[The_Return]

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

In a lot of ways this could be the worst major movie I've seen in a very long time - the script ranges from painfully cheesy at best to nothing short of pandering at worst - and even though the cast list is phenomenal, most of their talents go completely wasted.

But, on the other hand...this could be one of the best movies I've seen this year. Normally I'm not big on CGI, but the motion capture work here is stunning - Andy Serkis's performance as Caesar was absolutely breathtaking. I can't even begin to describe how impressed I was not just with the effects, but with every movement, every look, every expression...everything came through with such an incredible power that the flaws of the movie just seemed to disappear.

On top of that, once the real action scenes get started...nothing else really matters. I'll admit that I'm a sucker for large-scale destruction, but only when its done well - and believe me when I say that this is some of the best I've seen.

I was genuinely surprised at how much I loved this movie...went in expecting very, very little and left thoroughly impressed. If you can look past the flaws, which aren't too difficult to forget, this one shouldn't be missed.