Rise of The Planet of The Apes - 2011

Plot - A scientist, Will Rodman, developing a cure for Alzheimers, tests his drug on Chimps; however it also dramatically improves intelligence as well. One of the test subjects gives birth to a son, and to save him from being culled, Will, takes him home, names him Caesar and raises him. Caesar's intelligence increases rapidly and he soon begins to question his place in the world.....

Thoughts - And so the franchise begins.........again . After the utter horror of the Tim Burton re-make I did not have high hopes for this. The trailer where we saw an ape leap off a bridge ONTO a helicoptor only reinforced that (in hindsight it was actually quite moving in the context of the film)....however the actual film was pretty good. The first 2 segments detailing Caesar's 'adoption' and subsequent captivity were the most interesting. The final segment detailing apes running wild, while necessary for the story were far more generic.

The CGI and motion capture for the apes is for the most part excellent. Sirkis as Caesar builds a character that feels real and as the de-facto lead of the film is engaging and sympathetic. Franco and the rest of the human cast were fine if slight; really they're just there as a vehicle to tell the story of the apes. The story never lags and there are the nods to the previous films sprinkled throughout.

I enjoyed it and thought it was the best of the summer 'blockbusters' released so far.

7/10