Fox used the official Facebook page for Rise of the Planet of the Apes to reveal the first footage from the upcoming prequel/reboot starring James Franco via a 4-second clip, as well as the official logo for the film.
What you see below looks like a living, breathing ape with a soul hiding beyond those saddened eyes. In reality, this is Caesar as designed and built entirely in a computer by WETA i.e. the effects house behind District 9 and Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Show your friends who know nothing about Rise of the Planet of the Apes and see if they think this clip is of a random ape hanging out in a zoo somewhere. I’d give it 50/50 odds that they cannot tell the difference.
We’re less than four months away from the Rise of the Planet of the Apes early August release date and thus far, this clip is the only footage Fox has let the public see. Their reveal of this new Planet of the Apes adventure is slow and deliberate. A tease, if you will, to build up some hype in a crowded summer movie season.
For myself, this clip did exactly what it was designed to: quell my trepidation about all-CGI apes.
