Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

This is my first review.  The reason is simply that this is the film I have seen most recently.  I have now seen it twice.  To put it simply this film is really good.  It entertained as much on the second viewing as it did on the first.  Even knowing what was going to happen in it, it keeps you gripped throughout.  Actually, the second time round it’s probably slightly better as having had time to reflect on the actions and motivations of the people (and apes) in the film, you realise just how well thought through and well worked the story and characters are.
I obviously don’t intend to give too much away on new films in these reviews so there is little detail I can give on various aspects of it.
In terms of it’s entertainment value, as I said, it keeps you gripped throughout, even on a second viewing.  I find myself getting emotionally involved in the life and struggles of every character.  You could very easily root for every character in this film, save one, and even with that one, were circumstances slightly different, you could root for him as well.
What’s really most entertaining though is that the story is pretty grand and in depth at the same time.  You can really see how things have developed since Rise of the Planet of the Apes and you can see how they could continue to develop into the future actual planet where apes rule.  As such, you swept into world which, for 2 hours and 10 minutes is real and possible. 
The way the characters are portrayed and the way things cut together and the CGI of the apes mean that there is nothing that detracts at all from the story telling and therefore nothing that brings you back to reality and jars the experience.
So therefore I have to rate this as a truly excellent film and up there with the best I have seen at the cinema this year so far, maybe the best.
I’m going to give this film 90/100.

I have two gripes with the film, only two.  They are both minor and one is really a gripe with the first film (and has a slight spoiler of the first film in it).  The first is the title.  You dawn then rise.  These films have been named the wrong way round.  The second is really with the first film.  Even though James Franco’s dad had Alzheimer's in the film, I still find it hard to believe that global genetics firm would decide to create ALZ-113, the drug that began all this.  ALZ-112, maybe.  ALZ-112 is a injected virus based cure for the disease.  ALZ-113 is airborne and much more aggressive.  Why oh why would they create an airborne aggressive virus that has the side effect of killing humans and making apes super intelligent?  It doesn’t detract that much in terms of believability in and of itself, but as it is the first link in the chain of events that leads to apes ruling the planet, it has to be a VERY strong link.  For me, it isn’t quite strong enough as I find it quite hard to believe that they would have made the drug.