--- title: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" year: 2011 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes" fi1m_score: 80 critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 19 published: "2026-09-17T07:34:58.537585+00:00" updated: "2026-09-17T07:34:58.985197+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) Directed by Rupert Wyatt · 1h 45m · MPA PG-13 · Thriller, Action, Drama, Science Fiction **Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 75 from 19 reviews *In a sentence:* The ape gets our sympathy; the humans could use another draft > Andy Serkis gives Caesar enough feeling and intelligence to make this origins story matter. Rupert Wyatt delivers an absorbing science-fiction thriller, though the humans are thinly written and the dialogue sometimes tells us what the ape has already shown. ## Synopsis In contemporary San Francisco, research into gene therapy puts Caesar (Andy Serkis), an ape of increasing intelligence, at the centre of human hopes for scientific progress. Will Rodman (James Franco), Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto) and Charles Rodman (John Lithgow) form the human circle around him. Caesar has to learn how to live among people who hold power over animals, even as he becomes better able to understand them. Animal testing and commercial pressure complicate the promise of the research, while his growing awareness makes that promise look rather different from his side. ## Review Rupert Wyatt’s *Rise of the Planet of the Apes* takes a sensible approach to an origins story: it gives us someone to care about before asking us to worry about the species. That someone is Caesar, the intelligent ape played through performance capture by Andy Serkis. This is a gripping, affecting science-fiction thriller, with a central performance strong enough to carry some thin human writing. Its account of scientific ambition is familiar, but following the animal’s thinking makes the familiar story worth telling again. Andy Serkis makes Caesar’s growing intelligence readable without turning him into a man wearing an ape’s face. The expressions suggest a creature studying people, trying to understand behaviour that they themselves take for granted. We were more moved than we expected by that watchful face. What did it was the uncertainty in Caesar’s expressions: understanding more seems to make him less comfortable, and the film gives that hesitation time to register. Andrew Lesnie’s cinematography is most persuasive when it lets us attend to those expressions, giving the digital performance room to hold our attention. The effects are convincing enough for us to stop checking them, although an occasional awkward image briefly interrupts that concentration. Claude Paré’s production design gives the contemporary San Francisco setting a useful ordinariness; the scientific premise benefits from belonging to a recognisable human environment. The surroundings rarely demand more attention than Caesar, which seems the right order of priorities. The people are less carefully developed. James Franco’s Will Rodman and Freida Pinto’s Caroline Aranha belong to a script more comfortable getting humans through the story than making them worth studying. John Lithgow, as Charles Rodman, gives the human scenes some welcome feeling, but the imbalance remains. Screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver repeatedly supply dialogue that explains matters more bluntly than Caesar’s performance does, and the contrast makes the writing sound clumsier. That bluntness also limits the film’s treatment of animal testing and scientific responsibility. It is interested in the way human beings excuse their conduct, but it too often makes those human beings easy to dismiss. We need not sympathise with cruelty to want the people responsible for it to be more than convenient targets for our disapproval. Better dialogue would have helped, particularly when the scientific questions start sounding like instructions about whom to dislike. Editors Conrad Buff IV and Mark Goldblatt keep the 105-minute running time purposeful, allowing Caesar’s development to drive the momentum rather than treating it as preparation for action. The director handles the larger sequences clearly enough that we can follow what Caesar is trying to do. Patrick Doyle’s music is less subtle when it presses for an emotional response that the performance has already secured. Even then, the pace holds, and the film gets back to the character who matters without much delay. As an origins story, it makes the development of one character worth watching in its own right. That is a useful standard for a genre too often satisfied with explaining how familiar things acquired their names. There are passages that feel like arrangements for further instalments, but they do not overwhelm Caesar’s story. See it for him, and be prepared to forgive the people some dialogue he would have the sense to leave unsaid. *Fi1m score 80, published 17 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics welcome Rise of the Planet of the Apes as an engaging origins story, with praise concentrated on Andy Serkis’s performance as Caesar and the performance-capture work that gives the apes distinct personalities. The reviews repeatedly credit the digital effects with conveying emotion rather than simply supplying spectacle. Rupert Wyatt’s handling of action and the decision to centre Caesar’s experience also win broad approval, while several critics find substance in the treatment of scientific ambition and animal testing. Reservations cluster around the humans: thin characterisation, clumsy dialogue and subplots that distract from Caesar. Some reviews also question the consistency of the effects and the reliance on familiar storytelling. The spread runs from enthusiastic to mixed, with no wholly negative verdicts. Slant Magazine offers the sharpest dissent, finding formula and emotional flatness where most critics see an involving drama; Time Out is more guarded about how readily the action justifies the apes’ violence. ### Reviews we read (19) - **Evening Standard** (90/100, inferred): This origins story is a cracker thanks to its completely rethought modern San Francisco setting and stunning performance-capture effects that bring the apes to life in a convincing, emotionally engaging way. Rupert Wyatt proves a skilled action director with thrilling set pieces and sly references to the originals. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review-7426198.html) - **The New Yorker**, David Denby (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the expertly crafted film as the best spectacle movie of the season and one of the few to use digital technology for nuanced dramatic effect. He singles out the interspecies pathos, the motion-capture performance of Caesar, and the pop epiphany of the apes' freedom. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/09/05/noble-creatures) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as a thrilling, fast, tense, and emotionally engaging ride that fuses the classic Apes saga with bio-genetic horror, highlighted by Andy Serkis's soulful motion-capture performance as Caesar. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2011/08/movie_review_rise_of_the_plane.html) - **IndieWire** (B+): The critic views it as a smart, visually strong prequel that effectively remakes elements of Project Nim and Project X into an engaging Apes origin story with strong visual storytelling. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/2011/08/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-is-the-best-remake-of-project-x-since-project-nim/) - **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (4/5): The reboot offers a thrilling story centered on Caesar's intelligence and rebellion, elevated by breathtaking action and mind-blowing effects from the Avatar team. It is occasionally undercut by clunky dialogue and hammy human performances, though these are minor compared to the strengths. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-gqc499/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/) - **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The taut origin story blends special effects with engaging characters to deliver an emotionally satisfying tale of Caesar's development and the building ape rebellion. While effects are not always seamless and some elements feel like setup for sequels, the tension and motivated violence make it rewarding. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/5030477.article) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (75/100, inferred): The film is a smart and highly entertaining popcorn thriller that is suspenseful and involving, though it lacks the scabrous quality and bold satire of the 1968 original. The standout element is the convincingly rendered character of Caesar, brought to life through motion-capture by Andy Serkis with mannerisms that are neither fully simian nor human. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/aug/11/rise-planet-of-apes-review) - **Empire**, Kim Newman (70/100, inferred): The film is a worthy, exciting and emotional addition to the Planet of the Apes series that pleasingly dovetails with the originals while delivering a strong action finale on the Golden Gate Bridge. The human subplot is overly ambitious and takes focus from Caesar's evolution. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/rise-planet-apes-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (70/100, inferred): The critic calls it a solid reboot of the franchise with strong action, special effects, and the most credible ape performances yet, though the human characters are dull and venal. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/rise-planet-apes-film-review-218819/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (70/100, inferred): The critic calls the film good, canny-dumb fun and a solid summer diversion that uses bleeding-edge tech for old-fashioned entertainment while insisting on the emotional truth of its story. She singles out the self-aware asides and the shift into a cautionary tale about man's domination of nature. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/05/movies/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-stars-james-franco-review.html) - **Variety**, Peter Debruge (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film an impressive if predictably downbeat prequel that advances motion-capture technology to create photoreal CG simians with detailed personalities. He singles out Andy Serkis's nuanced performance as Caesar for its emotional range while noting the stock characters and generic story components. [Read](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-1117945755/) - **Little White Lies**, Paul O’Callaghan (4/3/1): The critic finds the film a welcome relief from bloated summer blockbusters, delivering a coherent story and dazzling effects in under two hours. Human characters and subplots are underdeveloped and unconvincing, but the apes and performance-capture work shine. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes) - **Time Out**, Nigel Floyd (3/5): The film stands out from typical reboots by focusing on the ape perspective and contemporary fears of scientific hubris, with strong visual effects and assured direction in its action sequences. Character development lags behind the effects, and the battle scenes lean too heavily toward justifying the apes' violence. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes) - **Slant Magazine**, Ed Gonzalez (2/4): The critic finds the film visually inexpressive and formulaic, complaining that it lacks emotional nuance, poignancy, and chemistry while capitulating to Hollywood conventions and PETA-friendly messaging instead of deeper provocation. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes/) - **Digital Spy**, Ben Rawson-Jones (90/100, inferred): The critic hails it as a near-perfect blockbuster origins story with epic and emotive proportions, praising the compelling motion-capture performance of Caesar, resonant themes of commerce versus ethics and animal testing, and thrilling escalating action sequences under Rupert Wyatt's direction. It is called a fitting prequel full of visual and cerebral treats. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a333382/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/) - **The Wrap** (85/100, inferred): The critic praises the film as smart, exciting, and thought-provoking, unlike Tim Burton's remake, highlighting the motion-capture performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar and its blend of sci-fi, action, and emotional elements. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/smart-sequel-puts-planet-apes-franchise-back-rise-29758/) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B+): The critic calls the film one of the summer's most exciting movies and a remarkable debut for director Rupert Wyatt. They single out Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance as Caesar and the technical achievements of Weta for praise. [Read](https://collider.com/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Anton Bitel (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a great summer movie that is spectacular in its realization and resonant in its themes, praising the emotional depth of Andy Serkis's motion-capture performance as Caesar and the surprising, satisfying narrative direction that subverts expectations while exploring human and simian impulses. They note a minor quibble with some signing scenes but highlight the gripping coming-of-age drama and action climax. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-film-review-by-anton-bitel) - **Den of Geek**, James Peaty (3/5): The critic calls it a brisk, effective B-movie that honors the originals while taking the series in interesting new directions, praising its grounding in real-world issues like gene therapy and animal testing plus the cathartic final act. Some variable CG work and underdeveloped human characters are noted as drawbacks. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Rupert Wyatt - **Director:** Rupert Wyatt - **Screenplay:** Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver - **Cinematography:** Andrew Lesnie - **Editor:** Conrad Buff IV, Mark Goldblatt - **Music:** Patrick Doyle - **Production design:** Claude Paré - **Costume design:** Renée April - **Producer:** Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa - **Cast:** Andy Serkis as Caesar; James Franco as Will Rodman; Freida Pinto as Caroline Aranha; John Lithgow as Charles Rodman; Brian Cox as John Landon; Tom Felton as Dodge Landon; Tyler Labine as Robert Franklin; Karin Konoval as Maurice / Court Clerk - **Runtime:** 1h 45m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 5 August 2011 - **Genres:** Thriller, Action, Drama, Science Fiction - **Budget:** $93 million - **Box office:** $482 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzDt7uBBIOI ## Where to watch in the US - Hulu: streaming, hd - Disney+: add-on, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $4.99, uhd - Apple TV: buy $4.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-17.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2012: Best Visual Effects (nominated) - Annie Award 2012: Annie Award (won) - Genesis Award 2012: Genesis Award (won) - Saturn Awards 2012: Best Science Fiction Film (won) ## If you liked this - *Project Nim* (2011): A documentary companion that makes the human treatment of apes harder to excuse - *The Host* (2006): Creature-driven suspense with family feeling and plenty of human incompetence - *Fantastic Planet* (1973): An animated account of captivity that makes human vulnerability feel strange again - *The Elephant Man* (1980), Fi1m 84: Another misunderstood figure, treated with the patient attention Caesar earns here — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-elephant-man.md) - *King Kong* (1933): Large-scale spectacle with a creature whose predicament complicates the pleasure of watching --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. 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