Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Movie Review

I know what you're thinking, another one? Hey, I like movies. I can't help that fact, and I wanna major in film. Deal with it. Anyway, this was surprisingly pretty good. I wasn't expecting much, good or bad, and I would probably get this on DVD so I could watch it again.

Me Tarzan. You Jane. Wait, wrong movie.

Plot
Points throughout are brought up and finished pretty well. It's more like a checklist, there aren't many things going on at once, and that's very good. I don't remember any twists that I was surprised by, but in the end that's not a bad thing either. The film also sets up a few things that will undoubtedly lead to other things, and as there are already other Apes movies, I guess that's where that comes in. Most importantly, the film knows its important characters and who to focus on when it needs to.


Characters
Caesar makes for an excellent protagonist. I can't put it into words, really. The CGI in this movie just shows how far we've gotten since the other Apes movies, and it's really something. Serkis is so good at animalistic body emoting, so the movie is really more about him than the human characters or the entire ape takeover. That said, Will's dad is acted very well, and everyone else is more or less a cardboard cutout. Thankfully, Caesar holds up the rest of the movie just fine. You really feel sympathy for him as he grows up, and after you become attached, the film does an excellent job at making his plight seem like something that needs to be done. Felton is...well, to be nice, a jerk. He dies, thank goodness.


Music
Nothing I really remember, but it's pretty good. There's also a few scenes where they know not to have music, and that adds to suspense a fair bit.


Action
The movie makes it feel like they're apes, which I think is very important and brings the contrast between apes and humans into that much more light. The film is also unafraid to show just what the apes are capable of, and those who get their comeuppance really take it hard. I was never bored by the movie, and for every good calm scene, there's a good suspense scene holding it together. All the action in the movie has a purpose, and isn't mindless.


Overall
I don't know if it'll win any big acting awards, but it's certainly worth a watch and might surprise a lot of people. It's a good popcorn movie, and certainly entertaining with a decent message. Recommended.
Score: 8/10