Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2024)

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Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (1)

Will Rodman, researching a cure for Alzheimer’s, takes home a baby chimpanzee after its mother — supposedly a failed experiment — is destroyed. Caesar, the chimp, exhibits near-human intelligence, and comes to question his kind’s place on a human planet.

by Kim Newman |

Published on

Release Date:

11 Aug 2011

Running Time:

105 minutes

Certificate:

Original Title:

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

The game-changing success of Star Wars tends to wipe away the memory of earlier science-fiction franchises, but before George Lucas signed with 20th Century Fox, the studio’s premier property was Planet Of The Apes. Based on La Planète Des Singes, a French novel by Pierre Boulle, the 1968 movie — a mix of Flash Gordon fantasy-action and comic-book Swiftian satire — spun off sequels (little-known trivia fact: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes was a pre-production title for the last of the original series, Battle For The Planet Of The Apes), TV series, comics, lunch-boxes, masks, action figures etc.

Ten years ago, Tim Burton’s re-imagining updated the make-up and scrambled the twist ending but achieved little else; now, Rupert Wyatt – vaulting from the likable British crime movie The Escapist, whose star, Brian Cox, gets a meaty human role here — adds to the apes saga with essentially an alternative version of Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (the one where oppressed talking chimp Caesar leads his dumb brethren in revolt against “lousy human bastards”) that dovetails in neat, witty ways with the original films.

An early sequence in which the ape hero’s mother is hunted by humans with nets is an exact recreation of the capture of Charlton Heston from the first film, and key lines are repeated in new contexts (yes, that one — but also a one-word response given iconic presence in the sequels).

There’s even a missing space mission and a Statue Of Liberty, plus a nod to another simian-related apocalypse (12 Monkeys) along the way — though chimp-spotters might also notice thematic parallels with the Matthew Broderick vehicle Project X and — ahem — The Powerpuff Girls Movie. It’s likely to please the fans, but how does it rate on its own terms? In truth, it’s a little too ambitious in its drama. A powerful sub-plot featuring human hero James Franco’s relationship with his mentally fading father (John Lithgow) spells out a back story Deep Blue Sea got through in a few lines, and takes too much time away from the evolution of Caesar (truly remarkable CG modelled on Andy Serkis’ movements) from adored foundling to imprisoned martyr to revolutionary tactician.

Recalling The Simpsons’ Troy McClure (star of the musical Stop The Planet Of The Apes I Want To Get Off), the role of ‘the human’ in an Apes movie is awkward for anyone of lesser stature than Charlton Heston (ie: everyone). The well-intentioned Franco, the lovely Freida Pinto, a weaselly post-Malfoy Tom Felton (as the prime ape-abuser), corporate suit David Oyelowo and reliables Cox and Lithgow all work hard to compete, but Caesar and his gang — including a signing circus orangutan (named Maurice after Maurice Evans, the original Dr. Zaius), who cannily pretends not to be clever to get by in the ape internment centre — own this movie. At heart, it’s a making-of-a-rebel movie, like Malcolm X or The Motorcycle Diaries, only with its chimpanzee protagonist slipping from pampered privilege as a pet to suffering in prison, while dreaming of freedom from humans, and fighting, plotting and strategising his way to the top of the ape heap.

Only when Caesar gathers his posse of smart monkeys does the film get past sci-fi-inflected soap and politics to pull out the action stops. It takes a while to get there, but the Rise delivers the best set-piece finale of the summer: armed human cops take a stand against a newly intelligent ape army on the Golden Gate Bridge, doomed by two-dimensional human thinking in a battle with primates who can climb as well as charge.

A worthy, exciting, emotional addition to the venerable monkey movie marathon. Apes will rise. Sequels are likely.

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Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2024)

FAQs

What is the order of Rise of the Planet of the Apes movies? ›

Planet of the Apes Movies in Chronological Order
  • “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
  • “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
  • “War for the Planet of the Apes”
  • “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
  • “Planet of the Apes” (1968)
  • “Beneath the Planet of the Apes”
  • “Escape from the Planet of the Apes”
  • “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”
May 7, 2024

Where can I watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes trilogy? ›

Chimpanzees revolt against mankind after an experimental drug gives them human-like intelligence in this action-packed entry in the series. Get Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN+, all with ads, for $14.99/mo.

Is Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Disney+? ›

Watch Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes | Disney+

Which movie to watch after Rise of the Planet of the Apes? ›

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes picks up 10 years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and sees Andy Serkis' Caesar leading a burgeoning civilization of apes in the Redwood forests outside of San Francisco.

Who is Caesar's son in Planet of the Apes? ›

In Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, set ten years after the ALZ-113 virus decimated most of the human population, Caesar is now middle-aged and mated to Cornelia. They have two sons, Blue Eyes and a newborn, Cornelius.

Is Rise of the Planet of the Apes a prequel or reboot? ›

It is a reboot of the Planet of the Apes film series and its seventh installment overall. The film stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, and Andy Serkis.

How many rise Planet of the Apes movies are there? ›

A reboot film series commenced in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was followed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in 2014 and War for the Planet of the Apes in 2017. In 2019, further sequels to the 2011 reboot series entered production, with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes released in 2024.

How to watch Planet of the Apes in order? ›

How to Watch Every 'Planet of the Apes' in Release Order
  1. Planet of the Apes (1968)
  2. Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
  3. Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
  4. Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
  5. Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
  6. Planet of the Apes (2001)
  7. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
May 7, 2024

Are the Planet of the Apes movies on any streaming service? ›

The film series has been going strong for the last 56 years, with nine installments starting in 1968. All Planet of the Apes movies are all streamable on Hulu for subscribers only.

Is Planet of the Apes on Hulu or Netflix? ›

Planet of the Apes fans can get all their ape on Hulu now with the entire franchise including 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), Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes ...

Where can I watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Reddit? ›

For the films besides Kingdom. I believe they are on Disney+ and the trilogy (Rise, Dawn, War) is on Hulu.

Is the rise of the planet of the apes on prime video? ›

A substance designed to help the brain repair itself gives advanced intelligence to a chimpanzee who leads an ape uprising. Rentals include 30 days to start watching this video and 48 hours to finish once started.

When can I watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes? ›

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, an adventure movie starring James Franco, Freida Pinto, and John Lithgow is available to stream now. Watch it on Hulu, Disney Plus, DIRECTV, ROW8, Fandango at Home, Prime Video or Apple TV on your Roku device.

When can I stream Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes? ›

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes " premiers on Hulu on Friday, August 2. Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party.

Which Planet of the Apes movie is better? ›

Dawn has the best balance of human and ape characters, and director Matt Reeves thrives in the film's ambiguity: Both the apes and humans are desperate, and the lines between good and evil are at their most compellingly blurred.

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