Review of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) by Phil S — 30 Sep 2017

I had to think about this one a lot because on the one hand there's no denying the technical prowess that went into this film from not only a special effects standpoint but also in terms of overall direction.

There's a real sense of grit to it and at times its deliberately slow pacing is refreshing amidst a sea of shallow and brisk popcorn flicks that currently engulf the cinemas. At the same time though it really does move at a glacial pace, so much so that more often than not it works against the movie.

I frequently found myself drifting away in other thoughts and missing dialogue because it would get too caught up in its own grandiose ambitions and failed to keep the plot moving forward. I appreciate Matt Reeves' attempts to bring weight and substance, but at the end of the day I do still go to the movies to be entertained, and there just wasn't enough here to keep me emotionally invested.

I feel like this would have worked much better if it were shortened and combined with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, especially considering that Dawn was where the real war happened. This film was more of an allegory for the life of Anne Frank than it was a war story, which of course there's nothing wrong with that either, but it should be titled appropriately and still be more investing than it was.

As it unfortunately turned out though, War is just too dull and overburdened with unnecessary length.