When I first heard that James Franco would be starring in a new, big-budget prequel to The Planet of the Apes, my heart sank a little. Mainly because I wish the best for Franco and got a little queasy thinking about how he’d deliver the line: “Get your paws off me, you damned dirty ape!” But also because Tim Burton’s god-awful 2001 reboot, Planet of the Apes, was still a fresh wound that hadn’t completely healed yet. Well, I sure feel a lot better now that I’ve seen the first trailer for 20th Century Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes (which hits theaters on August 5). It looks pretty friggin’ dope.
The clips opens with Franco in a white lab coat saying a bunch of scientific things about how a cure tested on apes has come with an unexpected side effect: boosting brain function. Cut to shots of a concerned Freida Pinto delivering lines that make it clear that she’s the conscience of the movie. Then there’s a bunch of eerie shots of a sterile medical bunker that hints that the real enemy is us. Okay … but what about the apes?
They look awesome. Hats off to Weta Digital for pulling off what seems to be the next evolutionary cinematic leap from the Rick Baker monkey suits of the past. As the apes escape from the lab and run amok, we see quick cuts of an ape lumbering down a quiet suburban street at night with a lit-up Ferris wheel in the background. (The simian nightmare has come to picket-fence Elm Street, folks!) Then we see the haunting image of a giant ape staring over a couple in their bedroom as they sleep. (No one’s safe!) Then all hell breaks loose and the apes are leap-frogging over cars on the Golden Gate Bridge. (It’s on!)
Take a look at the clip and tell us what you think. Has ‘Rise’ suddenly emerged as the popcorn flick to beat this summer?
Read more:
‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’: WETA Digital offers a peek behind the scenes
‘Dramatic ape! First footage of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’
Andy Serkis will monkey around in ‘Rise of the Apes’
Did I spot Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)? I agree, though, this actually looks much better than the trainwreck I assumed it’d be.
i saw that too! i rewind-ed it to make sure it was him lol. now i have to see the movie because he and james franco are in it!
Yes, he’s said in interviews that he’s in this movie.
Yep, he’s certainly in it.
Yeah he’s in it, but I didn’t see him. This film doesn’t look that bad. I might check it out.
Not usually into the Ape movies but this looks pretty awesome. May have to actually give in and see this one!
great preview!
like mini king kongs
That’s because Andy Serkis (who played Kong in Peter Jackson’s remake of “King Kong”) is playing Caesar who leads the apes in this film.
Looks good, and surprisingly intelligent.
What’s surprising is that a vapid pleeb like you has internet access.
Simpleton.
That’s a weird post, first you compliment me with the vapid pleeb thing, and then insult me by calling me a simpleton.
@Your Queen: WTF? Your reply comment is random as hell.
Pretty cool.
OH YEAH!!
rod serling would say “that’s the signpost up ahead…..”
Not to nitpick, but while Rick Baker did the make-up for the Tim Burton apes, it was John Chambers who did the pioneering make-up work on the original Apes movies. He even won an Honorary Oscar for his work on the first Apes film before the category was created.
1st of all Tim Burton’s version was not awful, it was amazing. Burton’s art direction and treatment was old school fantastic and he didn’t do it using AVATAR cartoons. Please give credit to craftsmanship. As for this film, I will enjoy it and may actually go to the cinema; just for the kitsch factor alone. BUT, as with Avatar, crappiest film ever made; I hope this one doesn’t lack a story and rely only on effects.
Sorry to disagree, but Burton’s take was an awful movie. The effects and art direction were good, but the story was terrible.
Clarification to both – Burton’s version was excellent if you ignore the last scene. If you include the last scene, it’s an atrocity. I’m in the “atrocity” camp. But I’m shocked at how good this one looks.
Tim Burton’s Apes was fuhking garbage. Plain and simple.
Burton’s movie was boring and horrible.
Burton’s movie may have been one of the worst movies I have ever seen. For a movie about apes acting like humans, it was incredibly dull and lacking in originality. This version looks wonderful.
Your silly, flippant comment about “Avatar” being “the crappiest film ever made” cannot be taken seriously and, therefore, the whole of your rant can’t be taken seriously either but I don’t expect a clown like you to be able to follow that.
Dude, give up. Even Burton says his version is awful.
Apes are already highly intelligent, highly powerful, and (in the case of chimps especially) highly morally complicated (if you believe we can talk about animals’ “morals”)…while I LOVE them, I think this movie looks like it will play beautifully on the utterly terrifying aspects of nonhuman apes. *shiver*
The smartest simian in the wild has, at most, the intelligence of a human 3-year-old.
The intelligence of a human 3 year old? So did the guy fronting for our evil previous President
Yeah this does look surprisingly good all of a sudden. Very dark and creepy, and the ape effects look fantastic.
Another ffuukkstick sucked in by the music and the quick cuts in a preview.
Ironically, he’s the only babboon here.
YES! I honestly had faith that Franco wouldn’t do this movie if he didn’t think it was good. I know people have gotten all over him for the Oscars, but for acting he doesn’t generally choose projects lightly.
This is coming from the same guy who just did “Your Highness.” Puhleeze! I am however, feeling like this “Apes” movie will rock!
I had doubts about this one, but now I actually wanna see it.
It looks way better than I expected. I’m looking forward to checking it out now.
It looked good until the ape jumped at the helicopter. They still haven’t mastered the movement very well. That part looked clumsy.