Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Hail Caesar!

Planet of the Apes used to be good old cheesy fun.  Do you remember those days.  That was back before Marky Mark put his… mark on the role.  Walberg kept the cheese but instead of fun, we got a weird remake.  So where does “Rise” fall into this spectrum?  It doesn’t.  It was actually a good movie minus the cheese. 

The plot- I know this is technically a remake and a remake of a sequel, but it does not stop this movie from coming across as completely fresh.  It hit all the right notes.  A scientist looking to cure his father, breaking the rules out of compassion, the pet that becomes something so much more.  The movie could have given us the chimp attack, but by building a history between Caesar and the man that no one was sorry to see get attacked was excellent.  The plot is not rushed and it allows the characters to become developed and mean something to the audience.

The Characters-  Who knew that Gollum would be so good as Caesar.  It was amazing to watch as he grows and gets smarter and the anger starts to build.  I would say he deserves an Oscar nod for that role.  Malfoy is born to be bad it seems as he comes across as mean for the pure pleasure in being mean.  Freida Pinto is hot, I was too distracted by her hotness to notice if she could act (she holds her own).  Green Goblin was pretty good, probably one of his better roles, but he has been hitting them out of the park recently.  I am looking at you 127 hrs. 

Overall it was a great movie.  I enjoyed it, the kids enjoyed it.  The wife even liked it.  Ashli said that the original girl from the original movie was prettier that Frieda Pinto though.  While her manner of dress was more appealing, I am not sure which is more attractive.  It might be a bit scary for younger kids but I think it is okay for 7 and up.  If you liked the original Apes movies, you will most likely get a kick out of this one.  If you are unfamiliar with the originals, this movie falls chronologically first, so give it a shot.