Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Most of the “Planet of the Apes” movies are great. The original was written by two of the best writers of the time. It is still the best one of the bunch. They rank in the following order of quality: the first, the second, the fourth, the fifth, and the third. The third is the worst. It is similar to how they make movies today, where it just exists to provide context for the next one in the franchise. Tim Burton’s remake was greatly anticipated, and although he got the costumes right, the movie was ultimately a disappointment with an ending that is inexplicable. So naturally, there was reason to be skeptical of this new reboot.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” is one of the dumbest titles for a movie ever as it conjures up images of a planet ascending upwards out of its orbit covered in gibbons, but the movie itself is incredible. It’s the story of a chimp named Caesar, who through medical experiments gains the intelligence of a human. He is misunderstood and fits into neither world, but ultimately rises to become the leader of the apes. It is essentially a remake of the fourth movie but it is very different. Fans of these films will recognize many references to the old films, which hint at future movies. You’d think a movie where there is no dialogue for extended periods of time would be boring and you’d be wrong. The story is great and tragically heartbreaking. It pulls off an amazing trick that never occurred in the old films, which is by the end you are rooting against humanity and for the apes. The special effects are crazy. The way that they could capture the actor’s performances and super impose real looking apes on top of them is pulled off brilliantly. This movie should win every special effects award Hollywood can crap out.

This has been a pretty lousy summer for movies. It’s getting harder and harder to pinpoint the last good summer. Every year studios spend close to a billion dollars each on a single film when for the same amount they could probably make a hundred movies, at least ten of which would undoubtedly be better than the single billion dollar catastrophe. But this film is the diamond in the rough. It’s one of the only films this year that wasn’t a disappointment in any way. And it is a remake that is definitely worthy of the beloved original.