After a summer of tired ideas, needless reboots and superhero fatigue, Rupert Wyatt’s Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes not only revitalises blockbuster season, but manages to do for the 1968 franchise what Batman Begins did for the Caped Crusader, creating an edgy, tense and entertaining origins film that will attract new audiences while also keeping fans of the original Apes films happy.
Set in the not-too-distant future, genetic scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) is inspired by his Alzheimer’s-inflicted father (John Lithgow) to create a formula for regenerating brain cells. Though the drug’s test process is shut down following a savage rampage by a test subject chimpanzee, Rodman saves the chimp’s offspring Ceaser, who grows up to demonstrate an intelligence superior to human children his age. But when Ceaser’s natural instincts become dangerous, he’s forced into captivity with dozens of other wild primates and pitted against the human he once trusted.
Aside from a slightly dodgy opening, the CGI is wonderful, from the chimps’ subtle expressions to thrilling large-scale action scenes atop the Golden Gate Bridge. Unsurprisingly, Andy Serkis is incredible as Ceaser, bringing the same brilliantly-studied physicality that made his performance as Gollum unforgettable, along with an emotional resonance that transcends language and species.

However Wyatt isn’t quite skilled enough to transcend cliché, of which there are many. Tom Felton’s sociopathic animal handler, Freida Pinto’s breathy utterings of diluted ethical quandaries and the awkward insertion of dated quotes from the original Apes franchise all combine to make a cookie-cutter origins film, and the nature vs. nurture theme isn’t explored half as clearly as in the original. But what Wyatt lacks in subtlety he makes up for in skill, and his slick, pacey directing possesses an edge that keeps the tension high and the audience wanting more.
What with this and Project Nim, monkey business has never been so damn impressive.