Welcome to the planet of the spoilers.
Building off the events of Rise of the planet of the apes, this film expands on the origins of everyone’s favorite speaking simians.
Very rarely does a remake/reboot capture ones imagination in the way this film does.  Director Matt Reeves has crafted a film that stands as a singular science fiction piece while serving as an entryway to the original material without discounting the first films.
As much as this could be considered a “reboot” there is nothing here that couldn’t lead into the original planet of the apes series.
The films effects draw one in and immerse the audience seamlessly into this world with masterful cinematography and editing.
What makes a piece of science fiction good is when the storytellers take real human issues that might make an audience uncomfortable, such as racism, class separation, our over reliance on technology, and makes them more palatable by presenting them in a fantastic way that entertains but keeps the audience thinking long after they have left the theater.
This film is anchored by the amazing performances of Andy Serkis as Ceasar, leader of the apes, and Jason Clarke as Malcolm, one of the human leaders. The tenuous alliance and friendship they form make the heart of the film beat with such poignancy and intensity. Gary Oldman and Kerri Russle give solid supporting performances but its fair to say the trailers have given a false impression as to the nature of Oldman’s performance.
What the film manages to do brilliantly is create a world that grows organically and until the final reel, doesn’t rely on the blockbuster hero versus villian tropes. Every character human and ape alike have realistic motivations that drive the story and holds a mirror up to our own prejudices and misconceptions.
As the war between apes and humans come to a head in the final act the movie’s intentions become clear and we realize, it was never about us against them. It will always be us against ourselves.