
Genres: ActionThrillerDr
Starring: Brian Cox, James Franco, John Lithgow, David Oyelowo, Ty Olsson, Tyler Labine, Freida Pinto
Director(s): Rupert Wyatt
Available Quality: Hi Def
Country: USA
Year: 2011
Available Quality: DivX, Hi Def, Hi Def
IMDB Rating: 7.7 out of 10 (123971 votes)
An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where mans own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
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(25 May 2012)
This review is from: Rise Of The Planet of the Apes (Amazon Instant Video) I had to use my Xbox to rent this movie from Microsoft's Zune market, because four attempts to download to TiVo with Amazon resulted in the audio being out of sync, and video skipping. This has been happening more frequently lately, I suspect that it's possibly the new copy protection codec that Amazon is using? Please fix this issue! Not all videos have it.
(25 May 2012)
This review is from: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Two-Disc Edition Blu Ray + DVD/Digital Copy Combo) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) This is one of the best movies I have ever watched. Great story, characters you can relate to and care about and lots of action without getting too gory. Had a great blend of CGI and real footage, but managed to avoid the "green screen" look.I loved the original "apes" movies and TV show as a child/teen, and this had the same spirit, with MUCH stronger visuals.The 2001 Planet of the Apes re-make was okay, but it was not anywhere close to this. People in ape suits just do not compare to what they have done with Andy Serkis and the motion capture. Andy Serkis helped the apes come to life in an amazing way. Also, they have made the CGI ape faces so expressive that you know just what they are thinking and feeling. (If you have a couple of extra minutes, it is worth watching the extras where they show Andy Serkis doing the motion capture and facial expressions of "Caesar".)Very well done and I can't wait to see the next in this series. Please don't wait 10 years for the next installment!
leekuti (23 May 2012)
Every now and then a true gem comes along, and very rarely an old titleis remade and completely reinvented in to a masterpiece,It happened with the Batman franchise with Batman Begins, which ofcourse led to the great Dark Knight...This 2nd remake is absolutely brilliant, the studio had taken a hugerisk in making this....... and boy does it pay offCinematically speaking it is hard to fail the script, which develops ata nice pace, the viewer doesn't have to think to hard, but at the sametime if you question things, the answers appear throughout the filmIt has the right mix of story, Hollywood action and emotion tuggingthat will glue you from the start to finish fingers crossed for asequel with as much magic as thisA must see movie
trelerke-politics (22 May 2012)
I didn't walk out, but it was close, a fetid, movie-by-committeeeffort, no verve or real excitement. Not sure where to start.....hmm,the set-up was too long, almost every character was a predictablestereotype, the script was sodden. Further, the characters acted innonsensical ways, for example, Franco became the father of Caesar, butessentially gave up Caesar to animal control with nary a shrug and hisefforts to free him were minimal or simply silly. Further, the primatecenter was some kind of weird prison lock-up nightmare that has NOchance of actually existing in this day and age. In general, it seemedliked one crappy scene after another. And of course, there werereferences or actual film clips of the original "Planet of the Apes"which was super cool, exciting, unexpected and thought provoking, atleast compared to this waste of money. And again, references to a moviethat has events that are suppose to occur in the future, just togenerate cheap reference knowing glances/chuckles really sucked
(21 May 2012)
Seriously, this movie is amazing. It's now in my top science fiction/adventure movies now. It has a great story, great acting, beautiful special effects, and good characters. This will easily be great on bluray, but I kind of feel bad for anyone that didn't have a chance to see it in theaters. I am hoping to get this on Christmas, or really anytime soon. 9.5/10!
(20 May 2012)
The first thing I wondered was how 300 Spartan apes could defeat the combined armed forces of the world and 8 billion or so humans. The movie never takes us to that point. This movie begs for a comparison to the original series as they borrow lines from it. I enjoy this aspect of remakes, but if you have never seen the original you may not be hip to them. The first thing I caught was the first chimp was called "bright eyes" a nicknamed the apes gave to Charlton Heston. The chimp's subsequent escape was similar to the one by Heston. Caesar was the name of the smart ape in the POTA series and likewise his first ever spoken word was "no." A hose was used to punish the ape like it was used on Heston. Two of Heston's lines were spoken by the "jailer." "It's a madhouse!" and "Take your sticking paws off me you..." James Franciscus played in Beneath the Planet of the Apes and James Franco starred in this one and the movie is set in San Francisco. (I am running out of similarities.)In the original series apes were bred to be pets because a virus had wiped out dogs and cats. This movie uses a virus to make apes smart. Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) plays an excellent "Sean Penn" sadistic punk "jailer" who we all want to see die. (Forgive me, but I think he can act better than Radcliffe.) James Franco and Frieda Pinto were less stellar in their starring roles than was Heston or McDowell. Of course if they wrote them some decent lines...The apes in this, from what I could tell, were CG and not as life-like as British actors with make-up. The CG baby chimp was perhaps the worst of the lot. Fortunately that didn't last but a few minutes in movie time. During the ape-human conflicts I thought a hip-hop/rap soundtrack i.e. "stick it to the man" type of music would have worked better, (I was humming Eminem) although the producers were most likely afraid of a possible back lash.The movie was good, but the rave reviews are hyped. Four and a half stars at the most.No f-bombs, no sex, no nudity, no ape privates showing, no blood splattering, no Linda Harrison running around in a loin cloth. Violence, killing, and use of the word "damn."
(19 May 2012)
This review is from: Rise Of The Planet of the Apes (Amazon Instant Video) It is on of the best movies I ever saw!! I mean by what right humans allowed to deal with as animals like they do in the movie and for real... never torment an animal as a joke because it feels like you the pain.
(19 May 2012)
I saw this movie in the theatre, and it really is special. I got dragged there and was expecting an action thing. But it turns out it had a great deal of emotion and some really cool characters. I never thought I'd like it so much! Recommended...
JRlock (17 May 2012)
If you've seen the previous 'Planet of the Apes' movies, from theoriginal in 1968 and the other 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973 sequels, plus theremake in 2001, you haven't seen the best, not till now. It was apleasant experience, as the 1968 was, but it has a far superior story;the premise is completely different from the original. The specialeffects of course will blow your mind.The story is one we can better relate to in present times, it'splausible and has the benefit of making the audience believe we canactually understand how the monkeys think. Okay okay, the bloody apes.There is no role reversal between man and ape; the apes are apes butthe scenario has them pegged as underdogs, victims we sympathise with.There is a back story with James Franco, Freida Pinto and John Lithgow,which story makes the whole movie all that more interesting. You justhave to read a few user reviews to understand why it has been so wellreceived by the viewing public and critics alike. Forget all referencesto previous 'Planet of the Apes' and you will have a good time watchingthis movie.
Lord Aragon (16 May 2012)
Once the summer season starts, I always start dreading the onslaught ofsloppy flicks,big big budgeted thoroughly lackluster stuff on offer.This year barring, the X- Men prequel, Thor and Captain America hasbeen no different. Even the must trumpeted final installment of HarryPotter is nothing great. I was quite skeptical about this movie too.James Franco, post the Oscar awards poor show and his statements thathe was not sure of this movie, did not help.But I was surprised, it is a well done movie, even though the endingdoes appear to be rushed. The plot is well written and the actors haveperformed a decent job. Even Tom "Draco Malfroy" Felton does a menacingpart. Thought he scene stealer here is Andy Serkis, he is so much wellinvolved that you end up sympathizing with the apes. I will not revealanything more. See it for yourself and enjoy.The writers of this movie have a trilogy in mind, well I am notcomplaining. Bring it on.
(16 May 2012)
This has to be one of my favorites of 2011. I was expecting to see some action pact and special effects pact movie and that is it. I got that plus a great story line, solid acting, and some interesting twists. I love when the ape first speaks. Original, thoughtful, and entertaining. Definitely worth seeing twice.
zofos (16 May 2012)
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is a triumph on every level. I am along-time fan of this series (there's old home movie footage of me atage 7 wearing a Planet Of The Apes mask at Halloween). The Tim Burtonremake of Planet Of The Apes was a mess and a disaster in 2001. When Iheard they were doing Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I didn't hold outmuch hope for it. The director Rupert Wyatt had only made one othermovie, The Escapist. And the writers had a patchy track record. Fromthis inauspicious beginning, they have fashioned a movie or real heartand technical proficiency. (Wyatt is a name to watch out for in thefuture) In the early days of computer-generated imagery (CGI), they had troublerendering fur and eyes convincingly. Judging from this movie, they cannow do both photo-realistically. They can capture not only an actor'sfacial movements but intelligence, fear and anger in the eyes too. Thatis some leap forward and that is what makes Caesar the ape afully-fledged character that you care about and root for in his manytrials and tribulations.Rise Of The Apes is the story of a chimp called Caesar and his rise topower as leader of an ape revolution. It is essentially a remake ofConquest Of The Planet Of The Apes but, with a bigger budget thanConquest, Rise can expand on ideas only hinted at in the old movie.For the first time in the apes series, we have a plausible explanationfor why apes can talk. In the 1968 Planet Of The Apes, Charlton Hestonsees from his spaceship's clock that he is some 2,000 years in thefuture, nowhere near enough time for apes to evolve the power ofspeech. That's where Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes comes in. Here,they have gene therapy and the cure for Alzheimer's disease providingthe unexpected side-effect of raising an ape's IQ rapidly (similar tohow the cure for cancer mutated in I Am Legend, a remake of anotherCharlton Heston sci-fi flick). Exposure to the more aggressive viruslater pushes Caesar's intelligence further and gives him the power ofspeech.There's a really good scene where Caesar demonstrates how it is easy tobreak one stick (an ape alone) but harder to break many stickstogether. This bundle of sticks in his hand is like the fasces ofancient Rome, the word fascism originates from it and is an intelligentreminder of the cruel, genocidal society the apes will create in thefuture when it comes to their treatment of humans. It also reminds usthat today's revolutionaries are tomorrow's dictators because absolutepower corrupts absolutely.There are some who questioned the relevance of Frieda Pinto'scharacter, but I don't care. The girl is utterly gorgeous in a HalleBerry kind of way. If she has a flaw, I can't see it. I have no problemwatching her all glammed up here.The final ape assault is a tremendous outburst of primal ferocitybrilliantly rendered by the WETA effects team. It leaves it open for asequel (or sequels as the writers and director have said).I smiled to myself at the end with the ape virus being spread aroundthe world via airports and even to Africa. It's the HIV pandemic inreverse, a disease which started out in apes in Africa. Sly humourwhich ties in nicely with the satire of the 1968 original (I wouldargue that this is best movie in the apes series since the first one in1968 and I never thought I would ever see that or say it about a newmovie.) There's life in the old ape yet! And I, for one, am looking forward toseeing what they do with ape series next. Today San Francisco, tomorrowTHE WORLD!
(14 May 2012)
This review is from: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Two-Disc Edition Blu Ray + DVD/Digital Copy Combo) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray) Rise of the Planet of the Apes may be the first film of the summer that has surpassed reasonable expectations and delivered a completely compelling story along with amazing special effects and credible suspense. Make no mistake this is anything but a cheap capitalization on a known franchise but instead works exceptionally well as a standalone movie that will leave audiences hoping that the journey can continue beyond the satisfying conclusion.The story begins with a geneticist (James Franco) who is working on a cure for Alzheimer's disease with testing being done on chimps. A breakthrough is made when one in particular shows signs of greatly increased intelligence however due to an incident the test subjects are eliminated except for a baby that Franco's character secretly takes home and raises with his Alzheimer's suffering father. They name him Caesar and the relationships built are genuine and provide that connection so critical in order to increase the impact of events later in the film.The drug that was given to the apes in the lab was passed on to Caesar through his mom. Eventually he outgrows the domestic situation and his protective instincts take over which results in him being forced into a sanctuary and amongst other apes - a foreign situation considering he had only lived with humans and never had any interaction with his own species. After a rough start there he begins the revolution by uniting the apes and leading an escape.Caesar is very much the lead character in the movie, and though Franco's character provides an emotional attachment and the presence that ties the developments together and lead Caesar down his path, it's quite possible that not a single human character's name will be remembered. They take a backseat to Caesar and the apes who are fascinating to watch not just in their actions but in the way they can deliver their emotions, thoughts, and communicate without needing dialogue to do so.That is a huge credit to Andy Serkis who once again comes through with amazing performances that were captured and then animated over. There is no understating how fantastic the special effects for the apes are and how important that is - it would be much more difficult to sympathize with their plights otherwise. It's always appreciated when a film can place the audience in a position where they have to question what side they are actually rooting for because all those involved can justify their actions in some form or fashion.Though it works completely on its own there are also some great callbacks to the Planet of the Apes of the past. One in particular is somewhat distracting but is followed by probably the most powerful moment in the film so it can't be faulted for that too much. Fans of the prior installments will appreciate all of those instances otherwise.The movie is most surprising in its sincerity as it provides a compelling character study of Caesar. Beyond that it could leave audiences questioning the morality of testing and the general perception of other species as humans sit atop of the food chain - thankfully it never preaches on any of those subjects however. By challenging the audience and leaving them invested in the outcome, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the most satisfying film this summer has had to offer.
Michael_Elliott (13 May 2012)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) *** (out of 4) Intelligent and extremely well-made reboot of the Apes franchise hasJames Franco playing a scientist doing experiments on apes. He's tryingto create a drug that cures the brain and soon realizes that theexperiment works but there are certain side effects. After the projectis shut down he sneaks home a baby ape, named Caesar, and over timethis ape's intelligence begins to grow at a fast rate. RISE OF THEPLANET OF THE APES is a pretty surprising "Summer Blockbuster" becauseit's not just all action and no brains. In fact, it's actually theopposite because there's really not any action until the very end andthe majority of everything else is developing the characters andcertain Caesar. I must admit that I'm a little shocked this film isgoing over so well with current audiences because it seems mostblockbusters of today just have loud action scenes with very littlesense thrown in. I was very shocked to see how much time they actuallygive to Caesar and his growth into a smart human. It's not like hisgrowth simply happens in the first thirty-minutes and then we're off tothe races in terms of action. Instead, nearly 90-minutes is deliveredto him, his way of life and the changes that happen which force him tobecome a leader. I thought the early scenes of him as a bad wereincredibly funny and touching and especially the stuff between he andFranco. These early scenes really built up a touching father-sonrelationship and there's even a very nice section with Franco's father(John Lithgow) who is suffering from Alzheimer's. I thought the filmtook a very serious look at all of their relationships and this muchcharacter development certainly isn't the norm for this type of movie.Another major plus are all the small things thrown in that really leadsup to Caesar's knowledge once the revolt begins. The performances areanother major plus with Franco turning in a very believable job.There's not a second that you don't believe him as this great scientistand I thought he did a remarkable job acting with the CGI Caesar. Thetwo of them really manage to build up a great relationship and this isreally impressive on Franco's part since he wasn't really "acting" withanyone. Lithgow is also very good in his role as are Brian Cox andFreida Pinto. I'm not a fan of CGI but I must admit that the effectshere were very impressive. I thought the human quality they were ableto bring to Caesar was something quite remarkable and I enjoyed how thesupporting apes really did come off as apes and each of them had theirown personality. The only time the CGI was ugly would be in an earlysequence inside Franco's house when Caesar is running around and thisscene is used to show him growing. When the action finally does happenit's very well handled but the fear of what's the come is what reallystands out. There's no question that this here is just a build-up forthe eventually sequel (and remake) and I must admit that I can't wait.Kudos to everyone involved for delivering something with a brain.
(13 May 2012)
For a movie whose trailer seemed fake at first glance (a serious drama about a superintelligent ape and his issues?), RotPotA (rot-POT-uh) does an incredible job getting you invested in the plight of a chimp. Low budget for a summer blockbuster, this ninety million dollar film focuses on the rise of Caesar, first of his species and leader of the apes. We watch as he grows up, casts off his human friendships, and eventually leads a revolt in the hopes of achieving freedom for his people, err, his fellow apes.Whether or not you're going to like this movie boils down to one thing: can you buy into it? Can you lay your hard-earned money on the line and accept Caesar as a fully human character with hopes and fears? Since the actual humans are sort of irrelevant and the apes are incapable of speech, there's not a lot to go on. Basically, if you liked the first 40 minutes of Wall-E, then you'll probably be fine. Caesar may not be a lovable trash robot (or is he?! Twist!), but Andy Serkis does an incredible job conveying his feelings through his motions. Serkis must've spent years living among the apes of the wild to achieve such realistic mimicry (he went to Rwanda and chilled in zoos!), and he strikes epic and expressive poses aplenty, each one conveying Caesar's thoughts without feeling obvious and overblown. By the end of the movie, you'll care more about Caesar than any actual human (in the film--hopefully not in real life). You'll fear for his friends and root for his victory. Honestly, an ape that likable? I'll let him rise above me any day.Once you're down with the movie's premise, and once you're finally ok with Franco's whole "Let's make a much more aggressive form of this untested virus! What could possibly go wrong?" line of thinking, you're ready to experience a truly great film.The movie builds and builds, each scene more intense than the last. Watching Caesar slowly learn to despise humanity is fantastic, and when he finally becomes a total champion, you're with him all the way. There's a moment when the music changes and Caesar first uses a basic tool to win his freedom, and I couldn't have been more stoked. Then he goes on to recruit his friends, who are all hardcore. I wasn't really sure what their names were, so I made my own: Grayback, the original leader whom Caesar overthrows, Jowly, the friendly circus orangutan with giant, jiggling jowls, Kong, the huge gorilla, and Scar, the one-eyed embodiment of evil. While they cannot be as well drawn as normal human characters due to the lack of dialogue, I still had a distinct understanding of each of their personalities.Just like I distinctly understood Draco Malfoy's new character. He once again nailed the sniveling jerk role. I hated that guy so much. He was just so mean to the apes! I guess what he didn't count on was that they'd all become superintelligent. Nobody expects that (in that way, it's like the Spanish Inquisition). His somewhat subpar predictive powers aside, he does get the best Planet of the Apes reference, shouting, "Take your stinking paws off me, you d*mn dirty ape!"It's people like that who'll make the apes kill us all, which reminds me: the climax of this movie is crazy epic. It takes place on the Golden Gate bridge, and it's unbelievably fun to watch the ramshackle ape army use their new intelligence to take on the unprepared humans.Not everything was perfectly executed, but all the problems feel like pointless nitpicks. Some characters agree to things a little too quickly, one or two lines are just a little off, Franco gives up on freeing Caesar super easily, the girlfriend should've had either a much larger or much smaller role, and they don't show some scenes of the other apes getting exposed to the intelligence drug (I just assume they cut that scene but that it happened). Also, the entire audience laughed at the epic/heartwarming scene between James Franco and Caesar in the forest at the end, and while it did feel a little ridiculous, it's that same issue I brought up before. You have to buy into this film. You have to let go of that cynical part of you and allow yourself to enjoy what you're seeing. The movie takes its premise 100% seriously, and there's no room for laughter.In the end, this film is so good that I found myself lost in it. I was unaware of the music, the pacing, the acting, everything, because I was just too busy being completely invested and enjoying the heck out of myself. I cannot wait for the sequel. In a rare piece of cinema, this movie managed to feel complete on its own and yet leave you craving more. If you had to see one film this summer (and you didn't care about the cultural impact of Harry Potter), this would be it. Score: 4.5/5 ¢One of the best end credits ever. Rarely do I actually care about what's happening in the background behind the names, but here I was devastated.Check out more on "The Nickel Screen" (Google it!)
Bill Sims (13 May 2012)
The only other planet of the apes movie i have seen is the rubbish TimBurton one from 2001. This one was definitely a whole lot better.The premise of this movie is that apes are captured from the wild andexperimented on in a lab. James Franco, a doctor at the lab, develops acure for Alzheimer's and tests it on a primate specimen that he tookfrom the lab, who he names Caesar. The ape shows signs of becoming veryclever, acting almost like a human and also displaying intelligencemuch more than any other ape. Eventually, Franco's character Will isforced to commit Caesar to an ape home where Caesar is out of place andtreated badly. This causes Caesar to use his intelligence to lead hisfellow apes on an uprising. The plot of this film is very interesting and the acting is alright,with John Lithgow, Freida Pinto, Brian Cox and Tom Felton (HarryPotter's Draco Malfoy) supporting Franco. However Andy Serkis' motioncapture performance as Caesar the ape outshines everyone, proving toreally be good as CGI characters. The action and score are also great,with a really awesome scene on the Golden Gate Bridge. It also packssome involving emotional punch into it. I am a 13 year old boy and Iwould really recommend this film, as I'm not quite sure why youwouldn't like it.
griffolyon12 (11 May 2012)
Rise of the Planet of the Apes can almost be seen as an ad protestingexperimentation on animals, apes in particular. Scientists use apes totest experimental drugs, one drug in particular to try and cureAlzheimer's. We watch as certain apes develop higher brain functioning,rivaling that of humans, this is how we meet our story's hero, Caesar.We go from the sadness of seeing Caesar's mother dying trying toprotect him from the scientists, to Caesar growing up as actor JamesFranco's surrogate son, but when Caesar tries to protect his family byattacking another human, Caesar is taken away to an ape sanctuary.Throughout all of this, we feel Caesar's joy as he first climbs aRedwood tree, and we feel his anger and sadness when he is left in acage by his surrogate father, lending emotional plausibility to Caesarbecoming embittered and rising to lead the apes in a revolt against thehumans, rioting across San Francisco. What is more impressive is thatnot a single real ape was in this movie. All of the apes were portrayedby actors in motion capture suits, with their ape exteriors being addedon in post production via CGI. The effects work is expertly woven intothe story by WETA digital, and there are moments within the movie thateven a seasoned eye can barely tell the difference between CGI trickeryand a real ape on Animal Planet. This is just a pure spectacle thatonly a blockbuster can deliver. Tight storytelling, high emotion, andmarvelous action, wrapped up into a wonderfully written, solidlydirected, immaculate technical showcase.I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes a 9 out of 10!
Jim Gilligan (11 May 2012)
I admit that I'm a huge "Planet of the Apes" fan. As a child, I lovedall of the original films, and I even "went Ape for a day" when movietheaters showed all 5 original Apes films back-to-back in one day backin the mid-1970s. I'm also a fan of the Tim Burton "Planet of the Apes"film (which is far more faithful to the source novel than the others).So it was with a sense of trepidation that I viewed this latest"re-imagining." As it turns out, my fears were for naught. This film,which pretty much reconceptualizes "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes"(the 4th film in the original franchise), is a smart, exciting, andsurprisingly sophisticated take on how humanity could engineer its owndemise at the hands of another species. James Franco is solid in thelead as a researcher with a strong sense of ethics and a passion todevelop a cure for Alzheimer's, a disease that plagues his father,played by the always brilliant John Lithgow. The real star of thisfilm, however, is Andy Serkis, who gives life to Caesar, the chimpanzeewho is torn between his love for humanity and his duty to hisspeciesÂand whose performance is surely worthy of an Oscar nomination.Don't worry if this all sounds a bit hokeyÂit plays a lot better thanit sounds. Add a star if you're a die-hard "Apes" fan.
(10 May 2012)
This review is from: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (DVD) I went to see this movie in the theaters over the summer and I LOVED it. I went a few family members and they loved it as well. I remember the first movie with Mark Wahlberg, that one was good, but not like this one. Can't wait to get it on DVD
(10 May 2012)
I had high expectations for this movie, but was really disappointed. Thought it may be a continuation of the series "Planet of the Apes"
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