This is kind of a strange movie: the ape parts are absolutely genius, but anything that has to do with humans is garbage. The humans storylines are incredibly stupid: labs never sedate dangerous chimps, employees get to take home experimental drugs on a whim, there are no security measures, everything is made of glass, and everybody is a one-dimensional caricature that has never learned about foresight. I could write multiple pages on all the stupid decisions and actions made by humans in this film that would never even have been considered in real life. It's a bit weird that we're rooting for the apes by the end and want to see the humans fall. And of course, there's the usual sign of terrible writing where characters look dramatically at each other instead of talking which would literally fix everything.
HOWEVER. The ape sections truly are stunning. The Avatar mo-cap is excellently used, leading to some of the most thrilling scenes I've seen in a movie this year. Ceasar the chimp feels incredibly real, and you truly feel for him, moreso than any other animal I've seen in a movie. The effects work is exemplary save for the usual strange slight "WETA sheen" that seems to be in everything that company touches (most obvious with King Kong).
So I'd say definitely see it for the apes.
