When I first heard this movie was being produced I thought, “ANOTHER one”?
I then thought, “PLEASE don’t make it like the Mark Wahlberg version”. No offense Mark Walhberg. I am a fan.
The good thing is this latest installment is NOT like the Wahlberg edition. It is much better.
There is no “middle ground” with this movie. You won’t be saying it was “alright”. You will either like it or you won’t.
Surprisingly, fans of the originals WILL enjoy this remake. There are a bunch of references to the classic “Apes” movies. Pay attention to the names. The Bright Eyes recall was my favorite.
Here is the story- scientist wonderboy Will Rodman (James Franco) works at a drug making facility trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. The drugs are being tested on apes. As it turns out, the drugs actually work. Franco is forced to take on a baby ape after an “incident”.
After raising Caesar (baby ape) as his own, Franco realizes the drug effects are much more potent than initially realized. In fact, these drugs also work with Franco’s dad (played by John Lithgow) who suffers from Alzheimer’s.
Yet another “incident” (there are a bunch of these), causes Caesar to be relocated to an animal shelter. It is here where Caesar assembles his “army” of apes that have endured cruelty at the hands of Dodge Landon, played by Tom Felton. You will despise him just as much as his Draco Malfoy character (Potter).
The good vs evil battle begins here. If you are pro God’s creatures (like me) you’ll be rooting for the apes. I’ll let you decide who wins. The good or the evil.
You will be AMAZED at the digital effects. The movie was shot using WETA digital (think “Avatar” style). Check out the video below if you’d like to learn more of it’s use in “Apes”.
“Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes” defintely has it’s “cheese factor”. It’s not in the same vein of the classic originals. But it’s not bad.
Cool behind the scenes stuff-
