In the past couple of days we’ve seen a lot of the prequel to the Planet of the Apes franchise, mostly the effects work done by WETA Digital, in creating for the first time in the franchise, completely CGI apes. Now we get a glimpse of a trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes which doesn’t look all too special but doesn’t look bad either.
It’s an interesting concept to show how the Earth does eventually fall into an ape-ocalypse (apologies). That being said, I’m not a terribly huge fan of the original. I watched it recently and it really doesn’t hold up all that well, and to be honest although it’s an unpopular opinion I prefer Burton’s remake, at least there they got the apes right.
As for this, it looks to be a step up on both counts, the apes look good and the story is an intriguing one. The film stars James Franco, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Frieda Pinto, Tom Felton and Andy Serkis. Watch the trailer and read the synopsis below and tell us what you think.
Set in present-day San Francisco, Rise of the Planet of the Apes reveals the origins of a war that ultimately led to a global apocalypse – and to Earth becoming the Planet of the Apes. The Oscar-winning visual effects team that brought to life the worlds of Avatar and Lord of the Rings is taking on its most ambitious challenge, creating for the first time a non-human CGI character that delivers a dramatic performance with real emotion and intelligence.