Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) is not a sequel to Planet of the Apes, but is an attempt at restarting the franchise from scratch, better known as a reboot. This is what happened to franchises such as Battlestar Galactica, and Batman. The reasons may vary, Hulk (2003) was a poorly received movie developed around the Marvel Comics hero of the same name. It should have been the catalyst for a series of movies but that never happened. Instead, a reboot of Hulk, The Incredible Hulk (2008), came out 5 years later. Despite the success, a sequel may not come out until after 2012.

The Planet of the Apes franchise, which began in 1968, has an interesting history. It was based on a 1963 novel, has been extremely successful, and did not need a remake or a reboot. Planet of the Apes (2001), a remake of the 1968 film of the same name, should have established the premise for a series of sequels, as its predecessor had. Tim Burton directed the film, but it does not really have the look and feel of his other films, most notably, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), a remake of the book of the same name, that one can easily conceive as being a sequel to Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971).

It would not to see a sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. This was an excellent film and does not feel as high concept as Planet of the Apes (2001). The concept is similar to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, the fourth film in the original series, but it is not a remake of that film. The similarities though, are not quite so obvious; yes Caesar leads an uprising, as was the case in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, and the protagonist of this film has the same name, but this film does not carry over the continuity established in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

In this film, Caesar is an ape born to an ape that is captive in a laboratory being used for gene therapy. A scientist takes Caesar home after all apes in the laboratory are put down in response to Caesar's mother acting violently. The scientist later finds out that she was just protecting her son, who was not discovered until the other apes are killed. Rather than put down Caesar, the scientist takes hi m home and raises him as his own son.

The scientist's father, who has Alzheimer's, takes to Caesar and develops a therapeutic relationship with him. The scientist uses a drug that the apes were using in captivity, and gives it to his father, who initially shows remarkable results. Eventually though, his father adapts to the drug, and the effectiveness of the therapy wears off. The Alzheimer's is now worse than ever; the father goes out to drive a car he sees parked on the street to the airport, but has forgotten how to drive. He gets into a confrontation with a neighbor, and Caesar comes out of the house to protect him, and the real games begin.

The movie starts off slowly, but immediately catches your intention, and builds up to a climax. It does not rely on cinematography or special effects to advance its cause, however, the story line itself is enough to reel you in from the first scene. This is an excellent film, and one worth checking into if you never saw it before, even if you are not a fan of the original series.