FILM: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (12A)

Rupert Wyatt directs this opening instalment of a proposed franchise breathing new life into the Planet Of The Apes series.
By The Newsroom
Published 10th Aug 2011, 19:00 BST

Scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) is determined to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, the disease which has slowly consumed his father Charles (John Lithgow).

Will feels certain he is close to a breakthrough and tests his latest serum on chimpanzees, noticing dramatic increases in intelligence and brain activity in the primate subjects.

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A baby called Caesar, born to one of the test chimps, is scheduled to be destroyed so Will smuggles the animal home where he raises the infant as his own.

As the years pass and Caesar (portrayed by Andy Serkis using motion capture) blossoms, Will meets and falls in love with veterinarian Caroline Aranha (Freida Pinto), who is stunned by Will’s ability to communicate with the chimpanzee, unaware of the animal’s history.

Caroline warns Will that he cannot keep Caesar as a pet forever - he is a wild animal, capable of devastating violence, and meddling with nature has repercussions.

Released: August 11 (UK & Ireland), 104 mins