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One tends to be wary of remakes. A Prequel is equally suspect. There is a fine line between creating a new work and being respectful to the original film. With “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” the filmmakers have accomplished such a feat. A new interesting story with a nod here and there to the original idea takes “Rise” from ordinary summer shlock to awesome film.

First and foremost is character building. By the beginning of the story arch, about 1/3 of the way in, the audience is invested and cares for the main characters. This includes the apes, both Bright Eyes and her offspring Cesare. Here was the trickiest part, developing personalities into animals with out making them overly human. Even the bad guys in this film are intriguing and slightly unpredictable. Alternate sides of the coins come from fathers, both Brian Cox and John Lithgow create sympathetic and believable characters while keeping the audience on a ‘side’.

In addition, the movement and action of this film carries a balance of keeping it interesting but not overwhelming the viewer. Its not an action hero movie. “Rise” keeps within the character story driven genre yet gives peaks and clues to possible future events. There is action where it moves the story and develops the characters.

It has to be said the most awesome feature of “Rise of the Plane of the Apes” is its ability to incorporate the use of CGI into the story with out splashing it across the screen. A more sophisticated use of technology is at play here. There is no mistaking it as a modern film with 21st century markings. Unlike other films of 2011, “Rise” doesn’t allow the technical aspects to override the story, the characters and the audience enjoyment of this first rate film.