Even before the cameras started rolling, I had strong doubts regarding the film that would become Rise of the Planet of the Apes since the news that studio Twentieth Century Fox was shipping the film around to work for hire directors and being turned down because of the impossibly short time span afforded it. Fearing another X-Men 3 debacle and coupled with the disgraceful 2000 reboot by Tim Burton, I basically wrote the film off and even the trailers did little to pique my interest. Well, I'm happy to admit when I'm wrong. And in this case, I was very wrong. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a slick, smart, character driven film that impresses on many levels."

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a genetic scientist working on a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease, whom his father Charles (John Lithgow) is suffering and quietly degenerating from. While the experimental drugs are showing pleasing progress in the test monkeys, the procedure starts to show unintended side effects - advanced ape intelligence. When an accident occurs during trials, the experiments are closed down and the simians are euthanised. But one of them has secretly given birth and the infant chimp is smuggled from the lab by Rodman, whom he raises in his home. As expected, the monkey, Caesar, grows exponentially intelligent, but when he is taken from Rodman's care and placed in an abusive monkey shelter, the seeds of revolution are sown.



Link: Tweaktown