The first, the original 1968 version of the Planet of The Apes, the second 1971s The Omega Man and finally from 1973 Soylent Green. All 3 absolutely astound examples of great science fiction but only Planet of The Apes has spawned a legacy of thought provoking and complex tales:

Rise of The Planet of The Apes is so deftly handled I was astounded to see that Director Rupert Wyatt‘s only previous big screen effort was The Escapist a much smaller non CG film with oodles of talent but a world away from the Blockbuster that is Rise of The Planet of The Apes. Rise of The Planet of The Apes is highly entertaining and whilst it is counter productive to linger in the past or source material it contextually ties into the Apes series smartly whilst being original – something reboots/ redux / reimagineerings /sequels struggle to do successfully.

There are some flaky bits "Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape" but overall Rise of The Planet of The Apes is very well balanced between emotion and physical action and despite the fact that over a 100 of the characters are digitally created in phenomenal photorealistic detail the graphics are never the focus of the film rather a vehicle to enhance the story.

Rise of The Planet of The Apes is an origin story wherein we explore the roots of the rise of the apes. Will Rodman (James Franco) is some sort of brain/genetic hot shot at a super pharmaceutical corporation predictably apes are needed in to test a new drug called “the cure” that will, well I’m unsure of exactly what it is supposed to do but it’s the kind of drug that will help humanity / stop mental degeneration / build resistance to virus / all of the aforementioned. If you are drawing comparisons to the awful Deep Blue Sea at this point I don’t blame you as Deep Blue Sea had super scientists using CG sharks for their experiments, the sharks got smart and complications follow. Rise of The Planet of The Apes is nothing like Deep Blue Sea, Rise is far smarter and the characters are well rounded allowing performers to live their roles.

Franco’s character has an emotional stake in developing the miracle cure, as we do by proxy, as his father’s (John Lithgow) mental faculties are deteriorating. This is wonderfully counter balanced by the increase in intelligence of Caesar, a remarkable simian that Franco secrets home after his drug trials go haywire. This all comes to a memorable tipping point when Franco’s character, his father and Caesar are sitting at breakfast and Lithgow’s character’s relapse becomes apparent to all. Caesar and Franco’s character look at each other with understanding glances - this scene was genuinely touching and be the bit that will always epitomises the film for me.

From this emotional hub we witness the Rise of The Planet of The Apes and the pace of the story increases, the tension mounts and eventually action breaks out.

I’m unsure if I enjoyed Rise so much because it fits into the larger Apes universe so smartly and treats the original series with respect making no attempt to sweep it under the carpet. Or if it is the clever way the story is structured to give the characters focus and the story and action rolls out from there.

The fact that I have not made any special mention the CG apes or motion performance capture of the bulk of the characters which are simian is a testament to how excellent and seamless it is. Most noticeably Andy Serkis as Caesar.

Rise of The Planet of The Apes is easily the best film I have seen so far this Summer. It stays true to Pierre Boulle’s original exploration of intolerance and the differences in society, but feels fresh and original. It replaces the dark grittiness of the original with clean polished visual style and atmosphere as it grounds the story well in a personal and emotional journey for the first half before all hell breaking loose.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is in UK cinemas from today Thursday 11 August, 2011