Rise of the Planet of the Apes proves that even the laziest sounding ideas can yield incredible results in the right hands. This is a ridiculously efficient film that's constantly moving and crams so much into a very lean 105 minute run time. It's a complete story on its own terms that also happens to be the beginning of the greatest prequel trilogy ever made.
Andy Serkis gives a phenomenal lead performance that is simply mind blowing from the first moments. The performance capture loses none of Serkis' work and it results in one the most emotive performances put to screen. His work here shows that performance capture allows actors to truly transform in a way that could never be achieved without the unison of this technology and his commitment.
On the human side, James Franco gives a great performance that gives life to a fair amount of exposition. Brian Cox uses minimal screen time to leave a lasting impression as an uncaring animal control officer who is numb to everything. Similarly, David Oyelowo takes what could've been a one-note money grabbing businessman into someone a little more human.
Rupert Wyatt's direction succeeds at blending the CGI with the practical to make it feel as believable as possible whilst Andrew Lesnie's cinematography effortlessly glides through the action. Patrick Doyle's score really knows how to be sinister at times but its greatest strength lies in the moments of triumph to make sure it ends on a rewarding note.
The visual effects on display here are still astonishing. The only reason it's showing any age is because its own sequels have surpassed it in the overall visual fidelity. Even then, there are still a lot of shots here where the level of detail is insanely impressive and some of the apes just look real. The fact that this lost the Oscar in that category is a crime.
Andy Serkis gives a phenomenal lead performance that is simply mind blowing from the first moments. The performance capture loses none of Serkis' work and it results in one the most emotive performances put to screen. His work here shows that performance capture allows actors to truly transform in a way that could never be achieved without the unison of this technology and his commitment.
On the human side, James Franco gives a great performance that gives life to a fair amount of exposition. Brian Cox uses minimal screen time to leave a lasting impression as an uncaring animal control officer who is numb to everything. Similarly, David Oyelowo takes what could've been a one-note money grabbing businessman into someone a little more human.
Rupert Wyatt's direction succeeds at blending the CGI with the practical to make it feel as believable as possible whilst Andrew Lesnie's cinematography effortlessly glides through the action. Patrick Doyle's score really knows how to be sinister at times but its greatest strength lies in the moments of triumph to make sure it ends on a rewarding note.
The visual effects on display here are still astonishing. The only reason it's showing any age is because its own sequels have surpassed it in the overall visual fidelity. Even then, there are still a lot of shots here where the level of detail is insanely impressive and some of the apes just look real. The fact that this lost the Oscar in that category is a crime.