Rise of the Planet of the Apes2011

Solid movie, though I do wish it was better executed in a few places. The story itself is very engaging and pretty intelligent. It's a smart cautionary tale on how trying to humanize animals will only make things worse, and nature and technology should be separated which I find to be a very informative and relevant message. The CGI is obviously fantastic. If the apes didn't look like actual apes I think the movie would be a lot worse, but the work done with the special effects is incredibly impressive. However, I have a couple of problems with the movie. I feel like there was potential for more. The turn didn't feel as satisfying as I think it could have because we don't actually spend that much time with Ceaser in the prison, so he gets a good arc but not as good as it could have been. Also, I thought the first act of this movie was kinda cheesy and stupid. I found it kinda hard to take Will and Ceaser's relationship seriously and it could just be me. Lastly, I thought the tone, in the end, was a bit weird. The last scene is meant to be uplifting but we just witnessed these monkeys kill innocent civilians and I don't see myself getting happy over that. I feel like the ending should have been a bit more bleak. Overall an enjoyable and above average blockbuster with quite a few flaws.