Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

[Ezee E]

Starring James Franco, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto, and Brian Cox.

Directed by Dark Days' Rupert Wyatt with WETA doing the CGI.


Bwah?

[MadMan]

Is this related to Planet of the Apes at all? I'm still hoping that one day someone actually makes a Planet of the Apes musical.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v290/CanuckAmok/apes-800.jpg

"They finally made a monkey out of meeeeeeeeeee!!!"

[Dukefrukem]

http://www.aintitcool.com/images2009/caesar.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2011/02/FrancoApes022411-thumb-550x354-57947.jpg

[Watashi]

Trailer. (http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox/apeswillrise/)

Hmmmm.

[Ezee E]

I like it.

[megladon8]

CGI seems pretty amazing.

Looks like it could be intriguing.

[Henry Gale]

Yeah, I watched some of the WETA webcast for this last night, and hearing Serkis and the head effects people talk about the Caesar character and the way the film is meant to show his arc from infancy to once he's taken over Earth, you realize that they have an actual story to play with here. It's sad that after Burton's version I almost forgot that they didn't have to physically go to a different planet with this one.

[Lasse]

Looks lots better than I had imagined. I'm optimistic.

[megladon8]

Looks lots better than I had imagined. I'm optimistic.


Agreed.

That final shot of Caesar just sitting there, with oh-so-human eyes, is kind of chilling.

[Wryan]

I think it looks cool as hell. After Kong, WETA's gotta be damn good at monkeys. And this is yet another chance for an actor (though it's serkis again, not that there's anything wrong with that) to show what actors can do with motion capture/cgi etc.

[Wryan]

Ha, Andrew Lesnie as DP. I thought it looked a little familiar (meaning yay, not boo).

[KK2.0]

rqyKYrDta_E

hopefully it will be better than Burton's take on the Apes.

[number8]

This seems like such an incredibly pointless story to me.

[Scar]

I'm intrigued.

[megladon8]

This seems like such an incredibly pointless story to me.


No, Tim Burton's film was an incredibly pointless story.

This looks like it could be kinda neat.

[number8]

But... the story is about a planet of apes. We're going to end up with a planet of apes. Who the fuck cares if they start out as alzheimer's experiments? It's just gonna be another apocalyptic movie, this time with monkeys going bananas. It's gonna look cool and all, but... really?

Burton's was a shitty movie, but it's not a pointless story. Dude crashlands in a planet of apes. That is the story.

[megladon8]

I think the way the story is told could be very interesting.

Having it tell the story from the monkey's perspective as it changes from regular monkey infancy to super genius to ruler of the world could be pretty neat.

Who cares if a movie has a non-existent or pointless story? It's been proven time and time again you don't really need a solid story to have an incredible movie.

[KK2.0]

This seems like such an incredibly pointless story to me.

i think it kinda kills the entire twist of the original (this is another planet... no, it's earth! Yikes), but i'm looking at it as a completely different take on the story.

[number8]

i think it kinda kills the entire twist of the original (this is another planet... no, it's earth! Yikes), but i'm looking at it as a completely different take on the story.

Well, it is a reboot. So I guess it doesn't matter anyway.

[megladon8]

Is it a reboot?

I thought it was a prequel to the original Heston film.

[number8]

No, the rise of the apes from Heston's film was already told. In the 3rd movie an ape named Caesar went back in time to the 1970's and then in the 4th film he took over the world.

In this movie, Caesar is the ape James Franco experiments on.

[megladon8]

I've only seen the first one, so I didn't know that.

Eh, I still think this looks like it could be interesting, if they execute it as the story of Caesar, rather than the story of James Franco.

[Morris Schæffer]

FX-wise, this fails to raise my pulse. Sure, I'll reserve judgment, but the ape in King Kong 2005 was already nothing short of miraculous so in terms of wow factor, I doubt this is going to be a sight to see. And of course, the apes in Burton's version weren't too shabby either. True, this movie takes a story approach I hadn't expected, but I'm not that interested right now. For some reason, it reminds me of Hollow Man with the laboratories, apes that are experimented on, shit going to hell.

No, this will probably be utterly mediocre, but I hope not.

[Winston*]

Directed by Dark Days' Rupert Wyatt

Marc Singer directed Dark Days. Rupert Wyatt directed The Escapist, which was okay.

[Ezee E]

Surely there's going to be more to it then apes just killing everyone.

[megladon8]

I actually didn't find King Kong '05 to be very good at all, in terms of effects or overall quality of the movie.

Caesar looks much more impressive than Kong did, IMO.

[Dukefrukem]

I actually didn't find King Kong '05 to be very good at all, in terms of effects or overall quality of the movie.

:|

Now Avatar AND King Kong effects doesn't impress you.

[[ETM]]

:|

Now Avatar AND King Kong effects doesn't impress you.

At least he's consistent in his (mis)perception of visuals.;)

[Wryan]

Actually, I think the plot is different slightly from what y'all are saying:

The monkey seen at the beginning receiving the cookie from Franco is a female; she's the one who receives the controversial treatment/drugs. She dies but gives birth to Caesar at some point after the treatment I think. The treatment is passed to him genetically, and Franco steals baby Caesar away from the lab so he doesn't get all scientist-ed up and shit. He raises Caesar, who is genetically superintelligent and eventually realizes the conditions of his fellow monkees and leads a yadda yadda. So there's father-figure issues, as well.

Given this, there would necessarily need to be a period of time built into the film, and I think it'll be interesting to see how Franco's decisions and Caesar's growing awareness of his differences and otherness lend the film some cool angles and ideas. Before it all goes to hell, at least.

[Wryan]

I actually didn't find King Kong '05 to be very good at all, in terms of effects or overall quality of the movie.

Caesar looks much more impressive than Kong did, IMO.

If you didn't like the effects in Kong or Avatar, you may just not like WETA's style. Theirs is a very different approach compared to ILM, who are cleaner and do better with modernity and tech and science. I think WETA is better at organic and rougher-around-the-edges and the natural world. I like both styles but separately. And I think the final film will have effects that match Kong and Avatar in quality...both of which had stunning effects, imo.

[megladon8]

Oh I liked the effects in Avatar very much.

[[ETM]]

I'll agree on ILM being worse with organic effects... some of their stuff is among the worst I've seen, like the alien animals in the arena in SW:AOTC. Thos might have just been horrible concepts, though, which is something, I think, WETA excels at.

[KK2.0]

CGI Kong was extremely impressive, but the entire movie was very unrealistic in it's looks, and it was completely intentional in order to recreate the style and feel of 30's adventure movies. For instance, the design of the dinossaurs was not supposed to look scientifically accurate, but more in the way how people believed dinossaurs would look at the time.

[Dukefrukem]

;338878']I'll agree on ILM being worse with organic effects... some of their stuff is among the worst I've seen, like the alien animals in the arena in SW:AOTC. Thos might have just been horrible concepts, though, which is something, I think, WETA excels at.

How about the ending shot in Indiana Jones 4?

[transmogrifier]

How about the ending shot in Indiana Jones 4?

There was a fourth Indiana Jones movie?

[Dukefrukem]

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2011/05/RiseofthePlanetoftheApes051211-thumb-550x311-62297.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

Full Trailer (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810204226/video/25421173/)

Makes the premise seem really stupid. How many apes can there possibly be?

[Irish]

Makes the premise seem really stupid. How many apes can there possibly be?

The premise was always really stupid. This still looks like a lot of fun.

Where are the orangutans? I want a Dr Zaius cameo, dammit

[Scar]

Silverback.

Sweet.

[Henry Gale]

Makes the premise seem really stupid. How many apes can there possibly be?

Maybe the apes become so intelligent that they learn to rapidly clone each other in Franco's lab. Or maybe they concoct a virus that they are immune to, and they spread that to the population, possibly through biting them (if only to make it the perfect melding of this franchise and the vampire genre, 'cause, you know, teenage girls gotta see this too.)

Plus, those were some pretty big spears.

I got nothing.

[Dukefrukem]

I get it. They get smart, start using tools... Do they somehow infiltrate our army and start using automatic weapons? Do they turn into zombies? Do they free every ape in every lab in every city? How do they outnumber humans in such a small time frame?

[Scar]

Who gives a shit?

[Dead & Messed Up]

Apes Doing Things: The Movie.

[TGM]

So the full name is Rise of the Planet of the Apes? That's kind of a mouthful...

[EyesWideOpen]

The premise was always really stupid. This still looks like a lot of fun.

Where are the orangutans? I want a Dr Zaius cameo, dammit

Look to the left of the screen on the final shot of the trailer.

[Irish]

Look to the left of the screen on the final shot of the trailer.

Holy shit! You rock. I totally missed that.

[megladon8]

Freida Pinto is very pretty.

[Dukefrukem]

Who gives a shit?

So negative lately....

[number8]

Hey, is that Johnson?

[number8]

I get it. They get smart, start using tools... Do they somehow infiltrate our army and start using automatic weapons? Do they turn into zombies? Do they free every ape in every lab in every city? How do they outnumber humans in such a small time frame?

There are a lot of apes in a lot of zoos.

[BuffaloWilder]

So, my brother and I went out to go and see X-Men First Class tonight, and when the trailer for this showed up, his ears perked. He hadn't seen any of the trailers or promotional material for the film beforehand - had barely even heard about it. Early on, he turns to me and goes, "this looks kind of interesting. . ."

But, as it went on, the wheels started to turn in his brain, and when the title burst onto the screen he just shouted out, "OH MY GOD! I totally didn't expect that."

And, then he talked about it for three and a half hours.

[Ezee E]

There are a lot of apes in a lot of zoos.
To be fair, Duke has a point there. A city zoo doesn't have as many primates as the ones taking over that bridge in the preview. That's not really an issue to me though as the one where they'll be able to overcome the human population.

[megladon8]

At no point in the trailer did I ever get the impression that the ape outnumbered humans.

That was never, ever shown.

[Raiders]

Hasn't the premise of these films always been retarded? It isn't like this is a new development.

[EyesWideOpen]

Hasn't the premise of these films always been retarded? It isn't like this is a new development.

If by "retarded" you mean awesome then yes.

[Ezee E]

Hasn't the premise of these films always been retarded? It isn't like this is a new development.
True. However, this is the first one taking on a more realistic approach.

Also, saw the preview at X-Men today. Sure seems to be hundreds of apes on that highway bridge. Surely, San Francisco (?) doesn't have that many it its zoo? I really don't have that as an issue against the movie, just saying that duke's logic is right.

[Dead & Messed Up]

True. However, this is the first one taking on a more realistic approach.

Also, saw the preview at X-Men today. Sure seems to be hundreds of apes on that highway bridge. Surely, San Francisco (?) doesn't have that many it its zoo? I really don't have that as an issue against the movie, just saying that duke's logic is right.

Don't forget that Frisco is housing Franco's Big Secret Experiment. Those shots with the black guy in the rotunda suggest that most of the great apes are coming from the lab.

[EyesWideOpen]

I don't see more then 20 apes on that bridge.

[Henry Gale]

The main thing is that we already know the eventual outcome simply by its branding as an entry in the franchise (reboot or not). So even if we're only seeing the first 1% of the apes' takeover, it still needs a lot more than what's even hinted at in that footage to seem threatening, let alone the accepted conclusion.

[Irish]

I really don't have that as an issue against the movie, just saying that duke's logic is right.

Somehow applying logic to a mass market movie about super intelligent apes just doesn't make any damned sense, though. :P

[Philosophe_rouge]

i am excited.

[megladon8]

I don't see more then 20 apes on that bridge.


Yeah, seriously.

I mean, clearly there are, I'd say, a few hundred on the loose in the city. And maybe they've somehow gotten apes from other zoos out of captivity to join them.


But at no point did I get the feeling that they outnumbered humans.

[Dukefrukem]

But at no point did I get the feeling that they outnumbered humans.

Well............. we know what happens... so................. they eventually do. My question is how? We have helicopters and guns and they're using horseback and rocks attached with sticks...

[megladon8]

Well............. we know what happens... so................. they eventually do. My question is how? We have helicopters and guns and they're using horseback and rocks attached with sticks...


They outnumber humans because they kill the humans and enslave the straggling survivors.

It's not like 100 billion apes just fell out of the sky.

[Irish]

It's not like 100 billion apes just fell out of the sky.

Maybe they're saving that part for the sequel, directed by M Night Shyamalan.

[megladon8]

Maybe they're saving that part for the sequel, directed by M Night Shyamalan.



But the twist would be that....WE are the apes, and 100-billion people fell out of the sky and ruined our natural habitats to create cities and buildings and shopping malls!!

[Irish]

But the twist would be that....WE are the apes, and 100-billion people fell out of the sky and ruined our natural habitats to create cities and buildings and shopping malls!!

:lol:

[Dukefrukem]

They outnumber humans because they kill the humans and enslave the straggling survivors.

It's not like 100 billion apes just fell out of the sky.

But you don't see why that's hard for me to believe based on this trailer?

[megladon8]

But you don't see why that's hard for me to believe based on this trailer?


It's just the trailer.

The apes become more intelligent than humans. To the point where guns and helicopters aren't really a threat.

They outsmart us.

[EyesWideOpen]

I also don't understand why people are expecting the trailer to explain how everything happens. I'm sure it will be addressed in the actual film.

[Rowland]

Interesting factoid: The co-writers for this also worked together on, and apparently haven't written anything since, 1997's The Relic. :|

[DavidSeven]

I feel like this project come across even sillier than it normally would since most of what Franco does these days seems to be for the sake of irony.

[Dukefrukem]

MUCH better trailer (http://blastr.com/2011/06/caesar-goes-ape--in-new-u.php).

[Morris Schæffer]

Yeah, I just watched it. It looks surprisingly affectionate in those first 45 seconds.

[number8]

So once again, the world is in peril all because of Draco Malfoy.

[MadMan]

I saw the trailer for this that was attached to Super 8. No thanks.

[Ezee E]

Lithgow is in this? Awesome.

And was that Djimon Hounsou? Been wondering where he's been.

[Henry Gale]

Lithgow is in this? Awesome.

And was that Djimon Hounsou? Been wondering where he's been.

Haha, it wasn't even. The search continues.

But yeah, that was definitely more promising footage, even if I feel like I just watched every major beat of its first hour or so cut as a trailer.

[Watashi]

Lithgow is in this? Awesome.

And was that Djimon Hounsou? Been wondering where he's been.
Did you not read the first post to your own thread?

[Ezee E]

Did you not read the first post to your own thread?
That was September 2010. Been a while.

[Raiders]

Hounsou was in The Tempest last year, and spends the rest of his time being Kimora Lee Simmons's baby daddy.

[Ezee E]

I forgot that he ws in Push, and actually the only thing I liked about that movie too.

[Sxottlan]

Both times I've seen this trailer in theaters, the crowd appeared to be snickering afterward.

And I don't blame them.

[Dukefrukem]

In a recent interview with Playboy


"I never thought of this movie as an example of my creativity. I was an actor for hire.... They haven't shown me the movie yet, so I don't know what the result is. I did reshoots, and it sounds to me the final movie will be different from the screenplay, which had a lot of character development. The movie seems to be more action now. I went and did my job, and I'm supposed to be a scientist. I feel pretty confident that I did that."

[Dukefrukem]

Pretty cool clip (http://blastr.com/2011/07/caesar-beats-the-our-of-a.php). I opted to watch it because I didn't think I'd see this any time soon but this clip might have changed my mind.

[Irish]

77hZlEy5gYg

Teaser that premiered at Comic Con. Looks great.

[Henry Gale]

I don't know, the more I see of this, the less I'm sure I ever want to watch it. There's nothing I find particularly bad about the footage, especially the stuff in the last two posts, but it just looks so bland to me, and I don't think the ape effects look as good as they probably should.

August is starting to look like a wasteland. Out of four weeks, the release I most want to see is... 30 Minutes Or Less? I'm not even sure I'll be able to muster up any ironic excitement to see Final Destination 5. Hopefully Don't Be Afraid of the Dark will be good too, but otherwise: yikes.

[Sxottlan]

August is starting to look like a wasteland.

Yeah, August can be feast or famine. 2009 was great. This year looks dry. I might waste some free passes on the ape movie or the Conan film. 30 Minutes or Less looks like a rental.

Wasn't the whole idea that apes evolved naturally after humanity had wiped itself out?

[Morris Schæffer]

Looks like really good fun and I keep detecting a lot of heart in this movie, especially with the Lithgow bits in the previous trailer.

But I need to stop watching these things because now I know the fate of that helicopter. :D

[Dukefrukem]

Most spoilerific teaser ever. Now I don't need to see the movie.

[Morris Schæffer]

Hail Ceasar! First reviews are very positive, emphasizing the strong human core and genuine thrills. It's even a bit cerebral apparently.

[Sxottlan]

I really wasn't expecting anything from this. Maybe others weren't either and that's why everyone is being surprised by this?

[Scar]

I really wasn't expecting anything from this. Maybe others weren't either and that's why everyone is being surprised by this?

Win, lose, or draw, I get a movie with a bunch of apes fucking shit up.

[Morris Schæffer]

I really wasn't expecting anything from this. Maybe others weren't either and that's why everyone is being surprised by this?

And yet, I detected relatively strong emotional vibes from the latest trailers, especially with the Lithgow scenes. So those trailers were encouraging. But true, prior to that, let's say a year or so ago, this totally wasn't on my radar. Even the very first trailer was sort of ok.

[Sxottlan]

But true, prior to that, let's say a year or so ago, this totally wasn't on my radar. Even the very first trailer was sort of ok.

Oh it was way less than okay. Even now I'm sort of skeptical.

[Idioteque Stalker]

This was wonderful. My criticisms, mainly of the few scenes with no chimps, are relatively negligible.

[megladon8]

Win, lose, or draw, I get a movie with a bunch of apes fucking shit up.


What is best in life??

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and apes fucking shit up!

[Fezzik]

This was pretty great. There were a few groan inducing lines but for the most part it was really well done and had a nice pace.

And seriously, can someone please start giving Andy Serkis some official recognition for all his stellar motion capture work? His performance as Caesar here is fantastic.

[Pop Trash]

A lot of the human stuff was fairly cookie cutter, and most of the dialogue could have been written by a...wait for it...chimpanzee, but goddamn the ape scenes were fantastic. I got chills when...

Cesar throws out the "smart" gas in the ape shelter.

From that point on it just clips along and gets more and more engrossing.

It's actually a lot like a Romero zombie movie but with apes=zombies and Cesar=Bub from Day of the Dead. I almost wish it was darker in places, but I understand the filmmakers desire to show the burgeoning conflicting moral nature of the apes.

[EyesWideOpen]

Originally Posted by Franco
"I never thought of this movie as an example of my creativity. I was an actor for hire.... They haven't shown me the movie yet, so I don't know what the result is. I did reshoots, and it sounds to me the final movie will be different from the screenplay, which had a lot of character development. The movie seems to be more action now. I went and did my job, and I'm supposed to be a scientist. I feel pretty confident that I did that."

The funny thing about this quote is that I can see the average moviegoer not being as into it because it's almost all character development for the first hour or so of the film. You don't even get "ape action" till the last 30 minutes or so.

[Fezzik]

Just a quibble, but could we change the name of the thread to reflect the full title of the film?

Gracias.

[Yxklyx]

Now I see where all the money's going. These Producers are essentially all first-timers with one of them being a President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation.

[Pop Trash]

Now I see where all the money's going. These Producers are essentially all first-timers with one of them being a President and Chief Operating Officer of News Corporation.

Erm...Fox produced it and put up the money for it, wouldn't they reap the rewards anyways?

[Ivan Drago]

So. . .I've never seen the first Planet of the Apes movie, although I know the basic story and the ending. Should I watch that before seeing this?

[Scar]

So. . .I've never seen the first Planet of the Apes movie, although I know the basic story and the ending. Should I watch that before seeing this?

I wouldn't consider it a requirement.

[EyesWideOpen]

So. . .I've never seen the first Planet of the Apes movie, although I know the basic story and the ending. Should I watch that before seeing this?

Yeah, I mean you should watch the original because it's one of the best science fiction films ever made but you don't necessarily need to watch it before the new one.

[Watashi]

How has Spinal not yet seen this?

I thought it was required by law for Spinal to see every chimp-driven release.

[Morris Schæffer]

little-known trivia fact: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was a pre-production title for the last of the original series, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes

[origami_mustache]

a prequel/reboot to a series that was pretty terrible to begin with....
shitty looking cgi apes...
A gorilla jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge onto a helicopter...

The trailer for this was about the most offensive looking thing I've seen in years.

[Watashi]

shitty looking cgi apes...


http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/photos/images/newsfeed/000/035/121/lolquoi.jpg?1263249529

[Morris Schæffer]

The usage of the word "offensive" in certain situations is in itself offensive.

[EyesWideOpen]

a prequel/reboot to a series that was pretty terrible to begin with....
shitty looking cgi apes...
A gorilla jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge onto a helicopter...

The trailer for this was about the most offensive looking thing I've seen in years.

You are dead to me.

[Irish]

If you're interested in the business side of things at all:

What Went Right? Five Reasons Rise of the Planet of the Apes Succeeded (http://www.grantland.com/blog/hollywood-prospectus/post/_/id/32175/hit-happens-why-did-planet-of-the-apes-succeed)

[origami_mustache]

neg rep to everyone in this thread...including myself.

[MadMan]

I'm still content to wait for it to come out on DVD/Blu Ray.

[Henry Gale]

So yeah, I did like this, but I can't help but feeling like it's still not all that great in terms of developing anything (or any character) aside from Serkis' Caeser, which has already rightfully been pointed out as being the best performance in the movie despite the fact that you never actually see his face, hear him speak, or any other things usually used to weigh acting in traditional senses.

It still gets brought down by fairly major weaknesses throughout. Particularly, despite its grandiose sci-fi origins and the scope given to the story, the film still looks surprisingly bland and antiseptic in a visual sense (despite being shot by Peter Jackson's frequent DP Andrew Lesnie), and the ape effects start off a bit worrysome, but find a way to improve over time. My guess is that they focused the majority of their effort and processing power on the stuff that most needed to look convincing further into the film rather than earlier on when Caeser is younger and less emotive. At least, I feel like it was more of that than simply my own getting used to the look of the CG animals interracting in live action scenes.

Overall, it's perfectly fine entertainment, even if things like human storylines feel a bit rote, though still capably handled, and also I think its former November release date may have suited it a bit better than here in the tail end of summer, since it doesn't deliver much in the way of exciting action or other popcorn thrills until very late into its runtime. But either way, we have it now in August, and for a movie I didn't have any expectations for before a week or so ago, it stands as a movie from Summer 2011 that didn't suck, and that's a fairly pretty slim list.

Best way to describe any aspect of this, as well as what I feel about it overall: Inconsistent, but still pretty satisfying.

*** out of ****

[Spinal]

I loved how utterly absurd this was. Naturally, it makes very little sense that Franco's character is smart enough to create the virus and yet also dumb enough to make the worst possible decisions about its usage. And yet, what the film lacks in tight logic, it makes up for in outrageous monkey action sequences. The film has energy, humor and tells a captivating story. I enjoyed it.

[Watashi]

I loved how utterly absurd this was. Naturally, it makes very little sense that Franco's character is smart enough to create the virus and yet also dumb enough to make the worst possible decisions about its usage. And yet, what the film lacks in tight logic, it makes up for in outrageous monkey action sequences. The film has energy, humor and tells a captivating story. I enjoyed it.
So much monkey.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Haven't done this in a while. Twelve things I want to say about this movie.

1. The movie's good, with greatness poking through, which makes the okay stuff all the more frustrating. A common complaint I'm having with Hollywood. Proficiency supplants passion. The storytelling is so precise and functional that it feels clinical and distant, with the emphasis on efficiency over personality.

2. Serkis does some fantastic work, and the chimps prove much more interesting protagonists than the heroes, but I suspect the writers feared depending too heavily on special effects. Now that we know the apes can lead a movie, can we please have the next movie without any humans? Caesar's more charismatic and interesting than any flesh-and-blood character I saw this summer.

3. Seemed a little odd to me that gene therapy involves viruses, but Wiki seems to bear this out, which makes the dual-function MacGuffin somewhat plausible, if still awfully convenient.

4. If Chuck Heston exists in this universe, doesn't that logically mean the first run of Apes films also exists? Maybe they can find some way to tell us that in this world, the Burton remake never happened. Even with ape revolutions and pandemics, that's still an appetizing universe.

5. Aren't most of those monkeys gonna get dumb again? They'd better start the breeding program soon, so they can have naturally-born smarties like Caesar.

6. Caesar and Maurice should have a buddy-comedy web series in between films.

7. Apes can't talk. It's not an issue of intelligence, it's an issue of vocal apparatus. Still, the first instance was good. It was very good.

8. The film's violence (or lack). I get that it's a summer movie designed to appeal to wide audiences, but that results in ape-on-human violence that feels awfully unrealistic. Especially when six apes beat on that guard, and then he's tossed in a cell with nary a scratch. Um. That man should be dead a few times over.

9. When Caesar saw the scientist in the helicopter at the end, I so desperately wanted him to say "I won't kill you...but I don't have to save you."

10. Weird that a sci-fi movie like this has nothing interesting to say about genetic testing, treatment of animals, man's place in the world, and so on and so forth.

11. If anything, the film's more often the usual American generational tale of fathers and sons, with Caesar taking the role of unruly teenager. In this regard, there's an unexplored parallel between Caesar and Felton's character, since he's the disappointing son of Cox. There's an off-screen line by Felton, where he says, "Dad, I'm sorry," that could just as well have been used during two other key moments in the film. In fact, the more I think about it, the more that line may be the key to what the movie's saying (or what it could say). Father, I'm sorry - I'm trying to find my own way as best as I can. And one day, you'll be gone, and the world will be in my hands.

12. Points of comparison between Caesar and Captain America:

Caesar boosted by MacGuffin into credible human-fighter = Rogers boosted by MacGuffin into credible Nazi-fighter

chimp at maximum capacity by end of film's first third = nerd at maximum strength by end of film's first third

Caesar questioning purpose after life of isolated comfort away from fellow chimps = Rogers questioning purpose after life of isolated comfort away from fellow troops

beneficial gene therapy is also world-threatening viral infection = beneficial blue strength stuff is also world-threatening blue stuff

villain greedy for gene therapy as a means of improving world = villain greedy for blue stuff as a means of improving world

quadrant-satisfying female soldier who does little soldiering = quadrant-satisfying female scientist who does little sciencing

welcome character actor plays soon-to-be-dead father figure = welcome character actor plays soon-to-be-dead father figure

final third of film sees Caesar with newly assembled ragtag crew = final third of film sees Rogers with newly assembled ragtag crew

final third of film plays less like logical conclusion than excessive bombast = final third of film plays less like logical conclusion than excessive bombast

Caesar leaves Will behind to do what's right = Steve leaves Peggy behind to do what's right

ending reveals film as little more than setting the table for bigger story = ending reveals film as little more than setting the table for bigger story

best part of film is forty-minute-long intro focused on nuanced CG-enhanced performance = best part of film is forty-minute-long center focused on CG-enhanced performance

[Spinal]

I can't believe I forgot to mention that I loved the score for this. I had forgotten it was Patrick Doyle and then looked for the name in the credits because I had enjoyed the music. I love being able to appreciate my faves without foreknowledge or bias.

[Grouchy]

I think the reason I liked this so much is that it resembled a movie more than any other blockbuster I've seen recently.

As in, it had characters and those characters encountered development.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I think the reason I liked this so much is that it resembled a movie more than any other blockbuster I've seen recently.

As in, it had characters and those characters encountered development.

It was weird too, because there wasn't excessive spectacle until the story justified.

[Morris Schæffer]

Saw it yesterday. Prett fantastic. Man, it's a summer blockbuster, but some of those shots were just beautiful (Lord of the rings lenser Andrew Lesnie no less) and the camera is just swirling gracefully all over the place. There's that majestic moment when young Ceasar climbs this huge sequoia tree and when he's at the top, it's five years later,and the camera pans up behind him and we see this dazzling panorama of Cisco and the Golden Gate bridge enshrouded in fog. These apes are kickass. Funny, moving, but yikes, ferocious as all fuck. I recoiled when Ceasar hissed at the German shepherd. Memorable moment Franco comes to get Ceasar back, but the latter just gently closes his cell door, as if to say "I'm where I belong" (not jail, but next to my brethren

I've no idea where the story is going next. Or perhaps I do, but find it a bit odd what with the epilogue of the pilot.

One more thing, not sure if it's been discussed before, but where was this scene?! Nowhere to be seen here in Belgium at least.

LaK6khs8aMw

At 2:21.

Still, perhaps the best summer movie so far. Who would have thunk it?

[Ezee E]

So Contagion is the sequel to this?

[Morris Schæffer]

So Contagion is the sequel to this?

Perhaps the monkeys are the key to stopping the virus. I believe it was said that they are impervious to ALZ1112 whereas Humans were not.

And so they shall emerge as the heroes of mankind.

[Ezee E]

Okay, how come nobody has talked about the dumb, forced villainery of the Harry Potter kid? That subplot is so absurd and silly that it hurts the movie for me. And how about that reusage of, "Get your hands off me you dirty ape!" Groan.

With that, the movie has balls to have it be all about the rise of Caesar. It takes its time, about 90-100 minutes before we get to the action that summer movies are to give us. When it wasn't with the Potter kid, I was thoroughly interested.

The evil looking chimp... Nero? Felt like he was wasted. Am I missing something there?

Was hoping to see who the Heston character would be. I'm guessing he's not even born yet.

GOod overall, minus the moments I mentioned.

[Morris Schæffer]

Okay, how come nobody has talked about the dumb, forced villainery of the Harry Potter kid? That subplot is so absurd and silly that it hurts the movie for me. And how about that reusage of, "Get your hands off me you dirty ape!" Groan.

After 43 years, hearing it once more isn't that crippling of a deal. Unless it was used in the Burton film too, but then I hardly ever remember anything from that offering. But I thought the kid's anatgonism worked enough because I was just quivering with anticipation at the apes' inevitable escape and retribution.

[Gizmo]

After 43 years, hearing it once more isn't that crippling of a deal. Unless it was used in the Burton film too, but then I hardly ever remember anything from that offering. But I thought the kid's anatgonism worked enough because I was just quivering with anticipation at the apes' inevitable escape and retribution.

It was used in the Burton film, but in reverse, it was the ape saying "get your hand off me you damn dirty human."

[Ezee E]

It's not that it was bad to put it in there, it was just the awful execution of it. Everything about him was horrible to me.

[Spinal]

Okay, how come nobody has talked about the dumb, forced villainery of the Harry Potter kid? That subplot is so absurd and silly that it hurts the movie for me. And how about that reusage of, "Get your hands off me you dirty ape!" Groan.



I don't really disagree. I just didn't care as much, I suppose. It does seem unlikely that someone that bad at his job would stay employed long. But in a film as melodramatic and absurd as this, it didn't feel out of place.

[Henry Gale]

Yeah I just thought in trying to write my mostly positive thoughts about the movie, it would have taken away too much focus and time to get into how much I disliked Felton's storyline and the eventual (awful) famous line reading. Definitely the weakest section of the film. It didn't help that they wasted Brian Cox as much as they did.

I still can't quite bring myself to call this one of the better movies of the summer just because it's one of the handful that were "pretty good". I'd still rank Thor, Bridesmaids, Kung Fu Panda 2, Super 8, Harry Potter, Horrible Bosses, Attack the Block and Fright Night above it.

[Grouchy]

Was hoping to see who the Heston character would be. I'm guessing he's not even born yet.
There's a scene where a TV is showing a news report about his space mission being launched.

[Ezee E]

There's a scene where a TV is showing a news report about his space mission being launched.
Ah. That makes a ton of sense then. I was wondering about that, but forgot pretty much right after.

Yeah, I'll agree that Cox was wasted. He seemed about right, as far as someone that was just doing his job, with no emotions connected to the animals whatsoever. It just wouldn't have made it dramatically interesting to have the apes attack him on the escape I guess.

[EyesWideOpen]

I more had a problem with Cox's character. Having a guy running his own primate reserve be someone who has no affinity (even at times a dislike) for them seems a little far fetched.

[Morris Schæffer]

There's a scene where a TV is showing a news report about his space mission being launched.

No way, I didn't even pick up on that! I was wondering why they were showing me this entirely irrelevant space shuttle launch. Far out! :D

[Ezee E]

So I wonder if they're still playing with the time then, and somehow, in the near distant future, they develop the hypersleep (?) technology. So it's still another 1000 years or so until the planet is overrun by the apes.

That makes sense logically to me. But Caesar would live an awfully long time.

[Winston*]

I liked how eight years pass in this movie and no one ages at all. Pretty sure they're all wearing the same clothes.

[Morris Schæffer]

I liked how eight years pass in this movie and no one ages at all. Pretty sure they're all wearing the same clothes.

I thought it was five years, but yeah, I was sort of immediately looking at Franco's hair to see if they had added some grey to it. :D

[Winston*]

I thought it was five years, but yeah, I was sort of immediately looking at Franco's hair to see if they had added some grey to it. :D

It was 3 and then 5.

Didn't buy Franco as either a genius scientist or as the age he would have to be by the end of this movie (40 at the very least?).

[Winston*]

The chimp stuff was awesome though.

[Boner M]

I loved how cardboard everyone was compared to the apes.

[Ezee E]

I loved how cardboard everyone was compared to the apes.
Outside of Caesar, everyone was pretty cardboard. Apes included.

[Scar]

The chimp stuff was awesome though.

That's all that matters.

[Spinal]

Outside of Caesar, everyone was pretty cardboard. Apes included.

The orangutan had personality, I thought. And possibly the best line of the film.

[Spinal]

The chimp stuff was awesome though.

My favorite shot of the film:

The sequence with multiple apes jumping through the building's windows and out onto the street.

[Watashi]

Considering Franco is some kind of psycho-genius in real life, it doesn't seem like a stretch to be a scientist this young (late 20's) and end up mid-30's at the end of the film.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, I never doubted the aging really. I took it as him being part of the project in his mid-late 20's to begin with, not necessarily the head of it all.

[Dukefrukem]

Not bad. How do they make it to NYC though?

[Dukefrukem]

My favorite shot of the film:

The sequence with multiple apes jumping through the building's windows and out onto the street.

My least favorite shot. So because they're super smart apes, they are unharmed by broken glass and can jump out of three story buildings without their bones breaking?

[Spinal]

My least favorite shot. So because they're super smart apes, they are unharmed by broken glass and can jump out of three story buildings without their bones breaking?

You're taking this film more seriously than I did.

[Dukefrukem]

You're taking this film more seriously than I did.

Hey I still liked it. But that shot stood out as preposterous. Still, how did they get to NYC?

[Ezee E]

Hey I still liked it. But that shot stood out as preposterous. Still, how did they get to NYC?
Surely that'll be answered in the sequel.

But it's pretty obvious. The world is decimated by the outbreak of whatever disease that was, killing all humans. Eventually, the apes sperad out, and New York is one of those locations.

[Dukefrukem]

Surely that'll be answered in the sequel.

But it's pretty obvious. The world is decimated by the outbreak of whatever disease that was, killing all humans. Eventually, the apes sperad out, and New York is one of those locations.

There just doesn't seem to be THAT many Apes.

[Ezee E]

There just doesn't seem to be THAT many Apes.
I think it takes well over a thousand years doesn't it? When does Planet of the Apes actually begin? I swore it was like 3010 or something.

[Scar]

I think it takes well over a thousand years doesn't it? When does Planet of the Apes actually begin? I swore it was like 3010 or something.

I'm of the opinion that the humans will be pretty much wiped out due to the pandemic, and in quick time. And then over hundreds of years, the apes breed, and begin populating the continent.

[Dead & Messed Up]

It's hilariously convenient that the cure for apes is the disease for humans. But whatevs. Still a fun flick.