Review of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) by Joshua S — 29 Aug 2017

It's actually kind of surprising how the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy isn't more of a "thing" with pop culture. I mean sure, all three movies have been critically acclaimed and enjoyed some financial success, but in an age of reboot frenzy and endless franchises Apes seems to have a small footprint on the world stage. Which is a damn shame because each one of these movies is bloody great, with each one being more entertaining than the last. I've written before that the second film, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, was an outright masterpiece and I still subscribe to that opinion. The third, and hopefully final piece, War for the Planet of the Apes, is a somber meditation on violence, revenge, family, and mortality.

Like its predecessor, War for the Planet of the Apes takes elements from the forgotten Battle for the Planet of the Apes. But as where Dawn seemed to resemble Kingdom of Heaven in terms of thematic material, War boldly takes from Apocalypse Now. This is made obvious from a few scenes and Easter eggs but it is made most apparent in our antagonist - The Colonel. Woody Harrelson lumbers across the screen as a sociopathic former US military officer who commands a small division of right-wing SS fanatics. Preaching of "holy war" and speaking primarily in apocalyptic language, he ruthlessly enslaves or slaughters any ape or infected human encountered. Much like the Boltons from Game of Thrones, he has a penchant for mutilating his victims and placing them on X-shaped crosses outside the walls of his snowy fortress as a warning. (Yes, I made another GoT reference, get over it.) Harrelson's look and mannerisms mimic Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now and a few key scenes highlight this allusion. Facing him is our returning hero Caesar, mo-caped and portrayed by Andy Serkis. As the protagonist of this trilogy, we have watched Caesar grow as a character from the beginning, and it is truly heartbreaking watching him endure the hardships that War throws at him and his clan. Serkis delivers as we have come to expect, and his total commitment is award worthy. The scenes in which Caesar and the Colonel face off are the highlights of the movie. Still, the crux of the film lies in the familial relationships between the apes and the choices they make.

Matt Reeves has success filming both the heavy drama and the action, just as he did with Dawn with plenty of long takes and a good slow pace to let key scenes breathe. (If Reeves in indeed helming the next Batman flick, then the internet has little to worry about, Ben Affleck or not.) The CGI on the primates continues to improve and in conjunction with the mo-cap, we can see a beautiful range of emotion from the actors to the final result on screen. War is a particularly dark film, but it has excellent payoff and provides one of the greatest endings to a trilogy ever. Dawn is still the best in terms of pure cinematic merit, but War for the Planet of the Apes is easily the most entertaining. Perhaps there will be follow-ups on down the road, but if this were to be the finale then I would be completely satisfied and relieved. This is mandatory viewing, as it is one of the best pictures of the year and provides a clear rubric for crafting large scale action/dramas.