Review of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) by Patrick L — 20 Oct 2017

"Perfect is the one word to describe "War for the Planet of the Apes". This stunning and mind-blowing blockbuster is without a doubt the best film of the summer so far.".

Movie Review: War for the Planet of the Apes.

Date Viewed: July 14 2017.

Directed By Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Let Me In and Cloverfield).

Written By Mark Bomback and Matt Reeves, Based on characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver.

Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Ty Olsson, Michael Adamthwaite, Amiah Miller, Sara Canning, Max Lloyd-Jones, Devyn Dalton, Aleks Paunovic, Gabriel Chavarria, Toby Kebbell and Judy Greer.

This is what summer tentpole films should look like. "War for the Planet of the Apes" is master-class blockbuster filmmaking, it does so much so well, I can't recommend it any higher. Not only is it thrilling and exciting, it's also emotionally powerful, heartbreaking and disturbing. "War for the Planet of the Apes" also stands as one of the best movie trilogies ever. Just about everything in "War for the Planet of the Apes" is engrossing: The screenplay, Matt Reeves' direction, the production design, the cinematography, the motion-capture performances, the stunning visual effects and the visceral musical score. Michael Giacchino who also did the score to "Spider-Man: Homecoming" has crafted one of the best scores I've ever listened to, it is both haunting and majestic.

Matt Reeves who previously helmed "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" doesn't go for the usual blockbuster materials, he went with his gut and took the rebooted "Apes" series to dark and unexpected routes. The script by Reeves and Mark Bomback (Live Free or Die Hard, Unstoppable, Race to Witch Mountain and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) taps into the series' allegorical aspects such as obsession, revenge, the dangers of war and sacrifice and it also takes inspirations from classic war epics such as "The Great Escape", "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Apocalypse Now".

Who would've thought that putting actors in motion-capture technology would be the DNA to this series' success? Motion-capture artist Andy Serkis returns for his most challenging and deliberately stunning performance yet as Caesar. After leading his fellow Apes to freedom in "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and failing to make peace with the humans in "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes", Caesar (Serkis) and his fellow apes are forced into conflict with the humans but he didn't endorse any war, he fights only to survive and protect his fellow apes.

Even though his friend-turned-rival Koba (Toby Kebbell) is now dead, he still exists in Caesar's nightmares. Caesar and allies have little opposition under their wings but one human, The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) becomes hellbent on obliterating the Apes for good. When the Colonel discovers his hideout and murders Caesar's wife, Cornelia (Judy Greer) and son, Blue-Eyes (Max Lloyd-Jones), Caesar becomes just as hellbent as the Colonel and he patches up a suicide mission to track down and kill the Colonel.

Accompanied by his companions, the wise orangutan, Maurice (Karin Konoval), Rocket (Terry Notary) and the Western lowland gorilla, Luca (Michael Adamthwaite), Caesar sets out for a perilous journey and along the way he and his fellow apes are joined by an orphaned mute human girl named Nova (Amiah Miller) and a fearful loner ape named "Bad Ape" (Steve Zahn). Even though he has a few moments of comic relief, "Bad Ape" thankfully isn't portrayed as a goofy sidekick, he too has an emotional arc to him. "Bad Ape" was living in a zoo before the Simian Flu outbreak began which annihilated the human race and became a hermit ape until he comes across Caesar and his camp. He tells Caesar that the Colonel is running a sort-of death camp where several apes are being held captive.

"War for the Planet of the Apes" is an amazing technical achievement all the way through. The motion-capture performances are terrific, the epic battle sequences are incredible and the pitch-perfect screenplay is all of these things, smart, political, dire and tragic. The cinematography by Michael Seresin is not only beautiful to look at, it also matches the outlook of the story.

Caesar and the Colonel are the most important characters in this story because both of them deal with their inner demons and have dangerous agendas. Andy Serkis is great in all three of these movies, he goes through a massive character arc and his quest for revenge takes him to a much darker path. When "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" came out six years ago, everybody was saying that Serkis should get a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his masterful motion-capture work but the Oscar establishment ignored him because he was just playing an ape. So what? If famous actors can get Oscar consideration for putting on tons of make-up or a rubber nose, why can't an actor get nominated for doing great motion-capture work? Serkis is so great in this film as Caesar, I think it would be hard for the Oscar establishment to ignore him. Woody Harrelson is ruthless and cunning is his role as the Colonel and Steve Zahn is excellent in his motion-capture supporting role as "Bad Ape".

Even though "War for the Planet of the Apes" keeps the traditional summer movie PG-13 rating, it is a more adult-oriented film than any of this summer's big-budget blockbusters which are always primarily aimed towards the pre-teen audience. We'll always remember the original 1968 "Planet of the Apes" for being a fun and cheesy sci-fi classic but we'll also remember the rebooted "Apes" films for having complex stories and taking big risks and yes, people will forget about the 2001 remake Tim Burton directed.

Apparently Fox is repping up plans for another "Planet of the Apes" film but I think it would be a cautious mistake to continue the series. Director Matt Reeves has effectively wrapped the series on a high-note so it would be foolish for the studio to continue the "Apes" prequel series with a fourth installment unless it is told wisely. Perfect is the one word to describe "War for the Planet of the Apes". This stunning and mind-blowing blockbuster is without a doubt the best film of the summer so far.