Rise of the Planet of the Apes

TEN LONG YEARS have passed since Tim Burton's dark, brooding twist on Ape-dom. Here now is a prequel, from filmmaker Rupert Wyatt (best known for the Brian Cox yarn THE ESCAPIST), which boasts an even more impressive amount of CGI. We're also treated to a fine series of scientific melodrama.

Notable for not being shot in 3D – and just as visually arresting without it – RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES proves to be something of a mixed bag. James Franco, as Will Rodman, is typically reliable as the super tech determined to rid the world of Alzheimer's. We soon discover the reason for his laboratory testing on chimps: Rodman's father (played by John Lithgow) is deteriorating at home, rapidly.

Soon enough, Rodman is growing emotionally attached to the apes. When one goes, erm, ape – like the Incredible Hulk, their eyes turn green, with the serum that's being tested on them – smooth-talking boss Steven Jacobs (David Oyelowo) orders the lot to be terminated. Naturally, Rodman finds one to rescue: a baby chimp, which soon grows up to be a pet-of- sorts, named Caesar (Andy Serkis).

Rodman's serum appears to not only reverse the brain-wasting disease when he tests it on his father, it even improves brain function. But Caesar grows restless being cooped up inside and ultimately winds up in an enclosure, having wreaked havoc down Rodman's street. Once inside, the dynamics shift between the caged apes, and Caesar cottons on to boosting his fellow chimps' intelligence: steal the serum. Once it's unleashed, all hell – literally – breaks loose.

Director Wyatt does a fine job with the chimps, their laboratory testing, the drama within the lab, and the chimps' rebellion inside their enclosure. Less convincing are the sub plots and supporting cast. Roman's romance with a similarly chimp-obsessed medic named Caroline Aranha (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE's Freida Pinto, pictured above, with Franco and Serkis) feels like an after-thought, in spite of Pinto's screen presence. Similarly, a father-and-son tussle between enclosure owner John Landon (Brian Cox) and his son Dodge (an over-the-top Tom Felton, freshly released from HARRY POTTER) is hinted at, but not developed. Dodge merely acts as the villain who, inevitably, will get his comeuppance.

As with Burton's 2001 remake, this highly anticipated prequel feels somewhat overburdened by the legacy of the 1968 original: a film that spawned a series of highly successful TV- focused follow-ups that continued throughout the 1970s. It is no coincidence that Charlton Heston's turn in PLANET OF THE APES is spotted on a TV set – nor that Dodge gets to holler the immortal line, "Get your filthy paws off me, you damn, dirty ape!"And, as with Burton's feature, this latest effort does, if nothing else, introduce a whole new generation to the franchise in an intelligent fashion. Visually, it is very impressive indeed – and Wyatt couldn't have asked for a more appropriate lead in Franco. One wonders what could happen, were the original not to loom so large in cinematic history.