Rise of the Planet of the Apes: Film Review

The Planet of the Apes is a franchise that has been going strong since I was a kid. Actually, the original was one of my favourite films.

With scientists admitting that they were doing tests on monkeys, and fresh Daily Mail worries about animal/human hybrid experiments, it makes it all the more real and scary.

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes has the amazingly talented Andy Serkis as Caesar, and what a performance.

In support, James Franco plays Will Rodman, whose father, played by John Lithgow, has Alzheimers. Rodman tries desperately to cure his father and the key lies in Caesar who receives an amazing amount of intelligence and self awareness due to the the drug ALZ 112 previously injected into his mother. But the drug doesn’t get funded after Caesar’s mother seemingly turns violent and is killed.

But it’s Serkis’ Caesar who steals the film. We see him unsure of his place in the world, missing his family, feeling different, like an outsider and wondering why his kind are treated differently. Andy Serkis should be allowed the Oscar.

This film has been a runway success so far, taking $54.8m in its opening weekend. Deservedly too. It is a good film, lots of action, well acted and you care for the characters. ‘Rise’ is timely and good entertainment. In short, I recommend it for a perfect fun night out while definitely giving you something to think about over your post-film pizza.

BLAKE'S NOT LIVELY – SHE'S AN OLD FOGEY; FIRST LOOK AT 'APES' PICS; PLUS DANIEL RADCLIFFE DOES HATE

First Look! – Pictures from Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Total Film takes a look at the first pictures from Rise of the Planet of the Apes which opens later this summer. Andy Serkis plays chief chimp Caesar, created through motion-capture and CGI.

Director Rupert Wyatt explains, “We had a choice of using either live apes or CGI. Personally, I had moral problems with the idea of using chimps. And from a practical point of view it would be virtually impossible to get them to do what we need them to do within our schedule.”

Blake’s not Lively – she’s an old fogey?

When Total Film sat down for a chat with Blake about her latest film The Green Lantern, the Gossip Girl admitted “I very much think of myself as an old fogey.”

Responding to jibes from Green Lantern director Martin Campbell that she was “going on 60”, Blake confessed, “I don’t party, I don’t go out and I’m sure one day I’ll really regret not tapping in and really living it up and exploring all the frivolities of youth.”

Speaking about her transformation from blonde to brunette for her portrayal of the comic book’s character Carol Ferris, she added, “I do want to make the fans happy. In the end we did a test and I tried 14 different shades of brown because we wanted to have the exact right colour. It was elaborate.”

Daniel Radcliffe speaks exclusively to Total Film: “I just hated my performance”

Speaking exclusively to Total Film in the issue out now about the final installment, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Radcliffe revealed that he hated his performance in the 2009 film, The Half-Blood Prince.

“The Half-Blood Prince wasn’t my favourite installment overall. I just hated my performance. The film was good, but it’s a huge amount of exposition.”

“READ THE FULL STORY IN TOTAL FILM – OUT NOW”