Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

[william b]

This one looks really promising. I'm not saying it's a sure thing, but compared to Cowboys and Aliens and Transformers, it might be the smart SF blockbuster in the crowd.

 

[Member]

I can't wait for this movie. I get excited every time I see the trailer.
Also, I can't wait for transformers; be it dumb dumb science or not =/

 

[william b]

I can't wait for this movie. I get excited every time I see the trailer.
Also, I can't wait for transformers; be it dumb dumb science or not =/

Well, everyone likes escapism in the summer. I'm not too critical of bad science in movies if the story is compelling. Every SF movies pushes aside reality to some extant. Still, I feel like there are a few too many comic book and cartoon inspired movies this summer. Apes looks legitimately scary, exciting, and just believable enough to have me hooked.

 

[Moonbat]

There was a new trailer released last week, it explained alot more and had some of the story of Caesar in. It looks really good, I'm hoping it wont be a typical hollywood remake, with all the focus on big effects and set pieces, but with some interesting aspects to it.
Ooh Ahh Ahh Ah!

 

[PTeppic]

I'm looking forwards to the SFX of the apes, but have to be honest, expect the plot to be pretty flat. "Science experiment (involving intelligence) goes wrong" - sorry, but how often has that been done? "Deep Blue Sea" anyone (for a start)?

 

[william b]

I'm looking forwards to the SFX of the apes, but have to be honest, expect the plot to be pretty flat. "Science experiment (involving intelligence) goes wrong" - sorry, but how often has that been done? "Deep Blue Sea" anyone (for a start)?

I Robot, Frankenstein, Jurassic Park....but it's a great theme. It's still relevant. People are always messing with nature and screwing it up. Five hundred years from now, if we're still here, it will still be relevant and interesting. But how the heck is Thor relevant? I don't know.

 

[paranoid marvin]

As long as they don't monkey around with the storyline too much...

 

[Dave]

Is this a sequel to the Tim Burton film? The ending of that was confusing but had some possibilities. Otherwise I think there are enough variations on a theme and I'll stick with the original quadrilogy. Incidentally PM, the storyline has been well and truly monkeyed around with from the original French novel. It wasn't even Earth.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Is this a sequel to the Tim Burton film? The ending of that was confusing but had some possibilities. Otherwise I think there are enough variations on a theme and I'll stick with the original quadrilogy. Incidentally PM, the storyline has been well and truly monkeyed around with from the original French novel. It wasn't even Earth.

Earth!? It was Earth!? Then we did it , we finally did it.... You maniacs!

 

[william b]

Is this a sequel to the Tim Burton film? The ending of that was confusing but had some possibilities. ...

No. It is a reboot of Planet of the Apes separate from Tim Burton's movie. The Tim Burton film was kind of interesting.
It's one of those odd movies that actually seems to have made money but was considered a failure.
I have to admit, I don't understand how that works. Two hundred million gross seems to be the cut-off point for big effects movies. If they don't reach that then they are considered a failure. Tim Burton's Ape movie reached 180 million.
And these days if they make just a little more than 200 million they are saying a movie fails. And then sometimes the fans tear apart films after the fact. For the life of me, I don't get it anymore. I'm still wondering why Green Hornet wasn't a hit.

 

[No One]

I was very "meh" about the idea of another Ape-film (usually a fan of Tim Burton but I recall nothing of his rendition), but I have to say after seeing the trailer this looks very promising. Of course, trailers are not to be trusted, but just the steady, intelligent stare of that chimp has me pretty excited over this. Looks incredible.

As Moonbat says, let's just hope it doesn't turn into your sub-standard Hollywood fare.

 

[alchemist]

I saw this today. In a word, stunning. Some other words: Intelligent, emotional, rivetting. The obligatory nod to the original film was also present. I'd urge anyone to go and see it. It's ripe for a sequel, but I'd prefer to see them leave it alone and unsullied.

 

[PTeppic]

I saw this today. In a word, stunning. Some other words: Intelligent, emotional, rivetting. The obligatory nod to the original film was also present. I'd urge anyone to go and see it. It's ripe for a sequel, but I'd prefer to see them leave it alone and unsullied.

Agree entirely. John Lithgow is superb in a key role that required subtlety. The apes are outstanding, for 99% of the time (

Spoiler

marginal drop off in CGI quality on their paws as they climbed up the Golden Gate suspension cables

) and the characterisation impressive. A couple of points where incredulity was stretched but largely very reasonable plotting. The bar has definitely been raised.

I think I spotted about five or six tie-backs to the original but probably missed some.

Oh, and the director has already said he'd like to do a sequel...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14441778

 

[Moonbat]

Saw this today, brilliant. Really enjoyed it, I thought it was very well done, not too much action, plenty of story, great characterisation of the apes, loved almost all of it.
Has to be one of the best films I've seen at the cinema this year. To tell the truth I have now watched 6 Planet of the apes films in two weeks, and this was the best. I do think that CGI apes make it so much better, they have physicality and agilty over the men dressed as apes that we saw in the other 6 films.
Parts of Tim Burton's POTA had some cgi apes, and gave them more strength and agilty, but nothing compared to this.
I really felt for Ceasar, and a couple of the other apes too.

 

[j d worthington]

Is this a sequel to the Tim Burton film? The ending of that was confusing but had some possibilities. Otherwise I think there are enough variations on a theme and I'll stick with the original quadrilogy. Incidentally PM, the storyline has been well and truly monkeyed around with from the original French novel. It wasn't even Earth.

"Quadrilogy"? The original set wasn't a tetralogy, but a pentalogy, no?

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

And the story of Caesar and the rise of the apes as the dominant species was addressed (or at least begun) with Conquest, where we see the first stages of that....

 

[Metryq]

It wasn't some "Flowers for Algernon" injection, it was the iPads.

 

[J Riff]

well, saw it, but too much noise in the room to follow the plot. The CGI is noticeable but pretty good. Great scenes of monkeys beating up on humans.

 

[Starbeast]

This movie was far better then I thought it would be. An excellent sci-fi story! I like this movie much more than the remake of The Planet of the Apes.

 

[Dave]

"Quadrilogy"? The original set wasn't a tetralogy, but a pentalogy, no?

Yes, there were five; my mistake. And I do have the boxed set too

But "Quadrilogy" is how Hollywood describes a tetralogy, not me.

And the story of Caesar and the rise of the apes as the dominant species was addressed (or at least begun) with Conquest, where we see the first stages of that....

IIRC a world-wide pandemic disease wiped out all cats and dogs and lead humans to begin keeping chimps as pets. That seemed a less than suitable explanation to me, so no doubt they have come up with something far more feasible involving genetic engineering. (Not to mention the paradox of taking the pregnant Zira back in time.)

Anyway, I have to agree that the trailers and reviews of this do look better than I would have expected. Not sure I will get to see it though as I haven't been to the cinema in ages and have a lengthening list of things to see.

 

[Metryq]

IIRC a world-wide pandemic disease wiped out all cats and dogs and lead humans to begin keeping chimps as pets.

Was that the original series of movies? I'm not a big "POTA" fan, and the only movie I've seen recently is the first. Anyway, only Hollywood could come up with a notion like that. Keeping bonobos would be a lot safer, but even then, I can't see them as common pets. Chimps certainly wouldn't need any injections to make them vicious.

(The chimps one sees in the movies are still "children." You wouldn't want to mess with the adults.)