Very, VERY impressed.
I have always been a huge
Apes fan and this fantastic prequel to the whole saga adds a whole new dimension to the vast storyline. I loved how the makers used a superbly original idea and expanded on it to give us a perfect beginning to this premise. They could easily have called it
Planet of the Apes: The Beginning or
Planet of the Apes: Caesar's Story, but the title itself is very catchy as well. Die-hard fans will appreciate the wonderful use of CGI blended with Andy Serkis's superb portrayal of Caesar, plus they get to hear that infamous dialogue from the original as well. And the whole revolution of the apes culminating in that wonderful sequence at THE Bridge of all Bridges in the world. Hats off to the effects/production guys - you did yourselves proud.
My only gripe - the two leads. They could have done much better than get James Franco and Frieda Pinto to portray them. Someone like Michael Fassbender could have been more apt. John Lithgow and Brian Cox easily steal the show in the acting department. If only the leads did a bit more, this could have been the best film of 2011. Period.
As it stands, it gets a very high recommendation from me, despite being loaded with CGI and average performances by Franco & Pinto. Watch it for the intense portrayal of Serkis, and the jaw-dropping immensely vast use of perfect CGI to convey emotions as well as magnitude of effects made for the big screen. If you HAVE to see ONE film with CGI this year, make it this one. I promise you, you will leave impressed when the end credits roll.
Zero, this one's for you, buddy.
Rated - * * * * stars