Review of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) by Ethan J — 21 Jul 2017

'WAR_FOR_THE_PLANET_OF_THE_APES' was_directed_by_Matt_Reeves_and stars Andy_Serkis, Woody_Harrelson_and_Karin_Konoval. ?Caesar (Andy_Serkis) and_his_apes_are_forced_into_a_deadly_conflict_with_an_army_of humans led_by_a_ruthless_colonel (Woody_Harrelson). After_the_apes_suffer unimaginable_losses, Caesar_wrestles_with_his_darker_instincts_and begins_his_own_mythic_quest_to_avenge_his_kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both of their species and the future of the planet.

Let me start of by saying that if the action was the main reason you liked Rise and Dawn, this movie is not for you. It contains some well done action but it is a drama film first and foremost. If you accept the movie for that(and have watched Rise & Dawn), I imagine you will love this movie.

Let's start with the story. War is a deep, dark, harrowing story about what humanity will do to save itself. That is a deep question for a movie about talking apes. It asks the audience if they would give up their humanity, to save humanity and that is powerful stuff. It is a genuinely harrowing question that I adore this movie for addressing. The ending for this movie is beautiful and poetic. It is the perfect end to a great trilogy. I will not spoil the ending but just know it is a very emotional experience that combines the harrowing questions of what is humanity with the spectacular buildup coming off Rise and Dawn. The writers of this trilogy could literally just have dumb plots that give us an excuse for apes to fight. They COULD do that but they don't. Each movie has given us a great, thought provoking story and making it the primary focus for this movie was a dangerous risk which I am pleased to say payed off. The overarching arc for this trilogy story wise has been excellent and is very rewarding for people who see the movies one after each other. I have NO complains with the plot and script for this movie; it is excellent.

One more note on the dialogue. There is a chilling monologue from Woody Harrellson near the midpoint of the movie. It serves as an exposition dump, which is annoying, but the way they handled it makes me not care in the slightest. I got goosebumps on my arms from the writing of that one scene(you'll know it when you see it) and that is something I must praise the stellar crew behind this movie for.

I've said it once, I've said it twice. I'll say it one last time, Academy. Give Andy Serkis a god damn Oscar. He deserves it! His performance throughout these movies is realistic in portraying an ape, and also a brilliant achievement in making an ape show emotion. Serkis has proved his worth multiple times and it is about time we show him he is appreciated. As much as I loved Hugh Jackman in 'Logan', Serkis deserves the Oscar. And unless something else comes out this year which sways my opinion, I will stand by it.

My, and pretty much everyone,'s primary criticism with Rise and Dawn was the exceptionally weak human characters. This film changed that. Woody Harrellson gives a powerhouse performance as The Colonel and made him a terrifying villain. I don't quite agree he was better than Koba(Toby Kobell) but Koba had more time to develop and I think that was the reason he has the edge. I've mentioned the brilliance in the writing that made that monologue great but it was also Harrelson's performance. He gave me the chills and that is impressive. The most scary thing about The Colonel, however, is, well two things but they go hand in hand, the fact he remains nameless, and the fact I understand his point of view. Not giving him a name makes him more scary because it means that it could be any one person. It doesn't blame someone specific and it implies that anyone could become him given the circumstances. Giving him understandable motives also relates to this because it genuinely makes me question my own morality and humanity and makes me think what I would do in the situation he was in. It is rare a movie villain can do that and I truly applaud the film for that. The Colonel's end was also fitting and expertly handled.

Karin Konoval has been consistently good throughout the entire trilogy. Steve Zahn's Bad Ape had the unfortunate job of the comic relief. He had to be funny and stupid but not to the point where he was annoying and obnoxious. And Zahn pulled this off expertly. I never disliked Bad Ape and consistently found him funny. He was a welcome addition to the film.

The cinematography for this movie is breathtaking. I was gobsmacked for one very specific sequence in this movie towards the end, purely because of how beautifully it was shot and edited. The entire trilogy has been consistently impressive to look at cinematography wise but this film takes the icing on the cake in that department.

If this franchise is robbed of ONE MORE best visual effects Oscar, I will lose my mind. The fact that the visual effects team can transform human being into living, breathing apes need to be commended. It is visually stunning and the CGI is flawless. This is a technical marvel on the same level as The Jungle Book. Yeah, I went there.

All in all, War for the Planet of the Apes is a change of pace from the previous two installments but that does not mean it holds any punches. The minuscule amount of action used was great but I'm glad they committed to a drama story. If you accept this film as a drama, not action film; you will love it a lot more. And if you haven't seen Rise or Dawn, watch them before this movie. You will get the most enjoyment possible that way. I'll rate this movie a flawless 10 BAD APES out of 10!