that message than by using real apes in the movie's production.

Rise of the Poo Flingers

1 Original film series 1.1 Planet of the Apes (1968) https://trakt.tv/movies/planet-of-the-apes-1968 1.2 Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) https://trakt.tv/movies/beneath-the-planet-of-the-apes-1970 1.3 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) https://trakt.tv/movies/escape-from-the-planet-of-the-apes-1971 1.4 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) https://trakt.tv/movies/conquest-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-1972 1.5 Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) https://trakt.tv/movies/battle-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-1973 2 Remake film 2.1 Planet of the Apes (2001) https://trakt.tv/movies/planet-of-the-apes-2001 3 Reboot film series 3.1 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) https://trakt.tv/movies/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-2011 3.2 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) https://trakt.tv/movies/dawn-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-2014 3.3 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) https://trakt.tv/movies/war-for-the-planet-of-the-apes-2017

Well, this is a rarity. Hollywood shuns originality these days. It settles for established brands. The goal is low-risk high-reward. That makes for smart business but generic moviemaking. I suppose odds are with the occasional oddity, and that's what "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is. I just finished watching all of the original "Planet of the Apes" series of movies. They are generally considered hit and miss in quality with the original "Planet..." being considered a classic, and it is. But...and I know this is sacrilegious, "Rise..." is a better movie than all of the original series' movies. It's so well paced and the story, while definitely science fiction, seems plausible. James Franco is really good in this role. I didn't think he could pull off a scientist, but he does it well. He also pairs up nicely with John Lithgow, who plays his sick father. The CGI apes are at times a wonder, primarily when interacting with humans. When they are together in packs or communicating without human interaction, the effects seem a little cartoony. Then again, the final showdown between the San Francisco Police and the rampaging apes is pretty amazing and is super entertaining. I especially liked watching the powerful gorilla, I think his name is "Buck". He steals the action sequences. The ending is very satisfying and the cut scene in the final credits incorporates an actual continuation of the story and brings some clarity to how the apes managed to take over the Earth. This vaguely dovetails "Rise..." into the 1968 "Planet of the Apes" film, of which this is a prequel to. You don't need to see any of the other "Planet of the Apes" films to understand "Rise of the Planet of the Apes". It stands entirely on its own and really surpasses the original series in story and quality.

This is an exceptional re-boot of a franchise. By reversing the premise and our empathies, we suddenly have a new (and arguably more compelling) take on the origin story. Coupled with ground-breaking CGI and excellent ape performances from the motion capture actors (most of whom are mute for the entire running time) it ramps up from a family drama to an epic showdown between man and beast. A modern classic in the sci-fi genre.