New 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' trailer, stills released

Ready for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes?" If not, a newly-cut trailer should help to dial up the anticipation.

In it, we see the story arc of Ceasar the ape who -- thanks to James Franco and an experimental drug (how many times have we written that?) -- gets super-smart and then has super-sized problems. Along the way he learns to read and write, befriends John Lithgow and encounters some not-so-nice humans.

This is not your grandfather's Charlton Heston-starring "Planet of the Apes."  Or even your older brother's update with Mark Wahlberg. The latest take on the story of ape dominance owes its believability to the magic of CGI -- especially the CGI-enhanced Ceasar, "played" by Andy Serkis ("Lord of the Rings'" Gollum).

Take a look at the still below to get an idea of the level of detail that went into creating Ceasar's expressions.



"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" opens Aug. 5. Let's hope the entire movie is as good as this trailer.