A valiant effort.

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2013)

I watched this movie with great expectations but something about it just didn't do it for me. It raised some concerns about animal experimenting and the directors did a brilliant job of having the audience root for the apes (and against the humans). The implicit hints at the corporate greed of pharmaceuticals and the way in which they exploit both people and animals alike in satisfying the staunch stance held by the shareholders (to make money at all costs) also provided food for thought. The acting however wasn't anything that was likely to raise the bar for future movies; the main characters were portrayed pretty well (by James Franco and Freida Pinto) but many of the other characters, especially Dodge (Tom Felton), were unoriginal and it felt like the acting was a bit shallow. It provided a fairly coherent story-line that is interesting to follow but not to the point that I found myself completely immersed. As a prequel, although it made a valiant effort, it lacks a certain flair and falls short of the standard set by its predecessors.
Overall, it's worth a watch though (but maybe only the once).