Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes DVD Review: One Of The Best Films Summer 2011 Had To Offer

I didn’t expect that Rise of the Planet of the Apes would actually be one of my top 10 favorite films of 2011, but it has in fact made that list. I think the film surprised a lot of critics and movie-goers alike. People went into this movie with low expectations due to the less than promising trailer, and then ended up being completely blown away. The film wasn’t only entertaining – the story itself was fantastic.

Set in present day San Francisco, Will Rodman (James Franco) is working on an experimental drug to treat Alzheimer’s. His test subjects? You guessed it – apes. After an unfortunate incident – Will’s work is deemed a failure and the drug company decides to pull the plug on the drug. One of Will’s lab mates is ordered to put all the test subjects down, but he can’t find it in him to give the lethal injection to an infant chimp who is now without a mother. Will decides to take the little guy home and name him Caesar. As Caesar grows, it becomes immediately apparent that the drug treatment his mother received was passed down to him before he was born – making him one insanely smart monkey. Caesar instantly becomes a member of the family and takes a liking to Will’s father (John Lithgow), who has Alzheimer’s. We now understand why Will has been so passionate in finding a cure for this disease – it hits close to home for him. However, as Caesar grows, he gets into trouble, and he soon finds himself relocated to a rather depressing and poorly managed ape sanctuary. Caesar is resourceful though – and he’s going to get out, reclaim his dignity, and take his friends with him.

The film really pulls at your heartstrings, which was another thing that most people probably didn’t expect with this title. The viewer quickly develops an emotional connection with Caesar and then also with Will and his father. It’s this element to the movie that actually invests us in the story. For the first half of the film they want you to bond with Caesar. They want you to love him, feel his pain, and root for him, so that later you’ll not only feel like the riot he causes is justified, but you’ll also root for him. This is exactly what happens.

Effect-wise, when you’re first introduced to the CGI – it looks fake, and it’s all you see every time there is a chimp or ape on the screen. I can’t quite put my finger on it – but there is definitely something off with the CGI. However, as the movie progresses, you notice this less and less. Soon the story takes over, and you’re too engrossed in the actual narrative to care that Caesar and his friends need a little extra rendering.

Special features on the DVD release include deleted scenes and featurettes on the ‘Mythology of the Apes’ and ‘The Genius of Andy Serkis.’

It’s one of the best prequels I’ve seen, and was one of the best summer action movies – most of which have no substantial plot. Sadly, the blockbusters of this summer weren’t great, and Rise of the Planet of the Apes is one of the exceptions that joined Super 8, Harry Potter and (in my opinion) the remake of Fright Night as the best summer flicks that 2011 has had to offer.

Grade: B+
Review By: Emma Loggins

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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  1. I’m glad I’m not alone 🙂 Did you really think that you would love it as much as you did? I feel like this movie truly surprised everyone that saw it.

  2. i’m glad this has positive things being said about it cause i thought it was a good movie. i’ll admit i just saw it for tom felton but i’d still like it on dvd