Rise of the Planet of the Apes (DVD + Digital Copy)

 

 

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What a very very good film this is. In `Rise of The Planet of the Apes', English director Rupert Wyatt has a stab at doing what Tim Burton failed spectacularly to do in 2001 - resurrecting the Planet of the Apes franchise. What Wyatt has created, against all the odds, is a thoughtful, intelligent and stirring piece which provides the perfect antidote to all the silly, lacklustre `Apes' films since Franklin J. Schaffer's classic original from 1968.

The film charts the rise of Caesar, an orphaned laboratory chimp, from timid youngster to a sort of revolutionary leader of his fellow Simians. Will Rodman (James Franco) is a scientist at a pharmaceutical company researching a new drug and potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease that reverses the damage to brain tissue, tested on chimps. The effect it has on these animals is to rapidly increase intelligence to an unprecedented degree. After one of the apes goes berserk and trashes the laboratory, the drug is rejected by investors and all but one of the chimps, the baby Caesar, are killed. Will takes the chimp home with him and raises it himself but continues to use the drug on his father (John Lithgow), an Alzheimer's sufferer. Needless to say things go awry, and Caesar is taken away to a special facility where a large number of primates are held in captivity. Along the way there are various maltreatments of Caesar and his fellow chimps at the hands of sadistic humans, all of which contributes to his rise to power. Here begins the most powerful section of the movie, as Caesar gains the trust of his fellow apes and then eventually begins to command them.

Absolutely central to the success of the movie is the performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar, again displaying his enormous physical talents and reaffirming why he is the `go to' man for motion capture. Whether he be Gollum, King Kong, Captain Haddock or Caesar, someone please change the Academy rules and nominate this brilliant actor for an Oscar. The CGI effects are, for the most part, remarkable and as good as I have seen to date, with just a few slips; moments where you are reminded that the chimps aren't actually there. The final clash between apes and humans on the Golden Gate Bridge is thrilling and spectacular.

Sadly the performances of the human contingent are less spectacular. This is perhaps partly due to the fact that they have increasingly little to do as the film progresses, becoming almost fringe characters. Indeed, Freida Pinto has little to do from the start besides look pretty and smile sympathetically. But this is a fairly minor gripe because this is very much Caesar's story. In fact it makes the movie all the more impressive because Caesar's rise is depicted for a large portion of the film with very little dialogue. The pick of the human performances is probably John Lithgow as Will's father, a man losing his identity.

A really pleasant surprise this one. On the one hand a great action movie, with some thrilling set-pieces and terrific special effects. But its real power lies in the performance of Serkis as the central character, and the fun to be had watching him lead a Spartacus style revolution against oppression. 8.5/10.

Purchased this as a Christmas gift for my husband who has watched all the planet of the apes films and I am so glad I did. Thouroughly entertaining and we sat right through it without saying a word, although the end does have you thinking!!!!! Highly recommend

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the updated origin story of the Planet of The Apes series. Updated in terms of story, CGI and pace. The CGI was much feted before the release of the film and its a shame that the first real shot of the Ape in the lab isn't as clean as everything else. Because as a whole the CGI work is extremely impressive. The story is simple enough and if you can leave a little disbelief at the door you will be more than well entertained here. The acting is good. John Lithgow's part shows off his skills well as he plays the father who is struggling with Alzheimer's. The story goes along at a pace and has humour and doesn't overly play the sentiment card.

The one thing this also has is a lot of love the original material. Don't believe me go back and watch it again. Notice the Charlton Heston films in the Ape house. See the story from the TV in the background where the space mission is launched that will eventually come back to a Planet of The Apes. Its not just the repetition of the obvious line of dialogue here. The whole thing pays tribute to the previous films.

This film hasn't been mentioned in many best of lists from last year. But its probably the blockbuster of last year that actually lived up to its expectations. It bears repeated watching and if you haven't seen it then you are in for a treat.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Silly!
As anyone who has seen the original film this posits an interesting and at the time a startling idea. Read more

Published 4 days ago by Mr. Michael Moore

5.0 out of 5 stars DVD
I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but I am a bit of a Planet of the Apes fan. A good insight into how it all started.

Published 4 days ago by Maria

5.0 out of 5 stars Apes Will Rise!!
This movie was just brilliant in the way it charted the origins of the Apes Revolution. It gives a clear explanation towards the end as to why the humans will lose and how the... Read more

Published 5 days ago by Football Grumpy

5.0 out of 5 stars great film
This DVD was great, arrived safely and sealed, we really enjoyed watching it has a fmaily; sound and effects were amazing hope there is a follow on

Published 5 days ago by jackiec43

4.0 out of 5 stars Great package with one caveat
One of my favourite movies of 2011, Rise of the POTA has a strong story with a very credible explanation of how the original came about. Read more

Published 7 days ago by V-Strom rider

5.0 out of 5 stars Ape-solutely brilliant
Triple play is always worth it. An extra £5 for a blu-ray and a digital copy makes buying the DVD alone seem silly. But then I suppose one copy's enough. Read more

Published 9 days ago by The Scruffy Duck

5.0 out of 5 stars Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is an amazing movie, I could not have bought a better one. I think you need to see the first Planet of the Apes to fully appreciate this movie.

Published 12 days ago by Kate

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant film, a must see
Watched it at the cinema and now on blu-ray, a must on buy on blu-ray for the cgi. Brilliant film and Caesar is the star of the film

Published 16 days ago by Mr S Ray

2.0 out of 5 stars Not very good
The human acting is terrible, as well as cliché. There is literally about forty minutes in to total where nothing is said, and you are looking at a monkey reading his... Read more

Published 17 days ago by words with wonder

5.0 out of 5 stars Rise of the planet of the apes - Bluray review.
Rise of the planet of the apes is a excellent film. The quality on bluray is even better so is the sound. Read more

Published 19 days ago by Mick

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