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James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Brian Cox ... see more see more... , Tom Felton , David Oyelowo , Karin Konoval , Terry Notary , Richard Ridings , Chris Gordon , Devyn Dalton , Jay Caputo , Tyler Labine , Jamie Harris , David Hewlett , Ty Olsson , Madison Bell , Makena Joy , Kevin O'Grady , Sean Tyson , Jack Kuris , Tammy Hui , Kyle Riefsnyder , Rufus Dorsey , Anthony McRae , Jeb Beach , Jesse Reid , B.J. Harrison , Leah Gibson , Tracy Spiridakos , Ivan Wanis Ruiz , Trevor Carroll , Chelah Horsdal , Timothy Webber , James Pizzinato , Robin Nielsen , Monica Mustelier , Syn Narula , Mattie Hawkinson , Ryan Booth , Gordon Douglas Myren , Elizabeth Weinstein , Meredith Canby , Javier Caballero Cano , Peter Bundic , Dylan Nouri , Oona Service , Camille Atebe , Temura Derek Morrison , Dean Redman , Hector Johnson , David Richmond-Peck , Adrian Hough , Evans Johnson , Joey Roche , Sean Roche , Qayam Devji , Yurij Kis , Riel Hahn , Sonja Bennett , Michael Kopsa , Steve Lawlor , Chris Shields , Panou , Sandy Robson , Luc Roderique , Mike Dopud , Mark Henriques , Stacey Schmidt , Matteo Mazziotti , Willy Miles , Fred North , Juliette Goodrich , Allen Martin Jr. , Richard Darwin

A single act of both compassion and arrogance leads to a war unlike any other -- and to the Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Ava... read more read more...tar and Lord of the Rings is breaking new ground, creating a CGI ape that delivers a dramatic performance of unprecedented emotion and intelligence, and epic battles on which rest the upended destinies of man and primate. -- (C) Official Site

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83% liked it

239 critics

PG-13, 2 hr.

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt

Release Date: August 5, 2011

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DVD Release Date: December 13, 2011

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Stats: 16,371 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (16,371)

  • fb1710827246
    May 28, 2012
    fb1710827246
    Intelligent as good science-fiction films go, but leaves nothing that hasn't been seen, nothing new here.
  • aquateen2
    April 27, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    The latest installment in the long running apes series is really something, it turned out to be a film much more groundbreaking and triumphant than I first expected and is the most decent entry to the fr... read moreanchise in a very long time.
    The performance of Andy Serkis as lead ape Caesar, who also performed for King Kong is quite breathtaking and deserving of a best actor nomination. It's highly remarkable how the film expresses each of the apes feelings, giving them unique traits and personalities that then enhances them as solid and interesting characters despite having no capability to speak. It's very much admirable and even more so that the gripping and incredibly filmed action sequences just look like a brilliant bonus. This is a character drama as much as a sci-fi film, except without the cute, witty quirkiness of the original Planet of the Apes. However, Rise taking itself seriously isn't a bad thing, it worked just as well and is just as entertaining as the original and undoubtedly one of the best reimagining's ever made as far as reboots are concerned.
  • Deano78
    April 10, 2012
    Deano78
    A very good film which acts as a prequel to the original films. Good cgi and SFX overall, plenty of action but also with plenty of depth to the characters and story. It has some nice touches that link it with the other films to. Better than I expected.
  • MizturY0da
    March 20, 2012
    MizturY0da
    three stars
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    A very entertaining B-movie about a wimp ape that goes gangster. Entertaining with great looking CGI.
  • spielberg00
    March 9, 2012
    spielberg00
    With the exception of the unintentional humor the apes bring, the entertainment level for RISE is just fine. It's the low fidelity this heeds to its original from 43 years before that makes it such a confusing movie. Yes, believe it or not, it has been that many years, and this i... read mores an attempt to provide a backstory to the original from that long ago. With the strictly urban setting, the overflow of action sequences and special effects, and the overwhelming sense of futurism, RISE is 110% 2011, and it bears not the slightest bit of possibility that it could have been made similarly just shortly after the original film. Okay, maybe the film's decency rose when HARRY POTTER's Tom Felton delivered possibly the most memorable line in all animal movie history, that has been featured in just about every APES movie since the very first. Had that line not been delivered and the title not included the series' name, it'd be very hard to tell that this had any relation to the classic it precedes. (Where is Charlton Heston when we need him???)

    Note: The title is RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES. Why not just add another "of the" statement and make yourselves sound completely unprofessional?
  • sergioogarcia
    March 4, 2012
    sergioogarcia
    I love it! Makes sense. We're far from it and it's not that I think this could be possible, but as a science fiction lover it fullfill my expectations. Andy Serkis still the favorite monkey of Hollywood. But his acting is superb. Cesar. The start of everything. While James Franco... read more is looking to regenerate neurons to cure Alzheimer, the experiments with apes goes beyond his expectations. Amazing FX a very good story and directing.
  • cosmo313
    March 4, 2012
    cosmo313
    What could have been just a shallow, shameless, and cheap attempt to cash in by using a name brand is instead a rather smart, thoughtful, and really impressive piece of work. This film is a prequel to the classic Planet of the Apes, but also borrows bits from other films in the s... read moreeries, and manages ultimately to also be its own thing.

    Will Rodman is a researcher working towards a cure for Alzheimer's disease. While it does help human test subjects, the effect it has on primates is utterly remarkable, leading to some really unexpected developments. When circumstances get out of hand, Will finds himself the adopted father of a baby chimp called Caesar who, thanks to exposure to the experimental drug, begins to evolve at an accelerated rate and develop a vast sense of intelligence.

    After a misunderstanding, Caesar is taken away and imprisoned in a primate sanctuary run by some ruthless and cruel humans who display no regard for the well being of the animals. Thanks to his intelligence, Caesar begins to form a rebellion which, given the film's title, though not surprising, is really exciting and well done.

    Given the reputation of the three sequels to the original, and how people feel about the Tim Burton remake, I was a little iffy on this one at first. As I started to hear more about it, and see some footage, I started to change my mind, but decided to remain open-minded and wait until finally seeing it before giving a full judgment call.

    Now that I have seen it, I must say, I am quite impressed. Storywise, this isn't groundbreaking, but it is really well done and pretty compelling at times. I was surprised by how much I found myself emotionally involved and connected to the characters, mostly the non-human ones. With the visuals and effects though, this is where the film is really brilliant. The motion capture effects and the way the CG is used is quite cutting edge, and the results are remarkably realistic and mind blowing. Thanks to the superb performance by the unseen Andy Serkis, Caesar is really brought to life and is a real character instead of just a visual effect. That I got emotionall stirred by a special effect the way I did really says something. Hell, the humans are the least identifiable and hardest to care for (for the most part) characters.

    I love Franco, but I don't know if he was right for this. He's okay though, but not really that great. The characters played by Brian Cox but especially Tom Felton didn't surprise me in terms of where they fit into things, but they both do fine. Lithgow is good, but the weakest link here is Pinto, who isn't given anything interesting to do, and doesn't bring much to the table.

    The drama is compelling, and, as I said, this is a pretty smart and thoughtful affair. There's tons of references and Easter eggs, most of which are fine, but there are two big thigns that really bug me, and that's what's really keeping me from giving this the extra half star it deserves. The first is the use of a line, rather THE line, the most famous quote from the original film. First off, why? Was it just for recognition purposes, or did they feel they couldn't make the film without it? Whatever the case, I could have done without it, mostly because I felt it was forced in. Not only that, but right after it comes a major payoff, and probably the most important moment in the film, a moment that is lessened because of how the line is used and the fact that it kind of made me groan whe nit was said. The other big issue was the end. Not how the story ended, but the fact that a really important scene plays a bit after the end credits started rolling. I think they should have just had that scene right before the credits instead. Also, the pacing felt rather uneven overall. There's some great build up and development, but then the final act feels really rushed, and this problem could have been fixed by either increasing the film's running time, or not charging to the conclusion, leaving a bit more for a sequel or something.

    All of that aside, this was a fantastic film. It looks incredible, the effects are top notch, the action is great, and this was overall a hell of a lot better than I think anyone could have anticipated, and that's definitely a great thing.

    Definitely give this one a watch, because it's awesome.
  • samoriley
    February 29, 2012
    samoriley
    When I heard that there was a prequel to 'Planet of the Apes', I thought of poor version by Tim Burton. However, this is a prequel to the classic 1968 film, and let me tell you, its the best prequel to a film since...ever.

    For those who are fans of the original film, there wil... read morel several references to the original film,which most will recognise. However, those who haven't watch the original, and thought that this was good, I recommend going home and watching it.

    I personally thought that the visual effects for this film were stunning, espescially the motion capture from Andy Serkis, who is known for his roles of Gollum in 'Lord of the Rings' and Kong in 'King Kong'.

    With great links to the original, visual effects and story, 'Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes' was close to an essential in 2011.
  • SirPant
    February 20, 2012
    SirPant
    To be honest, the old PG Tips adverts with the Chimps drinking tea on a loop for 2 hours would have been a better inclusion to the franchise than Tim Burtons effort, so Rise of the Planet of the Apes had a bit of slack to work with but, to it's credit, it was pretty good. It's no... read moret as good as the original and I don't think it was as good as the third film which, I love, but has been ignored - it being the only part of the story it decided to side-step away from, Ceaser is the son of Cornelius, not sure why they went to the effort of having the news coverage of the Mars spaceflight in the background to link with the first film if they didn't continue the whole story but that said, if they do another and avoid the Beneath the Planet of the apes storyline, we'll call it quits. It is essentially a blockbuster, everything is a little bit rushed to fit into the 2 hours but it's good fun, is exciting and is a little bit more intelligent than your average summer blockbuster. It fits into the franchise quite well and although the CGI wasn't always great, I hope they make more.

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Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake
September 21, 2011
Joe Baltake, Passionate Moviegoer

Rupert Wyatt's'Rise of the Planet of the Apes': A socially aware, achingly humane update of the venerable franchise Full Review

David Denby
August 30, 2011
David Denby, New Yorker

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is spectacle with a kick: the transcendence of the normal in creatures so like ourselves is both an entertainment and a needling rebuke to human vanity. Full Review

Bruce Diones
August 22, 2011
Bruce Diones, New Yorker

The action scenes (particularly a battle between humans and apes on the Golden Gate Bridge) are inventively spectacular, and the story at the movie's core is evocative and engaging. Full Review

Richard Roeper
August 6, 2011
Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com

A well-crafted B movie with astonishingly effective motion capture CGI technology. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
August 5, 2011
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Tthe movie has some plot-point missteps. But it seldom puts the brakes on a story that moves toward a furious ape-human rumble, not in a jungle, but atop the Golden Gate Bridge. Full Review

Jeannette Catsoulis
August 5, 2011
Jeannette Catsoulis, NPR

A creature feature of disappointing stupidity, Rise of the Planet of the Apes replaces the sociopolitical underpinnings of the original film and its sequels with a limp warning about the evils of anim... Full Review

Tom Long
August 5, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

Pass the bananas. Full Review

Christopher Orr
August 5, 2011
Christopher Orr, The Atlantic

[H]alf good and half bad, and the primary dividing line is by genus. Full Review

Peter Rainer
August 5, 2011
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

Since the only really good Planet of the Apes movie was the 1968 original with Charlton Heston, I've always wondered why filmmakers can't just leave well enough alone. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
August 5, 2011
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

What isn't here are any of the joys of the classic film. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Steven Jacobs: I run a business, not a petting zoo.
    • Will Rodman: You have no idea what you're dealing with!
    • Will Rodman: [to Caesar] Don't ever let them catch you.
    • Caroline: You taught him to sign?
    • Will Rodman: Just a handful of things.
    • John Landon: [to Will] They're not people, you know.
    • Dodge Landon: Stupid monkey! He'll learn who's boss soon enough.
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Rise of the Planet of the Apes Trivia

  • Who plays the main character Will in Rise of the planet of the apes?  Answer »
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  • What do they nickname Caesar's mum in Rise of the planet of the apes?  Answer »
  • What was the first word spoken by an ape in Rise of the planet of the apes?  Answer »
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