Summary

• Caesar is key to the success of the modern Apes trilogy, but Rise lacks focus on him.
• James Franco's character is less compelling than Caesar, missing closure in the film.
• Rise's CGI doesn't hold up to later films, and lacks the social commentary of the series.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the film that kicked off the modern Planet of the Apes series, and while it was successful in doing so, it is hard to miss these 10 harsh realities about the film 13 years later. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was integral to the success of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy, with Matt Reeves setting the stage for the epic saga of Caesar and the other apes. Despite the film's importance, Rise of the Planet of the Apes has a few glaring flaws that are poorly aged.

Planet of the Apes is one of the longest-lasting sci-fi franchises of all time, with the movie series spanning decades. An all-new Planet of the Apes timeline was introduced with Matt Reeves' Planet of the Apes trilogy, which kicked off in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The franchise will continue on with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, causing many audience to want to get caught up on the movies. However, with a lot of viewers returning to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, these 10 problems are becoming more apparent.

10 Rise Spends Too Much Time Without Caesar

Caesar is the main character of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy, with the entire series focusing on his uprising and the start of his leadership of the evolved apes. Although he is a CGI ape, Caesar is one of the most complex characters in the franchise, with many fans of the franchise citing his character arc as the reason that they love the Planet of the Apes movies.

While Caesar is undoubtedly present all throughout Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes, he feels comparatively absent in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Although the film does spend time building up to Caesar's first words, spending half the movie with a less-evolved version of Caesar makes him a much less interesting character than in his later appearances, especially due to Rise of the Planet of the Apes' greater focus on the humans.

9 James Franco's Human Character Is A Less Interesting Protagonist Than Caesar

Although Caesar is the main character of the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy, it can be argued that he isn't the main character of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Instead, James Franco's human character is, with him playing Dr. Will Rodman. Much of the film is dedicated to Will's journey, with him attempting to create a cure for Alzheimer's and inadvertently creating the Simian Flu.

While James Franco's human character is a unique spin on the role of human characters in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it just isn't as interesting as Caesar's story. Caesar is an incredibly complex character who is attempting to take on the world, while Will Rodman is just another human doctor who is trying to find a cure for a disease. Will Rodman even isn't nearly as interesting as the Planet of the Apes franchise's other human protagonists, with him being a weak spot in the film.

8 Will Rodman Doesn't Get The Closure That A POTA Protagonist Should

On top of being a comparatively boring protagonist, another big flaw with Rise of the Planet of the Apes is that Will Rodman doesn't get the closure that a Planet of the Apes protagonist should. Will Rodman fails at making a cure for Alzheimer's, with it going on to start the apocalypse. Then he accidentally causes the apocalypse, and the repercussions for this are never really seen.

Will Rodman's fate in Rise of the Planet of the Apes is never revealed, but Will's death is secretly confirmed in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. A FEMA sign can be seen on the outside of Will's house, confirming that he actually died due to the Simian Flu. This means that not only did Rise of the Planet of the Apes not conclude Will's character arc, but he also died off screen, leading to an anticlimactic ending.

7 Rise's Commentary Isn't As Strong As Its Sequels'

The Planet of the Apes franchise is known for its commentary, with the social aspect of the films being what make them so great. The original Planet of the Apes movie is a tale about the dangers of nuclear warfare and the downfall of society. These themes are reincorporated in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes as well, which is why they are such great follow ups.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes releases on May 10, 2024.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes, however, misses out on a lot of this commentary, with it being a more straightforward story of the downfall of civilization. Rise of the Planet of the Apes focuses more on worldbuilding and setting up the sequels rather than making a grander point about society, and while this is fine for some blockbusters, this isn't the case for a Planet of the Apes movie.

6 One Bright Eyes Reveal Doesn't Make Any Sense

Although Caesar is the most improtant ape in the modern Planet of the Apes franchise, he isn't the first important ape. Instead, his mother Bright Eyes is given a lot of focus in the beginning of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, with the Simian Flu being tested on her. The scientists are surprised to find out that she is pregnant with Caesar, but this actually doesn't make any sense.

The fact that doctors wouldn't known that their main test subject is pregnant is completely unbelievable, as they are constantly monitoring Bright Eyes for any problems. The reveal of Caesar being a surprise seems like a forced dramatic flair, as it doesn't really make any sense. This is hard to get past on a rewatch, but it is an important plot point for the creation of the first evolved apes.

5 The CGI Isn't Nearly As Good As The Later POTA Films

The CGI is one of Planet of the Apes' main selling points, with the modern movies using the technology to create incredibly realistic looking apes. This CGI is the only reason that these films are possible, as there is no other way that the filmmakers could center the film around apes to this extent without motion capture. While the CGI is revolutionary for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it simply isn't as good as the later films.

It isn't a surprise that CGI would improve as time goes on, but there is a very clear difference in the CGI in Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the CGI in War for the Planet of the Apes. Although it still looks mostly fantastic, there are a few instances that don't hold up compared to its sequels.

4 Caesar's Ape Army Has A Serious Plot Hole

The end of Rise of the Planet of the Apes is pretty exciting, with Caesar bringing together an army of apes and starting an ape uprising against the humans. The visual of apes riding horses across the Golden Gate Bridge is pretty cool, but it does have one major plot hole, one that only exists in the first movie in the trilogy.

Plenty of apes that aren't evolved fight alongside Caesar, but the effects of the Simian Flu shouldn't have gotten to many of them yet. Seeing regular apes pulling off stunts and action poses seems incredibly goofy, with it hurting the serious tone that Rise of the Planet of the Apes is going for. Although these beats are fine in later films when there are more evolved apes, it is undeniably weird in this first film.

3 Rise Is Missing Dawn & War's Fantastic Villains

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes have some fantastic villains, and this aspect is missing from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has two villains, with one being the ape villain Koba and the other being the human villain Dreyfus. War for the Planet of the Apes' Colonel is the third film's main villain, with him being one of the most complex characters in the franchise.

Although the Simian Flu is Rise of the Planet of the Apes' main antagonistic force, the film doesn't really have a human or ape antagonist. The humans in the ape containment facility are villainous, but they aren't nearly as grand as the franchise's other villains, with this being a disappointing part of the film.

2 Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Is Too Different From The Original Movies

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a fantastic start to the new series, but for franchise fans of the original, it is way too different. The story, tone, and world of Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a far cry from the first movies, with it being part of the same franchise in name only. Although the later films get closer to the original's vision, Rise of the Planet of the Apes couldn't be further away.

Luckily, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' links to the original movie seem to be much stronger, with the franchise finally getting back to its roots in the fourth modern film. Although it doesn't seem to be a retelling of the original movie's story, the world of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes brings much of the original series back, fixing this Rise of the Planet of the Apes criticism.

1 Rise Is The Worst Movie In The Trilogy

Although all of the entries in Matt Reeves' Planet of the Apes trilogy are great, it is hard to deny the fact that Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the weakest one. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a bit more generic than its successors, with it's modern day setting and slow build up not being quite as interesting as the stories of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

However, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is still a great movie with a lot of redeeming qualities. Rise of the Planet of the Apes does a lot of groundwork that makes the sequels possible, and much of it had to be done. Becuase of this, some parts of Rise of the Planet of the Apes may not seem that great on a rewatch, even if they worked perfectly fine on a first viewing.