TL;DR –.It is a remarkable film that still holds up today and provided a strong foundation for everything that followed.  

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this film.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review –

Back in the 2010s, remakes were all the rage, and most of them were not great. So, I am not sure that anyone was expecting a prequel remake reboot of the beloved cult Classic Planet of the Apes was going to be any good, let alone spawn one of the best trilogies of the modern cinematic era concluding with War of the Planet of the Apes. Well, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes coming out this week, I knew it was time to jump back in and refresh myself in this world.

So to set the scene, we open in on a rainforest where a troop of chimpanzees is led into a trap by poachers. In San Fransisco, Dr. William “Will” Rodman (James Franco) is desperately trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, using chimpanzees as part of the trial. But when the first trial goes terribly wrong, they discover a surprise: the trial chip was pregnant. It is this new baby called Caesar (Andy Serkis) that Will discovers the hope he has been looking for as his father, Charles (John Lithgow), slips further behind. But will the world see what Will sees, or will they see a threat?  

One of the interesting things about the film that they nail is how they nail the fact that there are very few bad guys in this film, just miscommunications. People acting with their own limited information and making actions from that. David Hewlett is positioned as the bad guy, but you understand all his actions from his perspective. You know why they took Caesar away and locked him up or why Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo) at Gen-Sys acts the way he did with the investments. Even why Dodge Landon (Tom Felton) is a total prick, this doesn’t excuse their behaviour, but you always can see the understandable narrative throughlines.     

Now, I think the first film is still the most inconsistent of the three, mainly because they were still finding their feet. However, even after over ten years, the digital animals still hold remarkably well, even better than some of their contemporaries that came years later. There is a combination between the actors and the artists that goes to the heart of why this works as well as it does. It also hits on the emotional level in a way that completely caught me off-guard the first time I watched it and still moved me today. John Lithgow is heartbreaking, and if you have ever had to watch a family member slowly slip away from Alzheimer’s, then you know how that rings true. Then, there is the work of Andy Serkis, who made this film what it is. You feel his hurt, his betrayal, and his fight for those around him.  

Of course, it needed its big third-act action scene, but even then, they understood the importance of spectacle because there are stunning moments. Also, there was a solid outflanking manoeuvre, and they didn’t even destroy the Golden Gate Bridge, which shows some remarkable restraint in the hands of the filmmakers. Also, while it is a reboot of the original film, unlike many others, you can tell that they understood the world they were working in, and there are several careful nods to that first film. Now, it is not a perfect film. They don’t know what to do with James Franco after the halfway point of the film, there is a constantly shifting timeframe as to the effects of the virus, you could have removed Freida Pinto’s character and no one would have noticed, and some character motivations are all over the place. However, none of these really hold the film back.

In the end, do we recommend Rise of the Planet of the Apes? Yes, yes, we do. It was a surprise when it first came out, and it still continues to excel today. It is the foundation that the rest of the trilogy used to smash forward, and you must respect that. If nothing else, stay for the extermination of humanity via credits and the reminder that Apes Together Strong. If you liked Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we would recommend I Am Mother.   

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by –     Rupert Wyatt
Screenplay by – Amanda Silver & Rick Jaffa
Based on – Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle & The Planet of the Apes by Michael Wilson & Rod Serling
Music by – Patrick Doyle
Cinematography by – Andrew Lesnie  
Edited by – Conrad Buff & Mark Goldblatt
Production/Distribution Companies – Chernin Entertainment, Dune Entertainment & 20^th Century Fox.
Starring – James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox, Tom Felton & David Oyelowo with Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Richard Ridings, Devyn Dalton, Jay Caputo, Christopher Gordon, Tyler Labine, David Hewlett, Jamie Harris & Chelah Horsdal
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13