No spoilers.
Loved it. I've never made any secret of the fact that I'm a Planet Of The Apes nerd. I probably watch the original twice a year and the score is a regular listen as well. That said, it's the only one I care to own. The others from the original franchise are guilty pleasures if they come on cable, with the only exception being Beneath - that one I can't stand. I think the Burton remake is terrible. The whole thing is just more of Burton's single-note style of film making. Burton Aesthetic first, story second.
This new one, an origin story, was really done well. It's an origin story in the truest sense of the phrase. I found it interesting and really felt for the main character, Caesar. It really is a very Caesar-centric film, which made it for me.
Which brings me to my only criticism of the film - Franco. His character is fine, as is the story around him. What jumped out at me after about thirty minutes is his lack of depth or range. He's little more than a script reader. However, because the story isn't really about his character, per se, I really didn't care. Same for Freda Pinto. She's window dressing with what I would guess is maybe 10 minutes of screen time total.
The CGI wasn't glaring at all and it never took me out of the movie. I was more interested in the story and Caesar. To Planet Of The Apes nerds, there are a few references back to the original (some obvious, some subtle) and I thought they were all done either interestingly or tastefully. The film ends leaving a clear opening for a second film. Speaking of which, stay for the titles because a sequel question is answered during them.
In closing: Later this year, my Planet Of The Apes DVD collection will double in size. I give Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes an easy 5 out of 5 chocolate chip cookies.
