Thrilling reboot of the franchise

Rating: Null/10 (17 September 2011)

I wasn't expecting much with this movie but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
It is part action thriller, part sci-fi part prison drama and by rattling along at a frenetic pace it doesn't allow you to think too much about any plot holes.
The basic plot premise is that a chimp whose mother had been given an experimental drug for Alzheimers is smuggled out of the the lab. It seems the drug has given this chimp an amazing intellect (for a chimp anyway.) Eventually he comes into contact with other apes and it starts to start looking bad from here for humanity. At less than two hours the running time is perfect to keep the pace of the movie going and there is a great climactic action sequence on the Golden Gate Bridge. There is also a subtle tie back to the 60's Charlton Heston "Planet of the Ape" movies.
No doubt there will be sequels to follow and based on this franchise opener I'll be looking forward to them.