Best "Planet of the Apes" since 1972

Rating: 8/10 (10 August 2011)

Long time die-hard fans of the original movie series will find all those questions answered here that have gone unanswered for so long; what was the source of the disease that killed off all the dogs and cats? Where did gorillas learn how to ride horses? Why are the apes more humanoid than those in our current world? These same fans will of course be treated to another "unexpected" delivery of that famous line, "Get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape!" All of the elements planets of the apes fans expect can be found in this movie, including a reference to Taylor's spaceship for those observant enough to catch it.
Young people unfamiliar with the original series, or those who have only been exposed to the 2001 Wahlberg fiasco should be pleasantly surprised by this movie which delivers the same storyline and message about the fragility of society with an even more plausible sequence of events than Wilson and Serling delivered with the original 1968 film.
Although this film's storyline is dominated by the incredibly lifelike cgi Caesar, the roles played by Franco and Pinto provide a positive human contrast to the oppression apes suffer at the whims of corporations, government, police, and evil animal handler Tom Felton. (Two thumbs up Tom, best bad guy yet this year.) Supporting actor John Lithgow eclipses all the other human actors in this film as he tends to in all the films in which he works. You can't blame him though if the others can't keep up with his level of skill.
I do have 2 down criticisms of this film. First of all, what's with all the breaking glass? If these apes are super intelligent, wouldn't they realize that broken glass can cut you? (Why didn't any of the apes charging through windows get cut?) Were the directors trying to Make us Lose our sense of disbelief? My other criticism is with the music in the final scene. Whereas Doyle's music worked well through most of the film—in parts almost reminiscent of the film "Born Free" (with full orchestration,)—the final minute of the film following the last line deflated the entire film. IMO this 'deflation' was more due to the musical backdrop than due to the cinematography.
Overall though, Great movie. You want to see this one.