10 Great Sci-Fi Movies For People Who Don't Like Sci-Fi

10. Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes

The Planet Of The Apes franchise has never been the hardest of sci fi, but as the original series wore on, the films became increasingly submerged in the murk of lame mythology and fantastical gimmicks that put the average viewer off (they also simply weren’t very good).

The new Apes trilogy cast all that aside in favour of more serious, focused storytelling and genuinely incredible effects. Later films brought in action and war genre elements, but the first of the reboot is perhaps the best, at least from a sci fi element.

It’s a timely film: an experimental drug greatly ups the intelligence in apes, while creating a pandemic that quickly sweeps across the human race. More so than its sequels, Rise is perfectly paced - we follow Caesar, a former laboratory chimp who grows to resent humanity and lead his simian brethren to freedom.

The human star of the film is James Franco, but this (along with the other films) is all about Andy Serkis, whose motion capture performance as Caesar is award worthy. Rise builds in tension to an incredible finale on the Golden Gate Bridge which will have you cheering for an army of CGI apes.