Prequels usually tend to go either way when added to already beloved franchises. While titles like The Godfather Part II and Prey managed to impress, others like The Hobbit trilogy and Final Destination 5 didn’t quite live up to expectations, especially considering the reputation of their original series.
During the 2010s, however, one particular prequel trilogy stood out by striking a rare balance between originality and the kind of nostalgia fans often look for. This accomplishment came from the Planet of the Apes series, with the first film in the trilogy titled Rise of the Planet of the Apes.
Caesar’s journey begins with tragedy and hidden potential (Photo: Rise of the Planet of the Apes/Twentieth Century Fox)A retrospective of what happened in the Planet of the Apes series before the upcoming fourth installment
Released in 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes features performances from Andy Serkis and James Franco. It begins the prequel storyline of the Planet of the Apes franchise, with a fourth part expected to land in 2024.
The wider franchise already includes five older films, a remake in 2001, and the more recent trilogy from the 2010s. Given how much story is packed into the series, one might wonder how this prequel chapter comes to a close.
What Happens in Rise of the Planet of the Apes?
The storyline for Rise of the Planet of the Apes is set in San Francisco, starting in the year 2008. Will Rodman, a scientist working at a biotech firm called Gen-Sys, is working on an experimental treatment known as ALZ-112.
This drug is designed to restore damaged brain cells through neurogenesis. Gen-Sys tests it on chimpanzees, and among them, a chimp named Bright Eyes shows remarkable signs of improvement.
But things take a turn during a major presentation, as Bright Eyes lashes out and causes chaos at the lab before being shot by security personnel. Rodman later finds out that she was reacting out of fear because she had secretly given birth to a baby chimp.
He decides to take the newborn chimp home, naming him Caesar and raising him personally. Fast-forward three years, and Caesar has grown into a young chimp with astonishing intelligence, inherited from the ALZ-112 that was in his mother’s system.
Rodman treats Caesar like his own child, teaching him sign language and allowing him to freely move about their home. After the ALZ-112 trials were halted due to the Bright Eyes incident, Rodman begins using the drug to treat his father Charles, who is struggling with dementia.
The drug works well at first, with Charles not only recovering but also showing mental sharpness. Caesar, on his part, begins to crave freedom outside the house, so Rodman often takes him to the Redwood Forest at Muir Woods.
This outdoor activity becomes a regular part of their lives, helping Caesar connect with his instincts and environment. By the time another five years pass, Caesar is now a fully grown chimp with a more serious personality.
After seeing a dog on a leash, he starts asking questions about his background. Rodman takes him to Gen-Sys, where he was born, and explains what happened to his mother. During this period, Charles’ condition begins to deteriorate again, as his body starts rejecting the drug.
In a state of confusion, Charles has a confrontation with a neighbour. While trying to defend him, Caesar attacks the neighbour seriously, leading to his removal and placement in a primate holding facility. Inside this facility, Caesar meets harsh conditions, especially from one of the workers, a teenager named Dodge.
Caesar quickly observes that he has no control here, although he finds a companion in Maurice, an orangutan. One night, Caesar breaks out of his cage, frees a large gorilla named Buck, and earns the loyalty of the other apes by asserting himself as their leader.
Meanwhile, Rodman pitches a new version of the drug, ALZ-113, to Gen-Sys executive Steven Jacobs. This newer version is more potent and airborne. However, Charles declines further treatment and eventually dies. Gen-Sys continues testing ALZ-113 on more apes, including one named Koba.
During the trials, a handler named Franklin accidentally breathes in the gas, which leaves him extremely ill. When he goes to Rodman’s house to speak with him, he ends up sneezing blood on the neighbour before returning to his own home and dying as a result of the exposure.
Back at the shelter, Caesar starts making plans to break out. He sneaks into Rodman’s house and steals containers of ALZ-113 from the refrigerator. Caesar releases the gas into the shelter, which enhances the intelligence of the other apes just like him.
During a confrontation with Dodge in the play yard, Caesar does something unexpected — he speaks out loud for the first time. As Dodge prepares to shock him, Caesar grabs him and is met with the words, “Get your stinking paw off me, you damn dirty ape!” Caesar replies firmly:
No! Caesar then goes ahead to free the rest of the apes, leading them all in an escape toward the Redwood Forest.
How Does Rise of the Planet of the Apes End?
Once Caesar and his fellow apes break loose, they release others from Gen-Sys’ testing facility and also free the apes being kept at the San Francisco Zoo. They make their way to the Golden Gate Bridge, where law enforcement has set up barriers to stop them.
A forgotten franchise finds new life in the 2010s (Photo: Rise of the Planet of the Apes/Twentieth Century Fox)The apes, however, think differently and outsmart the blockade by moving over and beneath the bridge structure. Following Caesar’s instructions, they manage to overpower the authorities without taking any lives. In a dramatic moment, Buck gives up his life while taking down a helicopter armed with heavy weapons.
Inside the chopper is Steven Jacobs, who ends up dying when Koba pushes the helicopter off the bridge and into the sea. Rodman successfully gets past the police and finds Caesar and the other apes as they reach the forest. He tries to convince Caesar to come back home, warning that humans will chase after them.
Caesar responds by pulling him close and saying: Caesar is home. Hearing him speak again, Rodman finally realises that Caesar now belongs with his kind, and he quietly says his farewell. The post-credit scene changes focus to Rodman’s neighbour, now dressed in a pilot’s uniform. He boards a cab to the airport for work.
On getting there, he experiences a nosebleed — the same early symptom Franklin had. The film then shows a global map, with markers highlighting the spread of the illness caused by ALZ-113. This sets the stage for the worldwide outbreak known as the Simian Flu, which eventually claims the lives of millions across the planet.
Will’s Proposal and the Rise of a New Virus
As things progress, Will comes up with a different idea and presents a fresh version of the experimental drug—this one labelled ALZ-113—to Steven Jacobs, who leads the Gen-Sys company. This new formula is more potent than the previous one and comes in gas form.
Even though Will’s father turns down the new drug, he eventually dies from his illness. Gen-Sys still moves ahead with the ALZ-113 trials, starting with a test subject called Koba. Unfortunately, during one of the test sessions, the handler named Franklin accidentally inhales the gas.
He starts experiencing severe illness shortly after. Franklin, while searching for Will to inform him of his condition, crosses paths with Will’s neighbour. He sneezes and releases blood in front of the neighbour before returning home, where he dies not long after, due to the ALZ-113 exposure.
At the same time, Caesar remains at the primate shelter but doesn’t sit idly. He quietly begins making plans to escape. At night, he sneaks into Will’s house and steals the ALZ-113 serum from the fridge. He then uses the gas inside the shelter to expose all the apes to it, increasing their intelligence just like his own.
Eventually, during a fight in the playpen, Dodge tries to attack Caesar, but Caesar responds in a way that shocks everyone: he speaks. Dodge yells at him saying, “Get your stinking paw off me, you damn dirty ape!” Caesar then grabs Dodge’s arm and shouts back a loud “No!”—his first word.
After that, Caesar leads a mass breakout from the shelter, releasing every single ape, and directing them all to the Redwood Forest.
The Final Clash and Caesar’s Choice
As the large group of apes moves through San Francisco, they destroy the Gen-Sys lab and set free every remaining test subject. They don’t stop there—they also release the animals held at the San Francisco Zoo. With a clear destination in mind, they make their way to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Experiment gone wrong becomes the spark of evolution (Photo: Rise of the Planet of the Apes/Twentieth Century Fox)There, law enforcement officials attempt to block their path with a full barricade, but the apes refuse to be held back. They outwit the police by using the structure of the bridge itself, moving over the top and even below it to catch the authorities off guard.
Following Caesar’s instructions not to take any human lives, the apes overwhelm the officers and win the battle without killing. One of the most emotional moments during this encounter happens when Buck, the loyal gorilla, sacrifices himself to stop a helicopter equipped with a turret.
That very helicopter was carrying none other than Steven Jacobs, who ends up dying after Koba throws the helicopter off the bridge and into the bay. Will manages to slip past the law enforcement barricade and arrives at the Redwood Forest just as Caesar and the apes finish escaping.
He tries to convince Caesar to come back home, warning that humans will never stop chasing them. Caesar responds by pulling Will close and telling him, “Caesar is home.” His ability to speak leaves Will completely stunned. Accepting that Caesar belongs with his kind, Will quietly says goodbye and leaves.
The Start of the Simian Flu Pandemic
After the events on the bridge, during the film’s mid-credits sequence, Will’s neighbour, now dressed as an airline pilot, is seen boarding a taxi on his way to the airport.
As he walks through the terminal preparing to resume his job, he begins to suffer from a nosebleed—one of the first signs of ALZ-113 infection, similar to how Franklin’s symptoms started. As this is shown, the film cuts to a map visual, where bright red lines trace the movement of the virus spreading out across the world.
It becomes clear that this marks the early days of a global health crisis. This virus, known later as the Simian Flu, eventually spreads uncontrollably and leads to massive loss of human life, setting the stage for a drastically changed future and the eventual fall of human civilisation.
The events in Rise of the Planet of the Apes lay the groundwork for everything that follows in the series, introducing the first steps in a change of global power from humans to apes.
