Film Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

British film makers seem to offer the best, most intelligent "popcorn movies / summer blockbusters" these days: Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Night) and Duncan Jones (Moon, Source Code) have shown how to do it, and Rupert Wyatt is following in their footsteps, without being a copy cat. His first feature film "The Escapist", a small independent UK production, seemed to be just another prison break film; it was much more than that though, and despite the underlying action a very emotional and engaging story (8/10 - the best prison film since Shawshank Redemption). Equally, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is not just another big Sci-Fi action flick, but indeed a moving story about sickness, death, friendship, betrayal and corporate greed. The best thing is: it works! For fans of the franchise the film offers a "how it all started" account that fits perfectly into the lore, for everyone else it provides two hours of clever entertainment. There is really only one fly in the ointment, which I think can be easily forgiven: why the apes keep flying through window panes completely effortlessly without taking even the tiniest cut is completely incomprehensible. Other than that: Enjoy!! 7/10