About a month ago I watched the original Planet of the Apes with my son, who ended up liking it more than he thought he would. So, after watching the trailer we gave this re-imagined version a try, and I was amazed to find it as enjoyable in its own right as the original.

I typically feel burned after watching re-imagined classics because they so often just don't work, but this movie does. And, it really rewards those who have seen the original movie series from the late 60's and 70's. There are "easter egg" types of things all the way through, so my son and I had fun seeing allusions to the original as we were watching this version. My son even caught one that I didn't. Too much fun.

Director Rupert Wyatt has quite a bit to be proud of with his resurrection of the chimp genre, "Rise of the Planet of the Apes".
With all the makings of a cult classic/sci fi epic, this film--on the surface about a sort of SuperApe--Caesar (in the vein of William Shakespeare's play, "Julius Caesar", and very applicable to the film) is a success.

James Franco (not the best actor in this film) plays Will Rodman, a scientist who works at a sort of megalab which houses chimpanzees. Rodman, looking for a cure for his father's rapidly progressing alzheimer's disease, decides to pocket a drug that works wonders on the ailments of chimpanzees and takes it home and try it on his father. That same night he finds himself caught in a moral quandary as a baby chimp named with a mother who was executed by the security guards at the lab is about to be put down. Nicknamed "bright eyes', Rodman elects reluctantly to take him home.

The drug does wonders for his father and Caesar provides some excitement and companionship in his life. Rodman slowly discovers that Caesar is no ordinary chimp. Possessed of a surplus of executive functioning that far surpasses the average human being, Caesar becomes the joy of his life and his grandfather's.

Unfortunately, though, reality has to set in at a certain point. A female veterinarian reminds him that Caesar will soon grow into a huge, powerful animal, no matter how novel he is at the moment. Undeterred by her warning but prompted by Caesar to take her our to dinner, reality clashes with fantasy as Caesar's understandable reaction to a man abusing his confused grandfather prompts his incarceration in the chimp lap Rodman works at.

Caesar here realizes that he is neither ape or nor human. He does not fit because he cannot; he is possessed of greater intelligence than his primate companions, and is not violent. Mistreated by one particularly unsavory member of the staff, he learns what humanity is capable of and makes it his goal to spread the miracle drug around the chimp compound. It works, and soon he is on a crusade to make apes the number one species on the planet.

This movie is not a fanciful or idealized work of fiction. Caesar's journey from misfit to alpha ape has all the hallmarks of the human experience, with something greater. Joseph Campbell's "Hero of A Thousand Faces" came to mind many times watching this movie. A superb film and work of interspecies speculation.

I have always loved the planet of the apes movies I had every one on VHS but a time came when I had to down grade some of my stuff so I got rid of my VHS movie collection (over 200! And c'mon who keeps VHS anymore) for the smaller space saving DVD and blu ray so I'm in the process of re-buying all of the movies that I love (Godzilla to) I had heard a lot about this ape movie but was skeptical I didn't think it would fit into the ape universe as I am a purist, I can now say that I am very glad I decided to restart my ape movie collection with this one, first off it is very well written you get to see ceaser evolve from an infant (the leader of the apes and the reason for all of the ape movies) and you care about him and his plight, and it all makes sense you understand why he leads his people away from humans (this is a jump off because in the original series of movies the apes enslave the humans) the way this movie was filmed is fantastic you will totally believe this could happen (not like the God awful remake with Donny Whalburg) the blue ray sound and picture are excellent good special features (could have been more) all around excellent movie and for the life of me I do not understand why they (the film makers and studios) didn't use this movie to restart a new series of movies it's that good!! so do your self a favor and get this the whole family can watch AGAIN EXCELLENT MOVIE YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY THAT YOU DID!!!

Given that most of the sequels to the original Charlton Heston "Planet of the Apes," a chance was taken in ordering this film. Surprise, surprise... it was actually... good! Ah, yes, there are some who may quibble about some of the "science" behind the aromatic infection of the apes themselves, following the lead of the.. well, lead ape, but the cinematics were extremely well done. The apes in films of this genre in the past seemed to lack that human quality present with these lead animals... and, they performed extremely well under the adept direction of Rupert Wyatt. Lithgow's performance was also well handled by this lead character actor, as his mental state rose and fell with the script. What can truly make a movie is to watch those in supporting casts... one expects finished performances from the lead actors, and, unfortunately, many in this category are without merit in some of the latest films. The neighbor is played well, with the correct amount of angst and anger. The extras were obviously were not simply told to mill about... they were, or so it appears, actually directed and added the flavor of confusion, threat avoidance, horror and fear. This is a good, solid flick and one of its most outstanding elements was the lack of animal violence committed upon the duplicitous, dippy humans... unless, of course, the latter were involved in the slaying of apes, baboons, orangutans and the like. If they did, then they paid the price. One of the letdowns were the scenes involving the California Highway Patrol and their high flying chopper... I simply could not believe they were that stupid or given orders by someone who was not involved as an officer with their agency. All in all, a better film than one might have expected... just make certain you have plenty of bananas on hand if the going gets rough.