"Planet of the Apes" Gets A New Origin

I had quite a time picking a "fractal cookie" for my review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes and had just about decided to pick a random image when I came across an old image called Monster Spiral.  Yes, the connection is tangential at best but I couldn't really find anything better.  Check out the review of the movie.
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I'm sad to admit that I'm old enough to have seen the FIRST Planet of the Apes movie (way back in the 1960s).  I didn't see it in the theater (the folks wouldn't let me go) but I caught it on television.  Several sequels followed (getting progressively worse) and a few a few years ago there was a pretty awful remake of the original (starring "Marky" Mark Wahlberg).  Robyn tells me that somewhere in there was a story that told how the Apes rebelled and eventually took over the world--but I don't remember that.  Now we finally get a story that (almost) makes sense.
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Dr Will Rodman (played by James Franco) is researching a cure of Alzheimer's because of his father's dementia.  He has developed a drug that shows amazing promise in his ape subjects and is ready to present his results when something goes horribly (and fatally) wrong.  It turns out the female test subject was trying to protect her newborn baby.  Still, the project is ordered shut down by the big boss (David Ovelowo).  Thanks to one of those "only in the movies" moment the baby chimp is taken in by Will who is surprised to learn that the enhancements he gave to the mother has been passed on the baby Caesar.  Still, as we know from the real world (the lady who's pet chimp ripped her face off for example) we know that things are bound to end badly.  And end badly they do when Caesar (played by Andy Serkis in a Motion-Capture Suit) gets sentenced to a "Sanctuary" (read prison) for apes.  Then the real fun begins.  If you want the rest of the story go see the movie--but know it doesn't end well for humanity...
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There are a few holes in the plot you can drop a planet through but the story is well-enough acted and fast-paced enough that you don't really notice them until well after you've left the theater.  Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar nomination (but won't get one) for his portrayal of Caesar.  He says only a few words but his physicality and facial expression convey more emotion than anyone else in the movie.  The rest of the actors do the best with what the script gives them but most of them are one-note characters put in to advance the story.  Still, I should probably let "Harry Potter" fans know that Tom Felton--who played Draco Malfoy has a role in the movie (he's just as rotten as the "Potter" character he played--just not as classy.)
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While I was watching the movie I really enjoyed it but I found I enjoyed it less after I left the theater: too many small details leaped out and bothered me.  Still, you don't go to a movie like this for deep characters and high philosophy.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes shows surprising heart (due mainly to Andy Serkis' performance).  That being said, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has a certain emotional honesty and a verisimilitude that makes you think this is an all-too-possible future.  This movie may not be for the ages but it certainly is one of the better this summer.
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FINAL GRADE: B+