Rise of the planet of the apes (2011)

[Dave (imported)]

I was 30 minutes into this and having fun.

Now I am halfway and I have to say listen for the line "get your hands off me you dirty stinking ape" and be prepared.

It's been a while since a movie exceeded expectations like this.

[Cainanite (imported)]

I've grown up watching the Planet of the apes movies. I enjoyed them thoroughly. I ran to that Tim Burton version excitedly. For the most part I was happy with that movie. In fact, if you stop the movie as soon as Mark Whalberg takes off in his little shuttle pod (and don't watch the last three minutes) it is a very good, and creative movie. (The last three minutes destroy all that comes before it.)

Yet, despite being a hard-core fan of the Apes, I was leery of this film. The previews didn't do it for me. It looked like an even worse knock off than Tim Burton's offering. Instead I bought the 5 pack Blu-ray set of the originals, and watched those.

Finally a friend talked me into seeing the movie as a rental. I went into it with the 5 original movies fresh in my mind, and BOY did that make it awesome.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes had so many homages to the original movies it was simply brilliant. The opening scenes where the humans are rounding up the apes, was almost a shot for shot remake of the scene in the original where the apes are rounding up the humans.

Calling Caesar's mother "Bright Eyes", was what Doctor Zira called Charlton Heston (Taylor). The scene where Bright Eyes breaks out and runs wild among the scientists is reminiscent of Taylor running wild through Ape City.

There are so many little tributes packed through that film it was astonishing. I don't want to give them all away.

YET.

Despite paying tribute to the originals (Yes, they pay homage to all 5 movies.) This one managed to tell a compelling story on its own, and be it's own movie. Even if you never watch the originals, this is still a good film.

I am now in love with this movie. It is a worthy successor to the franchise. I'm hoping to get this on Blu-ray in my Christmas stocking.

[twaddler (imported)]

I was definitely surprised at how good this flick turned out to be. I can't wait for the sequel.

[Dave (imported)]

Did anyone else recognize Draco Malfoy without straight white hair?

Tom Felton, the actor who played Draco, was in this movie as the bad guy who gets zapped with the hose.

There's lots of great foreboding and menacing atmosphere in the movie.

[Wolf-Pup (imported)]

I just watched this from HBO. I actually found the lines and references to the original movie highly distracting and somewhat annoying. The first ape being "Bright Eyes" the dirty apes thing...a few others...just took me right out of the movie. I will say it was better than I expected overall.

Any word of a sequel?

[Dave (imported)]

I caught it a few days ago and watched it when it was on as PPV.

It's a fun movie to watch, suitably spooky and threatening in the right places.

Lots of people who saw this movie never saw the original, or the several sequels, or the TV show, or maybe even the remake with Markie Mark and his time traveling underwear...

The sequel DAWN OF PLANET OF THE APES is scheduled for May 24th of 2014 and just lost a director reportedly because that date is too soon and the Director was afraid that the quality would suffer...