Last night the hubby and I did the dinner and a movie date night. I can’t remember the last time we went out without the kids. And that’s a sign that some couple time was long overdue.
Anyway, I wanted to see the new Planet of the Apes movie. I was a fan of the original. Anyone in the Metro knows that during the summer in the 70’s and early 80’s you went downtown to the movie theatre on Main Street. I remembering riding the bus with a couple of friends and we would escape the heat inside the theatre. I enjoyed the original “POA” movie and hoped that this prequel would do justice to the franchise.
It did. “The Rise of the Planet of the Apes” is a smart and entertaining film. The story revolves around a scientist, Will, and his desperate attempt to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Testing the drug on chimpanzees, the virus mutates and not only repairs brain cells but gives the test subject human level intelligence. After a lab incident threatens to shut down the project, the baby chimp “Caesar” is found and taken to live with Will and his ill father. Caesar has inherited his mother’s intelligent and learns at a fast pace.
Without giving away the entire plot, I will simply say this film is well worth the $10 to catch it in the theatre. The characters are well-developed and the plot is filled with “shout outs” to the original. Even the CGI special effects were realistic. The movie pulls you in and leaves you wondering whether you should root for the apes and their freedom or for the humans to survive the fate that awaits them.
What’s Playing on the iPod right now: “Hard Knock Life” – Jay-Z
What I am reading now: “Rum Punch” – Elmore Leonard