Wyatts newest addition to the saga not only ties into the original story extremely well, but also reveals new aspects that make for an immensely enjoyable movie.

Rating: 8/10 (5 August 2011)

To begin, i would just like to state that i am a huge fan of the original planet of the apes. with that said, this movie contains all the elements i loved about the original, but in a modernized sense. it contains many great throwbacks to the original, such as the ape's behaviour, famous dialogue, and even references to the original characters. this movie is a must see for anyone who enjoyed the original.
i must admit i was worried about the presentation of the apes in this film as i was rather fond of the original ape makeup. however the cgi apes are astonishing to say the least. Andy Serkis is obviously used to playing apes (as he was Kong in King Kong[2005]) and its good to see him play his part as both believable as an ape, but also a character we can relate to as a human.
As for acting, it was strong but there were a few weak links. James Franco is great as Will Rodman, and he plays it strong throughout. he is very emotive and you can feel what he feels by his expression. Freida Pinto on the other hand does a far less believable job. Her performance is mediocre at best, she was one of the few things that brought this movie down for me, due to her blank expression, poor emotion, and overall unenjoyable portrayal of her character. Others give great supporting performances such as David Oyelowo, Tom Felton ( although he basically plays a role identical to his role as Draco Malfoy), Brian Cox, and Tyler Labine. However my John Lithgow gives my favourite supporting performance by far and it is something that is to be appreciated about this film.
Finally, the story is very well written. For me, it is almost as good as the original. The slow transformation of the ape Caeser from an innocent, child like figure to a dangerous leader is well portrayed. the slow evolution as the apes learn not to trust humans is nice, and the characters are interesting
in short, the movie is well worth your time and i gave it an 8/10