Wow.
Just wow.
The plot:
Oscar nominee James Franco plays Will Rodman, a scientist working with chimpanzees, hoping to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. He's got a vested interest in the project as his pianist father Charles, played by the always excellent John Lithgoe - last seen as the fantastically demented serial killer Trinity in Dexter - suffers from the condition himself.
When a failed demonstration of the efficacy of the research results in funding being pulled the head of the project orders the chimps be put down.
Secretly, Rodman takes a baby chimp home, names him Caesar, and marvels as the youngster displays remarkable intelligence developing, IQ-wise, far more swiftly than even a human child would.
But all cannot remain the same forever and, ultimately, Caesar will be made to choose between his life with humans, or a life with his own kind.
That's all I'm prepares to say about the plot, even though the trailer already revealed way too much.
With stunning visual effects used to bring to life the simian characters, this movie has set a new standard for CGI characters. With genuine emotion, the character of Caesar is one that draws the viewer in completely and, within just a few moments, you completely forget that it's just Andy Serkis in a Mo-Cap suit.
The plot barrels along, with not a single scene or line of dialogue wasted.
Emotionally, this pulls you all over the place. I was a wreck by the end, and just had to remain seated whilst the rest of the audience filed out, simply to catch my breath.
With a rousing finale that is so climactic you'll require a heart of stone not to well up, this is a magnificent reboot of the much loved Monkey Planet franchise and is, head and shoulders, my movie of the year so far.
Absolutely brilliant.
5 out of 5
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