Rise of the Planet of the Apes

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Rise of the Planet of the Apes

PG-13

Released Aug 5, 2011

1h 45m

Sci-Fi

Action

Adventure

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Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

270 Reviews

77%

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250,000+ Ratings

Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist in San Francisco, is experimenting with a drug that he hopes will cure his father's (John Lithgow) Alzheimer's disease. After his work is deemed a failure, Will becomes the guardian of Caesar, an infant chimp who was exposed in-utero to Will's drug. Caesar displays unusual intelligence, and Will decides to continue his experiments secretly. But as Caesar's intellect and abilities grow, he comes to represent a threat to man's dominion over Earth.

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Critics Consensus

Led by Rupert Wyatt's stylish direction, some impressive special effects, and a mesmerizing performance by Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes breathes unlikely new life into a long-running franchise.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

It's a surprisingly provocative film that really stretches the definition of summer blockbuster.

Rated: B+

Sep 8, 2017

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David Thomson

The New Republic

Caesar [the main ape] is the reason to see this daft, breathless picture.

Jun 24, 2013

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Somewhat shockingly, the modern interpretation of mankind's downfall is actually pretty darn good.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 27, 2012

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Casey Chong

Casey's Movie Mania

Rise of the Planet of the Apes has everything a modern summer-movie blockbuster should be, blending smarts with spectacles.

Rated: 4/5

May 10, 2024

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Germain Lussier

io9.com

One of the many reasons this film is so incredible is how much it packs into its modest 105-minute run time.

Apr 27, 2024

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

... a terrific character piece, a gripping prison break thriller with a wicked high-concept twist and the smartest action movie of 2011.

Oct 27, 2023

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Shaun R

Caesar’s rise and change in attitude is awesome. Usually not my type of film, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the originals. This is a great movie. Any film where you actually side with the apes in well under 2 hours is doing something right.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

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Audience Member

Movie was good, I enjoyed it...

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/06/25

Full Review

TROYS S

Visually, this movie is incredible. It's probably the weakest of the trilogy but at the same time the most important one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/01/25

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Audience Member

This movie is a thrilling, interesting film about apes that use sign language that may be one of my new favorite movies of all time

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/10/25

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Paul S

This movie was amazing! The story was incredible and compelling, and the visuals and animations for the apes were spectacular! I definitely recommend this for sci-fi fans!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/05/25

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Obi-wan K

THEY FINALLY KNOW HOW TO MAKE A MOVIE 🙏

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/04/25

Full Review

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Rupert Wyatt

Director

James Franco

Will Rodman

Freida Pinto

Caroline Aranha

John Lithgow

Charles Rodman

Brian Cox

John Landon

Tom Felton

Dodge Landon

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53%

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Synopsis

Will Rodman (James Franco), a scientist in San Francisco, is experimenting with a drug that he hopes will cure his father's (John Lithgow) Alzheimer's disease. After his work is deemed a failure, Will becomes the guardian of Caesar, an infant chimp who was exposed in-utero to Will's drug. Caesar displays unusual intelligence, and Will decides to continue his experiments secretly. But as Caesar's intellect and abilities grow, he comes to represent a threat to man's dominion over Earth.

Director: Rupert Wyatt
Producer: Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Screenwriter: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Chernin Entertainment
Rating: PG-13 (Violence|Intense/Frightening Sequences)
Genre: Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 5, 2011, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 10, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $176.7M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby, DTS

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