Join the Rise!

You've seen the Planet of the Apes. The apes do not walk among us, but rule over us. Has this always been like this? Have we, the meek humans, always just been tools to these powerfully smart primates? No. There was a beginning. Each story starts off somewhere and every story rises and becomes something greater. This is The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Do you want to know how it all started?

Then start the journey and join The Rise.

Though many prequels are found to be not as good as the movies made before them, this one can stand alone. For those of you who have seen the previous Planet of the Apes, you have nothing to fear. This movie will do the other justice. The movie stars James Franco (who starred in the first three Spiderman movies and 127 Hours), Freida Pinto (who starred in Slumdog Millionaire and Immortals), Andy Serkis (who starred in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, King Kong and The Adventures' of Tin Tin) and John Lithgow (who is known for 3rd Rock and Shrek). The movie illustrates a young doctor named Will Rodman (Franco) who is feverishly trying to make medicine so he can not only help the world but also his ailing father (Lithgow). The experiments that the doctor has been working on takes an unexpected turn and what at first seems like bad fortune leave Rodman stuck with a young ape which he names Caesar (Serkis). As Caesar ages Rodman notices that the effects of the experiment are at work in Caesar. As Caesar ages you see how the world affects him and changes him.

Though the apes in the movie are CGI the picture is great and the apes don't appear to be "too fake," the action scenes are great and are well thought out. The movie sequences are smartly made and they make you want to keep watching. Caesar, the smart ape that he is gets to show off his cunning nature as he slowly becomes the leader of a pack of primates. Caesar is an absolute genius and you quickly find yourself wrapped up in a great movie that not only offers great action but also a soft side too. You get to see Caesar's relationship with Rodman slowly change as Caesar first sees the doctor as father and then becomes a respected friend and the relationship with Will Rodman and his father is very touching as he works as hard as he can to cure him. The creators are able to make an amazing story line that explains the beginning of the Planet of the Apes and leaves you satisfied as well.

What I do find disappointing about the movie though is that the movie was great but I just wished it were longer. At the end of the movie, I found myself wanting more.  I wanted to know what else was going to happen. Though this movie is great, I would not recommend it for really young children who are afraid of violence since the movie is Rated PG-13 for intense and frightening sequences of action and violence. Some of those scenes involve gun use, blood and slight language. All in all this was a fantastic movie.