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RELEASED:
2011
DIRECTOR(s):
Rupert Wyatt
PERSONAL RATING:
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In San Francisco,
pharmaceutical chemist Will Rodman tests the viral-based drug ALZ-112 on
chimpanzees at the biotechnology company Gen-Sys in an attempt to find a
cure for Alzheimer's disease. ALZ-112 is given to a chimpanzee named
Bright Eyes, greatly increasing her intelligence. However, during Will's
presentation of the drug, Bright Eyes is forced from her cage and goes on
a rampage before she is shot to death. Will's superior, Steven Jacobs,
terminates the project and has the chimpanzees euthanized. Will and his
assistant Robert Franklin discover that the reason for Bright Eyes'
rampage was that she had recently given birth to a baby chimpanzee. Will
reluctantly takes in the infant chimpanzee, eventually naming him Caesar.
Discovering that Caesar has inherited his mother's intelligence through
being exposed to ALZ-112, Will decides to raise him as his adoptive son
and study him. Three years pass, and Caesar becomes highly intelligent; he
can communicate through sign language. Will begins a romantic relationship
with primatologist Caroline Aranha. Will and Caroline introduce Caesar to
the redwood forest at Muir Woods National Monument so he can roam freely.
Meanwhile, Will treats his father, Charles, with ALZ-112, which seems to
restore his cognitive ability.
Five years later, Caesar, now entering adulthood, questions his origins
and place in the world, and Will reveals his origins. Charles' Alzheimer's
returns as his immune system becomes resistant to ALZ-112. During a
confrontation between a confused Charles and his aggressive neighbor,
Douglas Hunsiker, Caesar attacks and injures Hunsiker while defending
Charles. The animal control service subsequently takes him to an ape
shelter where Caesar is tormented by the alpha chimpanzee, Rocket, and the
chief guard, Dodge Landon. However, Caesar befriends Maurice, a former
circus orang-utan who also knows sign language. Caesar learns to unlock
his cage, gaining free access to the common area. With the assistance of
Buck, a gorilla, Caesar claims the position of alpha. Meanwhile, Jacobs
clears the development of a more powerful gaseous version of the drug,
ALZ-113, when Will tells him it can improve intelligence. Will takes the
drug home for his father, but Charles declines further treatment and dies
overnight. After attempting to test ALZ-113 on a bonobo named Koba,
Franklin accidentally becomes exposed to ALZ-113 and becomes ill. Despite
the risks, Jacobs orders continued trials, and Will consequently quits his
position.
Attempting to warn Will at his home, Franklin sneezes blood onto Hunsiker
and is later discovered dead. Will attempts to reclaim Caesar, but Caesar
instead decides to stay and steals the ALZ-113 canisters from Will's house
and enhances the intelligence of the other apes in the shelter. When Dodge
attempts to get him back into his cage, Caesar reveals he can speak; he
fights and accidentally kills Dodge while freeing the apes. The apes flee,
releasing Koba and the remaining apes from Gen-Sys and freeing additional
apes from the San Francisco Zoo. A battle ensues as the apes fight their
way past a police blockade on the Golden Gate Bridge in an attempt to
escape into the redwood forest. A police helicopter shoots at the apes,
and Buck sacrifices himself to bring down the helicopter. Koba pushes the
helicopter, with Jacobs still inside, into San Francisco Bay.
As the apes find their way into the forest, Will finds and warns Caesar
that the humans will hunt them, begging him to return home. Caesar hugs
him and says he is home. Will accepts Caesar's wishes, and the apes
embrace their new lifestyle in the forest. Meanwhile, Hunsiker, now
infected with ALZ-113, arrives at San Francisco International Airport for
his flight. He eventually spreads the virus around the planet, leading to
a deadly pandemic. |
