Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Monkey business isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it comes to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, a silly but often exhilarating entry in the ongoing big-screen saga about the battle between humans and primates.

This big-budget version, directed by Rupert Wyatt (The Escapist), makes a few nods to the original Planet of the Apes movies, but really has no connection to either the older series of films from the 1970s or to the more introspective Tim Burton remake from 2001.

That’s not to say this effort is completely original, either. Only some of the laughs are intentional, and it leads to a predictable final showdown, but getting there is quite a bit of fun.

The film takes place in San Francisco, where a medical researcher (James Franco) is testing a possible cure for Alzheimer’s on intelligent chimps. When side effects destroy the experiment, only a newborn named Caesar remains. So the doctor and his girlfriend (Frieda Pinto) decide to become his caretakers.

Years later, Caesar has outgrown his new home and yearns for freedom. An attack on a neighbor forces him into the custody of a primate facility where behind-the-scenes abuse is common. So Caesar, his brain still enhanced yet unstable because of the drugs given to his mother, recruits his fellow primates for a plan of escape and revenge that includes an assault on the city and all of its popular landmarks.

Typically, it’s harder to praise a film in which the special effects command the spotlight, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes is fantastic in that regard. Most of the apes in the film are portrayed using actors (most notably Andy Serkis as Caesar) in motion-capture suits, mixed with computer-generated creatures when necessary.

The look is seamless, with convincing attack sequences (including multiple instances in which the primates swing from trees and other objects) and fluid movements that make the apes seem visually lifelike, even if they are exaggerated for dramatic effect. The cinematography by Andrew Lesnie (The Lord of the Rings) is terrific.

As expected, there’s a half-hearted message about animal abuse and laboratory testing, and the film hardly has anything new to say. It gets viewers caught in the middle, able to see both sides in its high-stakes struggle.

Yet taken at face value — which is to say, not seriously – it has plenty of excitement if you can withstand the minor distractions that comprise the plot.

Rated PG-13, 104 minutes.