Rise of the Reboots

Copyright: Marco Fiori 2010

Last weekend I went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes of the Talking Monkeys of the Earth of the… OK. You get the idea. I’m a massive fan of the original (1968), and by now everyone knows its iconic ending. We’ll gloss over the fact it received a ton of sub-standard sequels (although the direct sequel wasn’t too bad) and we’ll definitely burn the remake a few years ago from our minds.

Anyway, the prequel with James Franco (who I lovingly throw praise over here and here), actually caught me by surprise. The older I get, I seem to be moving more and more way from computer generation in films. It’s just unfulfilling and while mindless entertainment is all good when you’re tired, it certainly doesn’t replace the need for a good story. 3D’s an even worse devil.

However, despite being a slow burner (a good hour erupts before anything really happens), it’s a film that’s fairly strong in acting talent (although the female love-interest’s pretty pants) and convincing CG. In fact, it has the most astonishing computer generation seen since Avatar or prior to that, Jurassic Park. It’s obviously farfetched (that’s Science Fiction for you), but if you can let your imagination run a little, it’s actually an enjoyable film with plenty of respectful fan service.

There’s a great “oh, holy ****” moment in it which isn’t worth spoiling. If you’re looking for a decent reboot, go see it. It’s certainly got less penis in it than The Inbetweeners Movie.

Did I mention our client made the Sunday Times…

Tagged: Film, James Franco, marco fiori, Movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes Review