The Rise of the Planet of the Apes
We have already looked at one blockbuster movie in our countdown of top movies of 2011 but today we are looking at a second as The Rise of the Planet of the Apes is in at number nine.
This was one of the summer's movie that I had the most reservations about it has to be said after the awful Tim Burton effort a few years ago.
But from the opening frames you realise that this is no duff of a movie as director Rupert Wyatt really did produce a gem of a movie.
I can't heap praise on this movie enough it left me wanting to punch the air as a new and exciting era for the franchise really has been born.
Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.
The movie may boast an all star cast of James Franco, Freida Pinto and Brian Cox but it is the motion capture work that really takes centre stage in this movie.
Andy Serkis gives a career best performance as Caesar - he really has become a master of motion capture and really should be recognised more for the fabulous work that he does.
Serkis really has delivered a character that is well developed, believable and one that an audience really connects with and feels for - despite the fact that he is not human.
The CGI work that Wyatt has produced really does blend seamlessly with the live action work - the apes come across as living, breathing characters with emotions and feeling.
Wyatt took a huge risk putting Caesar centre stage and having the likes of Franco play second fiddle, but it really is a tactic that has paid off beautifully.
This movie is not only action packed but it is bulging with emotion - only someone with a heart of stone can not feel sympathy for Caesar as he is left behind.
The Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of the best movies to grace the big screen this year as it is a roller coaster ride from start to finish.
The end of the film is poised perfectly for a sequel and I have my fingers crossed tightly that it will go ahead with Wyatt at the helm.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Planet of the Apes Rupert Wyatt