Will Rodman is a brilliant scientist obsessed with finding a cure for Alzheimer's disease, driven by the thought of his father, Charles, who is dying from the illness. He comes up with a medicine that greatly increases the intelligence of their test chimp, Bright Eyes, but when they try to show Bright Eyes to some investors, the chimp freaks out, acting violently until shot. Will's medicine is immediately put in turnaround by the laboratory, even when they realize that Bright Eyes acted out because she had secretly given birth to a baby chimp and was merely acting territorial. Instead of putting the baby down, Will takes the baby home with him; Charles immediately takes a liking to the chimp, calling him "Caesar." Will learns early in Caesar's life that Caesar is no ordinary chimp-- he shows clear signs of inheriting the intelligence the medicine gave his mother. Will gets to work on a new medicine for Alzheimer's, giving it to Charles, who not only is instantly cured but shows increased intelligence. Will pitches it to his lab, who immediately goes into production. Caesar, however, begins to question who he is: his intelligence makes him a member of the family at home, but he is treated like a pet when taken outside by Will. When Caesar attacks a neighbor who is harassing Charles, the government forces Will to put Caesar into an ape sanctuary. Caesar's world view instantly changes, and his resentment of humans grows, as he hatches a plan to escape and find his place in the world.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's a tremendously exciting film, the best prequel ever made. Caesar is a phenomenal character, from the acting to the special effects, and the storytelling is incredibly smart.
Best scene in story:
Caesar attacks a cruel handler who utterly the classic line from the original, "Get your stinkin' paws off me, you dirty ape!" Caesar's response, his first word spoken, is a shocker of a moment.
Opinion about the main character:
We get to know Caesar from his birth to his coming of age, so to speak. He goes from happy carefree chimp to lost soul to angry individual to inspired leader of an army. It's remarkable to behold.
