Review of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) by Brian S — 21 Dec 2017

The simian franchise that originated back in 1968 got into reboot territory (dismiss Tim Burton's 2001 atrocity) with an OK start with 2011s Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which led into a very good sequel with 2014s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and has now seemingly wrapped up into a pretty good trilogy with 2017s War for the Planet of the Apes-a beautifully shot, directed and acted film that is slightly brought down by a bogged down script.

With some truly amazing visual effects, Andy Serkis once again brings Caesar to life who has now found his toughest foe in the vein of Woody Harrelson and the two pit against one another in physical (and philosophical) warfare.

There are some great scenes thrown in this (very long) 140 minute running time but the pacing becomes an issue with logic put aside for plot progression (which is an issue as the post-reboot "Apes" films follow an internal logic) but by the time the snow settles, it becomes a satisfying close to a trilogy at a time when true trilogies are becoming rarer.