Rise of the Planet of the Apes

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”: the movie that proved everyone wrong. This prequel/reboot is destined to be a classic of its own. Solid performances all around; an inventive; emotionally charged script; strong character arcs; a thought-provoking, intelligently written and nuanced story with plenty of adrenaline AND spectacular special effects? It doesn’t get much better than this.

While developing a cure for Alzheimer's, Dr. William Rodman (James Franco) discovers that the treatment he’s developed has an unusual effect apes. Bright-eyed chimpanzee Caesar (played spectacularly via motion-capture by Andy Serkis) seems destined for greatness.

Praise must be showered upon writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver. This is a finely constructed story. You sympathize for William, for his father (played by John Lithgow, always good), and also for Caesar. You feel unbridled joy during the ape's first trip to the great redwood forests of California. When he realizes that he’s one of a kind and that no one will ever really understand him, you feel fear, sorrow, and anger. By the time the third act comes around and the titular “Planet of the Apes” begins to creep over the horizon (metaphorically, of course, everyone ones that… well, nevermind) you won’t know where your allegiance lies.

This Rupert Wyatt film crackles with emotion and packs plenty of thrills. It’s filled with fully realized, textured characters (and a few that, while not deep, are a joy to hate, like Tom Holland's Dodge) It takes thematical cues from the original and gives them a new twist. Compare the scene where Charlton Heston is trapped in an enclosure, surrounded by gibbering half-witted humans and the corresponding one here, or the use of water hoses, the name “Bright Eyes”, horses, as well as some less subtle nods like classic lines turned on their head. It’s sophisticated stuff.

The special effects may be slightly off-putting at first, but after a few minutes, you forget that you're not actually seeing trained apes on screen. While John Lithgow and James Franco both bring their A-game to the human elements of the story, it’s Andy Serkis that truly deserves a medal. He and the animators that used his motion-capture performance bring us a character that says so much without words. You understand his thoughts by looking at the way he handles an object or by his looks. When motion-capture performances are so common that Oscars create a category for them, they’ll retroactively recognize the work done in “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”. I guarantee it.

You’ve got all the visuals of a good movie. Then, you get the story, which is sharply written and stands on its own while also complementing the original “Planet of the Apes”. “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” will be referenced and celebrated years from now, it’s that good. (On Blu-ray, May 17, 2017)