Rupert Wyatt Archives - Sean Kelly On Movies

It's easy to use the reboot buzzword when describing this film, but the film can also be seen as a loose remake of 1972's Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (which was the fourth film of the original series). The film is actually pretty decent and features a much more realistic depiction of apes, than what seen in previous films, probably because the film opts to use digital effects, as opposed to people in ape suits. Andy Serkis does the motion-capture for the lead ape Caesar and it can be said that he is the "true" lead of the film. He is definitely the most sympathetic character of the film, which says a lot for a character that only really communicates through actions. The same can be said about the other apes in the film, who are all given distinct personalities. James Franco's also technically a lead in the film, though he eventually gets regulated to being a sympathetic human observer of the ape uprising. Overall, this was a fairly enjoyable reboot of the Planet of the Apes series, which also includes some neat homages to the original series (including one of the iconic lines spoken by Charlton Heston in the original). 8/10

Rise of the Planet of the Apes