Origin story/prequel to the 1968 Planet of the Apes. Stars James Franco and Andy Serkis as Caesar the ape.
Franco stars as a genetic scientist who is working on a cure for Alzheimer's by experimenting on monkeys. But this medical research goes horribly wrong when the test subject Caesar (Andy Serkis who, like in Lord of the Rings as Gollum and in King Kong as Kong, gives the CGI primate his expressions and body movements) begins to mutate rapidly and develops a higher level of intelligence. This leads to the further development of intelligence in apes and an eventual battle between monkey and man in a war for planetary supremacy.
The ape special effect rendering is by Weta Digital in Wellington. There's no relation to Tim Burton's 2001 Planet of the Apes remake.
Thanks to stunning advances in performance capture technology, director Rupert Wyatt successfully ditches the cumbersome makeup appliances of past chapters, building the story around a cast of photoreal CG simians convincing enough to identify with as characters, rather than just special effects.
Full reviewWith simulated simians authentic enough to make Project Nim look almost phoney, allied to an involving, evolving story, Rise is the Planet we’ve been waiting for.
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The movie has its pleasures, although human intelligence is not one of them. Caesar, to begin with, is a wonderfully executed character, a product of special effects and a motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis, who earlier gave us Gollum in "Lord of the Rings."
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Smart, fun and thoroughly enjoyable, it's a diversion that entertains without insulting your intelligence.
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Smart, fun and thoroughly enjoyable, it's a model summer diversion that entertains without insulting your intelligence.
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Strong action, special effects and by far the most credible ape "performances" yet seen will spell box office to inspire chest-thumping in all markets.
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A worthy, exciting, emotional addition to the venerable monkey movie marathon. Apes will rise. Sequels are likely.
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But after its commendably brief 105 minutes, I was impressed. The performances are committed, the special effects - especially Andy Serkis' work in the suit - are terrific, and the big money set-pieces are spectacular.
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Wyatt brings a light touch to the potentially grim material - too light when it drops in some groan-inducing references to the original film - but he keeps the action compelling whether focusing on apes as they run amok or as they quietly contemplate their next move.
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