Since more people have now seen the film & it has now been released internationally (at least to some extent), here is my full, SPOILER-heavy review. Please do NOT read this if you haven't already seen the film and want to be surprised.
This is an edited version of a post I made on another board:
Note that I am still reelling at how incredibly good Rise of the Planet of the Apes was; I have not seen a movie in years that has moved me the way this film has. I have already seen the film twice in the theatre, and liked it as much the second time as I did the first. I was really looking forward to this ever since hearing about it this past Spring, and the film definitely far exceeded my expectations (which were already high before even seeing the movie). IMHO, this is the best Apes film so far - and, this is coming from a fan of all the previous films:
- Great beginning, i.e. the capture of the Apes in the remote jungle - and it was very ironic that, in a sense, the beginning of the end for humanity started in a place far from civilization.
- As I mentioned in my last post, the CGI on the Apes was truly incredible - amazingly real movement & expressions - You really felt these were actual creatures, and not something created by/in a Computer. And, as I mentioned, the CGI re: the Apes in the film was far, far superior to the CGI creatures/characters I've seen in any other film, period. Caesar obviously stole the show, but the other Apes in the film were amazing as well, including the main Gorilla, the Orangatang, and the creepy-looking scarred Chimpanzee.
- I was very impressed by the progression of Caesar from cute Chimp to the much more menacing adult Ape - the passage of time when he was climbing the tree in the forest was particularly effective; and, the later scene when he turned around and suddenly growled at the barking dog was both shocking & chilling, since you didn't see it coming.
- The scientific explanation as to how the Apes became intelligent was very well-thought out and, from a fictional movie standpoint, completely plausible IMHO. The idea that Caesar was the most intelligent since his mother had been injected with the toxin?! and he had been born with it already in his bloodstream made perfect sense. And, the later scene when he exposed the rest of the Apes in the compound was plausible also, given the idea that the toxin/virus was also shown to be airborne. (Note that in all of the previous Apes films, there was no reason given as to how/why the Apes became intelligent - see one of my previous posts for more detail on this).
- I also liked the progression Caesar went through at the Ape compound. At first he was the ultimate outsider & was bullied by the other Apes there. But, then he got wise and asserted himself, & established his leadership over the others. This led to his leading the Apes to freedom.
- The sadistic worker at the compound was great as the guy you love to hate, and his death was classic. I felt his "Take your Stinking Paws off me..." line was very effective, and was a nice homage to the original film.
- The "NO!" said by Caesar was a great jolt, since you weren't expecting this - very well-done.
- The battle sequence at the end in the city streets and on the bridge were very well-done and plausible. I was not expecting a full-blown military-type battle with tanks & heavy machine guns against the Apes, so this small-scale battle made perfect sense in the context of what would probably happen if a large group of Apes escaped from a zoo/compound; The authorities would first try to contain this with the local police force/SWAT teams before calling in the military. The sequence when the Apes used the bus as a shield was excellent - their new intelligence really showed through here.
- I enjoyed the scene when Caesar came riding through the smoke on the horse (on the bridge) - very effective & unexpected. I'm guessing this was an homage to the original film(s) as well.
- I liked how Caesar was a nuanced character - he was not depicted as being completely vicious & violent, since he showed remorse when he bit the finger of the neighbor, and he also kept the gorilla from taking out the SWAT team member. Yet, he was not always compassionate either, since he let the head of the research facility die when the helicopter fell off the bridge. I kind of saw him as someone who ended up being forced to do what he did, i.e. fight back when cornered & eventually lead his people to freedom, even though they had to fight to get there.
- The scene when the gorilla jumped at the helicopter was great (even though you knew this was coming from the trailer); It was very moving how the Gorilla sacrified himself to save Caesar.
- The Alzheimer's "cure" that made the Apes intelligent & which is also presumably going to take out a lot of humans was a very good plot-point, and made perfect sense in the context of the film itself; it made the eventual downfall of man & the eventual take-over of by Apes much more plausible. I.e., if the transmission is already starting to take effect at the time of the Apes' escape, it will already have started spreading at this point, & humanity will soon be dealing with this horror rather than worrying about the group of Apes living in the forest. And, when the humans are dead/dying, the Apes will eventually take over.
- Going along with the above, I also saw this as a classic case of "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"- the scientist (Franco) had completely altruistic reasons for making this substance, i.e. to treat Alzheimer's patients and give them back their quality of life. However, the head of the research facility where the scientists worked was primarily interested in the bottom line (i.e., $), and this ultimately led to humanity's downfall.
- Though I really enjoyed this movie, the real trick here will be how the sequel is handled. Will it take place far into the future, or soon after the events in this film? In any case, I hope we see a sequel no later than two years from now - I don't think I'll be able to wait longer than that!
Also, many probably already know this, but note that after the credits roll in the film, stay and watch because there is a very key scene involving the pilot neighbor.
All in all, I really loved the film & am glad it has done so well both critically & financially - I hope more people go to see this & that it breaks box office records all over the world. And, I liked the movie so much that there's not ONE thing I think should've been done differently, or been changed - Note that I have absolutely no affiliation/connection with the film production; I'm just a huge fan of the franchise and felt this movie really delivered. I will definitely be seeing this again in the theatre, and will also be buying the DVD (hopefully that will be released later this year!).