IN the 1970s, a series of science fiction films captivated impressionable young people like me. And I’m not talking about Star Wars. Before Luke Skywalker saved the galaxy, the movie franchise that I was obsessed with was Planet of the Apes.

So when I walked into Bournemouth’s ABC cinema recently to discover a giant standee bearing the title Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I felt goose-bumps rising.

I don’t know whether the new Apes film will be any good. But it’s encouraging that it’s garnered a positive review from one expert – Dr Alison Cronin of Dorset’s Monkey World.

Dr Cronin praises the film-makers for not using animals in the film, and for what promises to be a thoughtful approach to the subject of experimentation on primates.

One of the many offences humans have inflicted on apes is the way primates have been used as fodder for entertainment.

Sometimes they have been treated kindly by the showbiz industry, sometimes badly, but always their dignity has been in peril.

The original Apes films featured human actors. But the new one, which sets up the present-day origins of the story, could easily have made use of real animals.

Instead, Dr Cronin says, “The ethical way in which this film was made is unique for Hollywood.”

That is one quote that the makers of any film should be proud to put on the posters