Is Rise of the Planet of the Apes the surprise of the summer?

The blockbuster season of 2011 has been a decidedly mixed bag. Films like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Rob Marshall) and The Hangover Part 2 (Todd Phillips) were highly anticipated and I admittedly was pretty looking forward to going to see them. Unfortunately Pirates was very mediocre and Hangover 2 was a carbon copy racist version of the vastly superior first film. Not a good start to the summer.
When the trailers for Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt) started to surface, a lot of people were unimpressed including some of my friends and even I wasn't particularly interested in seeing it. Maybe that was due to the CGI looking sub-par or the fact that the Planet of the Apes franchise wasn't exactly popular or fashionable. With the release of Tim Burton's disappointing "re-imagining" of Planet of the Apes, its not exactly surprising that news of another Apes film was hardly going to set the world alight.
However when the film was released on August 5, reviews were generally positive and so was the audience reaction. When I talked to a friend about it, he said it was definitely worth seeing, so I decided earlier today to go and see the film.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes certainly exceeded all my expectations, it was a compelling, emotional and a thoroughly enjoyable film. After a summer of disappointments and overlong and over-complicated films, (here's looking at you Pirates 4 and Transformers:Dark of the Moon (Michael Bay)), it was refreshing to watch a summer blockbuster that was more subtle and character driven instead of watching things blow up for 2 hours. The CGI was very very good, there were times in the film where the apes looked genuinely real and not a visual effect. Of course you can't talk about the CGI in the film without mentioning the true star of the show, Caesar portrayed by Andy Serkis. Serkis is phenomenal in the film, his complex emotional portrayal of Caesar is worth the price ticket alone. Its unlikely he will be nominated for an Oscar which is a shame because the visual effects will get a nod. Its about time Andy Serkis is recognised as the great actor he is and this film truly showcases that.

Caesar is definitely the strongest character in the film and he is the one character in the film you completely sympathize with, because of what he goes through throughout the story. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the film. Despite the apes terrorizing San Francisco and its citizens during the film's terrific final act, you still sympathize with them because a lot of time is devoted to their story and the traumatizing experiences they go through when they are all kept in captivity by John Landon (Brian Cox) and his sadistic son (Tom Felton).
The human characters however are a bit hit and miss. James Franco gives a solid performance as Will Rodman and he is well on his way to becoming a major A-List star, however he never fully convinces as a scientist when you compare it to his flawless performance in 127 Hours (Danny Boyle). Frieda Pinto is given very little to do as the romantic interest and Tom Felton essentially plays a one-dimensional Draco Malfoy. But being this is the origin story of Caesar and the rise of the apes as the dominant species, and it is done very very well these are just minor nit-pickings in an otherwise brilliant film.
Overall I feel that the film was a breath of fresh air in a summer of over-hyped and underwhelming films and is a more than worthy addition to the Planet of the Apes franchise. It is a pulse-pounding, engaging and thrilling experience and a film that is a must watch, regardless of whether you are a fan of the franchise or not. The film is certainly the surprise of the summer so far and it will hopefully be a film that will be remembered and considered a classic blockbuster in years to come. Bring on the Sequel.