'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' James Franco Describes 'Incredible' Special Effects (Video)

"This movie could only have been made today," he says on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Thursday.

7:17 AM PDT 8/5/2011 by Lindsay Powers

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James Franco was in awe of the special effects in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which opens in theaters Friday.

"This movie could only have been made today. You couldn't have made it 10 years ago," he said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday.

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"If you look at the original Planet of the Apes, you had actors in masks. This was made with Andy Serkis, the incredible performer who did Gollum for Lord of the Rings and King Kong. He is the master of this. And the Weta special effects company who did the effects for Lord of the Rings and Avatar created the chimpanzees."

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"You'd think it's all done on a blue screen stage, but we've advanced to the point where we do it on regular sets. Andy shows up in a gray kind of pajamas outfit with wires all over it," says Franco, "and he has a camera on his arm pointed on his face that captures all his expressions, and his behavior is so realistic that you immediately see beyond it. Your imagination takes over. It's like acting with a chimpanzee with the best acting instincts."

Jokes Kimmel, "And he doesn't throw crap at you!"