Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Stars: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton and Andy Serkis and is set in present-day San Francisco.
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 110 minutes)

THE PLOT
Forget any “Planet of the Apes” movie you may have seen. Aside from the name, this film shares nothing in common with those earlier flicks. No space travel, no crash landing, no fight for planetary domination. In “Rise,” Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco) is an overzealous scientist desperate to find a cure for his father’s (John Lithgow) Alzheimer’s disease and tampers with the laws of nature. The experiment takes him to the brink of a medical revolution, but also leads to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of war between man and primate. “Rise” tells the story of Caesar, a smart chimpanzee made smarter by a viral serum developed by Dr. Rodman. When Caesar is about to be put down because of a glitch in the experiment, Rodman takes him home and raises him as a member of the family, much like an adopted child. Over the years, his intelligence grows.

THE GOOD
The story is told from Caesar’s point of view. He is a sentient animal with human-like qualities. The audience gets to watch him grow from a baby into a mature “man.” Caesar is able to reason, strategize, organize and ultimately lead a revolution. Performance-capture actor Andy Serkis infuses Caesar with soul, wisdom and heart, delivering a dramatic performance with unprecedented emotion in a digitized ape. The emotion behind Caesar’s stare is so intense that he doesn’t need words to get his point across. You will root for Caesar the whole way through as he leads with grace and dignity. He shows mercy, displaying his intelligence and integrity in a way that makes him feel more human than animal. He has the intelligence to know it is demeaning to be treated like a pet. When Caesar is taken to a primate shelter, the scene is eerily reminiscent of an adult prison, including the prison art, the breakout schemes and a raucous on the yard. At some points, you forget that you are watching apes and chimpanzees instead of humans.

THE MEDIOCRE
The movie was touted for having the same Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of “Avatar” and “Lord of the Rings,” so I expected a lot of action or some type of ornate setting or background. Instead, most of the action was at the beginning of the movie, when an ape goes AWOL, and at the end, during the final confrontation. (A scene on a bridge is so ingenious that it is worth the wait.) If you are looking for an action-filled flick, this is not the movie. Also, it was hyped as portraying apes rising against humanity in a fight for supremacy, but these apes didn’t appear to want supremacy so much as respect and freedom.

THE BAD
John Lithgow, who played the Alzheimer’s-stricken father, was not at all impressive for such a seasoned actor. He was much better playing the Trinity Killer on Showtime’s “Dexter” series. His character needed more development. He had no real depth that caused the audience to connect with him. His introduction in the movie seemed rushed and choppy. Even when Rodman should have been showing emotion, particularly near the end, their bond simply wasn’t there. Trust, Caesar was a tough act to follow; he stole the show.

OVERALL
I would give this move three and half stars (out of five). It told a good story, and the lead character - Caesar - was believable and likeable. It did not waste time veering off into side plots, such as complicated love interests. However, because of its lack of special affects and action sequences that make movie-going a true experience, not much would be lost to wait until it comes out on DVD.

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” hits theaters Friday, August 5.

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