Martyn reviews: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
'Planet of the Apes', now I'm sure you've heard of it, is the classic featuring Charlton Heston with a strong feeling of isolation and xenophobia.
Now, it is not important however, to have watched the 1968 film to enjoy and understand the smash hit of the summer, yet the added context of the original does enhance the experience. However, Rise of the Planet of the Apes in my eyes, is where Hollywood gets it right. It literally takes what you expect from the story, and runs with it, beautifully.
The film follows scientist Will Rodman, brilliantly played by James Franco, as he struggles to come to terms with his father's Alzheimer's disease. The cure he works on is tested in the lab on chimps, and when the project is sabotaged, Will is left with the task of putting down a baby chimp.
Deciding instead that the life of the baby is his responsibility, he raises the chimp, called Caesar, at his home with his father.
Without divulging anymore information, I can tell you that the film took the conventions of the mainstream film, and just knocked it up a notch. The brilliantly told story of heartache and desperation told through both Will's and Caeser's eyes hits all the right spots. Its a brilliant, and somehow believable ordeal, with a cast of characters and narrative to really take you along with it.
The film's digital effects team work wonders on the animals, with close up shots of faces displaying stunning realism, which when mixed with the brilliant motion capture performance of Andy Serkis, you're treated with the suspension of disbelief.
All in all, without boring you any further with the details, the directing is spot on for the standard, the acting is brilliant, the story progresses beautifully, and the film is just a good, old fashioned, get your popcorn and watch romp, whilst retaining the important element of making the audience think.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, gets an 8/10 from me, and if you haven't watched it yet, I seriously recommend it.
0.0/100votesVoting statistics:
| Rate | Percentage | Votes |
|---|
| 10 |  0% | 0 |
| 9 | 0% | 0 |
| 8 | 0% | 0 |
| 7 | 0% | 0 |
| 6 | 0% | 0 |
| 5 | 0% | 0 |
| 4 | 0% | 0 |
| 3 | 0% | 0 |
| 2 | 0% | 0 |
| 1 | 0% | 0 |
Tags: 2011,
Action,
apes,
film,
franco,
james,
of,
planet,
review,
rise,
summer,
the 
The Myth of the American Sleepover Synopsis - Four young people navigate the suburban wonderland of metro-Detroit looking for love and adventure on the last weekend of summer. It took me one whole year for me to finally watch this film. When I first saw the trailer to this film I was instantly hooked on the story the characters and the idea. It annoys me when small independent films with great stories don’t get an international release. But before I get off on a tangent ranting about the Hollywood monopoly system, let me get back to reviewing this film. I like to think we live in a world where everything is not black or white, you know everything is not as it seems, and good people can do bad things and vice versa. Life is complicated and growing up is the most difficult time for any teenager, especially in this day and age where everything you say and do can be scrutinised. The film follows a bunch of different teenagers as they come to the close of the summer holidays. The film spans across a day and tells the story of how both the male and female teens spend their night at sleepovers and parties. The story is told at a wonderful pace and the characters are likeable; you can sympathise with them and the emotions they go through when trying to find love. The director does a beautiful job in capturing the raw beauty of teenage suburban life. This is the first feature film by director David Robert Mitchell, and he's done a decent job in telling a story, which a lot of mainstream Hollywood films fail to do. At times the film does go off topic but quickly finds its way back and tells a good story. What really works for the film is the cast, the actors are superbly casted and bring something to their individual characters. They are believable and a lot of teenagers will easily relate to one or more characters. The attraction of this film is definitely the idea of how teenagers find love and define relationships; it gives a message of hope and promise. It’s a real shame that this film won’t be watched by many (as with a lot of indie films) because of its limited release. But if you ever get a chance to watch this film or want to legally download it and watch it I’d say go for it. It’s a coming of age tale of teens, hope, love and life. The film also has an impressive soundtrack to it, which definitely helps in capturing the emotions and the sentimental-ness of the heart. A thoroughly well written and directed film and a tremendous cast that will take you on a journey. 7/10 Muni
