Rise of the Planet of the Apes ****

How did "The Planet of the Apes" get that way? And why do they all speak English? This and other questions you never asked are answered in this gripping, fast-paced, visually convincing and dramatic sci-fi thriller. James Franco plays a dedicated researcher who wants to enable the brain to repair itself, not least because of the advancing dementia of his father. He experiments on chimps and succeeds beyond all hope, achieving "Limitless"-like results that are apparently passed along genetically to the baby chimp he ends up raising when his first formula's subject is terminated because of bad side effects.

That mistaken termination is emblematic of the movie's point of view, which works to keep the audience on the apes' side, even when the result could be the end of humanity, which is admittedly odd. As is usual in these kinds of movies, the supposed science doesn't bear deep scrutiny, but the pace keeps you from noticing, and the drama of the apes and baby chimp Caesar's development pulls you along. Caesar's rise in the prison-like animal control center reads like a silent movie classic.

Special effects work with the apes is masterful, and using motion-capture actors allows director Rupert Wyatt to dispense with ape suits and concentrate on their eyes as an indicator and metaphor for intelligence. Franco's performance is all bustling, impatient dedication, and John Lithgow as his Alzheimer's-afflicted father displays his usual affecting range. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is a very enjoyable example of sci-fi film-making.