"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" debuted this week and, to the joy of most critics, knocked "Transformers: Age of Extinction" out of the top spot at the box office.
The sequel to 2011's "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and reboot of the 1960s franchise even beat 20th Century Fox's expectations.
Los Angeles Times reports the studio expected an opening between $55 and $60 million but the film ended up raking in $73 million, which is almost $20 million dollars more than "Rise."
And it's gotten overwhelmingly positive reviews. It is currently sitting at a 91 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
In a film that is pitting man against ape, critics are pointing out its the apes that steal the show. (Via 20th Century Fox / "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes")
Andy Serkis returns as lead-ape Ceasar and many are pointing at his mastery of motion capture technology as one of the film's greatest strengths. (Via WNYW)
IGN writes there is no "deeper, more nuanced performance this year than what Serkis does in this film."
And Slate agrees saying: "Whatever alchemy of high-end animation technology and actorly skill it was that brought this philosopher-ape to life, Caesar made for a gripping and unusually complex antihero."
While everyone praises the apes, Peter Travers points out for Rolling Stone that it is the flat and generic human characters that help them stand out.
Shockingly enough, Time points out that the science fiction of the film isn't as far off as you would think.
Chimp expert Frans de Waal says the strategic thinking apes do in the film isn't that unrealistic and that apes do regularly plan for the future. They are also quite territorial and have the capacity to wage war. (Via Time)
Whether that makes the film more exciting or more terrifying is up to you.
