Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Composed by Patrick Doyle, released 16th of August 2011.

I went to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Wednesday and I liked it a lot, but of course, one aspect that stood out for me was the music. In the end credits I noticed that it's composed by Patrick Doyle, so I thought "no wonder I loved it" because he also did the music for Thor (which I love) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

There were scenes in the film where the music was such a big part, it was almost impossible not to notice it. The first instance of this being when Caesar climbs the huge tree in Muir Woods, and this music plays. It's a majestic piece of music that compliments the happenings on screen, because it is as Caesar ascends up the tree that he grows older, and as he reaches the top it is then '5 years later'. 

The next track that stands out for me is 'Who Am I?' which plays as Will explains to Caesar about what happened to his mother. It's an ethereal piece of music that flows in such a way that it sounds like it will become more cheery by the next note, but it never does, unlike 'Lofty Swing' which is probably the most optimistic track on the soundtrack.

The majority of the soundtrack makes good background music, but it's mainly the music from the beginning and end of the film that I like the most. 'Golden Gate Bridge' is in the climax of the film, and it's a good fast-paced track that I can't help but relate to the Thor soundtrack. In my opinion, Doyle is great at composing "epic" pieces of music that conform to the fictional universes of these films, whilst also being able to build on the character development through his music. As with any film, there are many scenes that would fall flat without Doyle's music, particularly when Caesar is left in the primate facility.

Overall, it's not the most exciting soundtrack in the world but I know I'll be listening to it quite a lot in the coming weeks! My favourite tracks are: Lofty Swing, Muir Woods, Off You Go, Who Am I?, Golden Gate Bridge and Caesar's Home.

I would give this soundtrack a rating of 7/10.