I hope that people will end up considering this to be one of the great blockbusters; I think it's worthy of inclusion.

The main difference between this and Die Hard, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, etc. is what I think is a larger trend in today's movies (according to my totally unscientific survey of the movies of today and yesterday) - a lack of a sense of fun. It's a fairly dark and serious story, and the moments of exhilaration are few. Like, why so serious, for real.

But those moments of exhilaration - when Caesar is able to experience the freedom of the world around him - provide a perfect contrast to the film's themes of confinement - by cages,…

Oh, he's a smart one, isn't he?
-Charles Rodman

Now this is how you reboot a franchise. I didn't care much for Tim Burton's remake of Planet of the Apes for various reasons, the main one being I didn't think it was a very good film. It's the third film in a week from Burton that I mention not liking, I'd just like to say that I actually like the rest of his filmography quite a bit.

First of all the reason I love this movie so much is because of the genius in the simplicity of the story they chose to tell. The problem with remaking the original film is that everyone knows the twist at the end, even…

With "Rise of the Planet of the Apes," director, Rupert Wyatt, and company strike gold, putting together one of the best science fiction, special effects-based films of the decade. Combining a compelling story and tapping into a beloved mythology, the film is narratively engrossing, grown up, and respectful of what came before it.

While existing perfectly well as a stand-alone film, this prequel to 1968's "Planet of the Apes" is exceptionally well made. It boasts exemplary special effects, and the motion capture performance of Andy Serkis as ape leader, Caesar, is award worthy. The human performances are servicable, but it is the apes that stand out. Chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans are both realistically rendered and sympathy-inducing. The feat of "Rise…

Can’t decide what to watch tonight? Are you torn between a hard sci-fi medical research film? A blockbuster action movie? A tear jerking drama about fatherhood and mental illness? A prison movie? A remake of a beloved classic?

Buddy, I’ve got one easy solution: watch Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It’s got all of the above, and it’s bloody good.

Rise... is full of emotion, humour, tension and nods to the original that should be shit but work beautifully - especially because when the line that you know will be in it is said, the line that follows it is even fucking better.

It seems trite to praise the special effects in a movie so much about story,…