Rise of the Planet of the Apes - B

In theaters. Rated PG-13, 110 minutes. Trailer.

As a sci-fi hater, I was surprised that this trailer was so appealing to me. A prequel to Planet of the Apes set in modern times, the film provides a plausible explanation for the leap in simian intelligence. James Franco portrays a geneticist on the verge of the discovery of a drug that will reverse alzheimers disease by allowing the brain cells to repair themselves. The drug has a stronger effect on chimps, and after an accident Franco takes home the offspring of one of the test chimps to raise. Click below for more on ROTPOTA:

The film hums along at a great clip for the first hour, and then bogs down before the escape of the apes. There are about 20 sluggish minutes but then the escape begins. The escape itself works pretty well, although I found the violence and explosions amateurish. The performances from Franco, Freida Pinto and Brian Cox are fine, although Pinto is totally wasted in a throwaway role. John Lithgow keeps his overacting mostly under control, although I had a few Harry and the Henderson flashbacks with all the hairy interactions.

This one is just a good fun summer film. The script is decent and is, as I said, plausible. Much better than the original Planet of the Apes or the recent update with Marky Mark.