It’s 2012. The planets are aligning; if you glance upwards into a star-filled sky, you’ll see Venus, Jupiter and Mars are all visible. If you read the Daily Mail, you’ll know that a “Death Star” has been seen “refueling” at the surface of the Sun (genuine news story). And, if you’re awesome, you’ll know that dystopian epic “The Hunger Games” is hitting cinemas everywhere. End of the world? Time for a drink then…

43 years on from Charlton Heston’s first encounter with a society of talking apes, this origin story finally explains exactly why monkeys started wearing helmets. And what a story it is. Unknown director Rupert Wyatt has effortlessly gold-plated his CV with this intelligent and engaging blockbuster, which may well see Andy Serkis win the first ever Oscar awarded for a motion capture performance. A triumph.