Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

• 12 Deleted Scenes (12:02 in 1080P)
• Mythology of the Apes (7:11 in 1080P)
• The Genius of Andy Serkis (7:48 in 1080P)
• A New Generation of Apes (9:41 in 1080P)
• Scene Breakdown (1:34 in 1080P)
• Character Concept Art Gallery
• Breaking Motion Capture Boundaries (8:43 in 1080P)
• Composing the Score with Patrick Doyle (8:07 in 1080P)
• The Great Apes - 3 segments Chimp, Gorilla, Orangutan, (22:37 in 1080P)
• 3 Theatrical Trailers (6:29 in 1080P)
Disc 2: DVD + Digital Copy

Bitrate:

 

Description: Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a revolution; an action-packed epic featuring stunning visual effects and creatures unlike anything ever seen before. At the story's heart is Caesar (Andy Serkis), a chimpanzee who gains human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug. Raised like a child by the drug's creator (James Franco), Caesar ultimately finds himself taken from the humans he loves and imprisoned. Seeking justice, Caesar assembles a simian army and escapes -- putting man and primate on a collision course that could change the planet forever.

***

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes", a completely new take on one of the Studio's most beloved and successful franchises. Oscar-winning... visual effects house WETA Digital -- employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for AVATAR -- will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors. "Rise of the Apes" is an origin story in the truest sense of the term. 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 Film:

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" does it right. Smart, fun and thoroughly enjoyable, it's a model summer diversion that entertains without insulting your intelligence. Adroitly blending the most modern technology with age-old story elements, it's also an origin story that answers the question that's been hanging in the air since 1968: How did it happen that apes rule?

Excerpt from Kenneth Turan at the LA Times located HERE

“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” an amusingly cheerful film about the end of humanity that’s PETA and critic approved — no animals were harmed in its making, and neither was James Franco’s career — is precisely the kind of summer diversion that the studios have such a hard time making now. It’s good, canny-dumb fun. Employing bleeding-edge technologies in the service of old-fashioned entertainment, it insists on the emotional truth of its absurd story, its tongue in cheek (and in check), while offering self-aware asides, like the ritual bow to Charlton Heston, the lockjaw hero of the original 1968 “Planet of the Apes.”

Excerpt from Manohla Dargis at the NY Times located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes predictably looks very impressive on Blu-ray from Fox. Having not seen it theatrically - I was immensely impressed with the effects. Wow. They come through realistically and seamlessly in 1080P. Colors are bright but not unnatural. The dual-layered transfer exports healthy, rich black levels and tight, crisp detail - notable in the many Primate close-ups. There are many daylight scenes but the darker sequences exhibit no undue noise. This Blu-ray looks about as perfect as one might imagine. I expect that this is a very authentic reproduction of the theatrical film. The video has no flaws that I could determine and ranks as one of the best looking Blu-rays of the year.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The track doesn't take a backset to the flawless video. Fox supplies a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a healthy 4008 kbps. There are plenty of effects that arise as the film runs along to its more aggressive scenes nearer the conclusion. Depth is impressively scary through Ape growls and surround separations are punchy come out of the rear speakers. Patrick Doyle's score does a super job in supporting the film and it sounds great with plenty of subtlety via the uncompressed rendering. There are optional subtitles and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked Blu-ray although the disc is available worldwide.

Extras :

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Of the summer blockbusters The Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of the standouts. This was extremely well-done on many production development levels. The build of the story and meshing it to the original concepts is key to its realization. Performances are solid - albeit one dimensional characters - perhaps to accentuate the development of Caesar through visuals - which was no small feat. I was so entertained and don't have any complaints at all. This Blu-ray is an incredible package with viable extras and some of the best a/v of the year. This will make for a fantastic night in the Home theater. Very strongly recommended! 

Gary Tooze

December 1st, 2011