Lonely Planet

I want to remind myself that it's summer and they are showing movies geared for certain demographics, mostly kids who are out of school and are looking for some kind of diversion from the heat. "Rise Of The Planet Of the Apes" is one such movie, and it's a great fix for that target market.  It's mostly fun, eagerly earnest, and will push you at the edge of your seat. I sat next to my friend who kept on nudging me and saying "Why are you covering your eyes," because, indeed, I was. You can almost anticipate what's going to happen next by the musical score. Once those snare drums start appearing, impending doom is coming. Oh, a heartwarming moment is coming up, I hear strings. Oh, but the chimps are cute, and the animatronic effects are astounding (apparently done by the same gentleman responsible for the LOTR ones) and ooooh, they get menacing looking once they start their revolution. Subtlety isn't welcome here folks. James Franco looks like he is phoning it in, I can just imagine his agent telling him he "needs" this movie for his commercial career. Who wouldn't want a franchise? I have an intense dislike for Frida Pinto, and she is useless here. I may have liked the movie a little more had she not been in it. But it's a summer night, and why not go out, and why not see a movie, and why not this movie? It is what it is.