Today, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is releasing Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Blu-ray & DVD.  With a great motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis, this is a piece of thrilling and surprisingly smart entertainment for audiences who want a thought-provoking story to go along with the impressive action.  We reviewed the film when it opened in theatres on August 10th, our overall consensus was:

“Both a prequel and reboot of the 1968 classic sci-fi film, Rise of the Planet of the Apes boasts breathtaking special effects and believable character development of the chimps, as it builds towards a thrilling climax with a thoughtful screenplay that raises some difficult moral and ethical questions.  ***1/2 (Out of 4)”

The Blu-ray comes loaded with audio commentary by director Rupert Wyatt, a second commentary track with writers Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver, a dozen deleted scenes, numerous featurettes, ape facts and a concept art gallery.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is 105 minutes and rated PG.

-John C.