War For the Planet of the Apes Review

PG13: Sequences of sci-fi violence and action, thematic elements, and some disturbing images)

20th Century Fox, Chernin Entertainment, TSG Entertainment

2 Hrs and 22 Minutes

Cast: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, Terry Notary

REVIEW: In 2011, we were given a prequel to the 1960s Planet of the Apes films called Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It was a reimagining of what was the world like before apes took over. That prequel went on to have a sequel that was far much more superior than its predecessor. So far, these recent Planets of the Apes films has been not only of quality in effects but intelligence in its writing. These movies have been pushing the boundaries of your average summer blockbuster. You can see the franchise REvisit here for my full thoughts on these movies. Now, we have War For the Planet of the Apes which is the supposed final film in the Apes trilogy. Like a lot of franchise trilogies, the third entry usually fails to measure up to the first two installments. Will WAR be that entry to bring this franchise on home especially filling the big shoes that was Dawn? 

Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. 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 their species and the future of the planet.

THE GOOD: Two years after the events of Dawn, the intro explains everything you need to know whats going on with the franchise. One of the things the movie establishes from the beginning is that not all apes follow Caesar. If you didn’t remember everything, the intro takes its time to catch you up to speed. Where in the previous film we had Koba who retaliated against the humans out of vengeance and anger, here you have apes that still follow his beliefs but not entirely. Due to some thinking of Caesar as a weak leader, there are some who go against him even long after Koba’s death. Instead of fighting the humans, you have traitors of Caesar fighting alongside them especially a silverback one named Donkey. 

One of the great things about this movie is that even after Koba is gone, a lot of his actions still haunt both the apes and Caesar. Throughout the film, you see Koba as Caesar’s guilty conscious which provides an inner turmoil to him and everything he goes through. When he is blinded by his rage, you see Caesar break his own moral codes he applied onto his tribe. As the film progresses you see Caesar become the ape, he never wanted to become; Koba. 

Don’t think just because this is an intelligent and subtle summer blockbuster; this is devoid of having action sequences. The film opens with a brutal human vs. apes war sequence that feels straight out of Saving Private Ryan (or Saving Primate Ryan). Talk about Gorilla Warfare am I right? You have spurts of blood when an ape is shot with a gun or when a human is shot with an arrow. It emotionally shows the brutality and consequences of war on both opposing sides. Some of the action includes big budgeted explosions, but at the same time, the most intense action sequences it offers are poignant decisions done through silence.

For a PG13 film, the onslaught sequences of violence are so intense that at times it brings you to the verge of tears. The film heavily influences sequences out of biblical films such as Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur. Even last year during New York Comic Con, Matt Reeves confirmed that some of the influences are taken from those films besides many others. Though by description it sounds fantastic how it homages those films, the scenes they take from those movies aren’t pretty. It is not only effective, but it is also emotional. You feel so much for these apes and what the humans do to them that you start crying going:

Usually, in a Summer Blockbusters, we follow the invincible lead where they can never be touched by anyone who threatens them. One thing that sets this far from the rest is something that I haven't seen in a while; a vulnerable lead. You don't see Caesar as an untouchable protagonist. Caesar faces harsh consequences for his actions unarguably worse than the way Tom Felton treated him in the first film. You feel for Caesar more this time around because the suffers through a lot of cruelty which leads to the film having some unsettling depressing moments.

You know how Toy Story 3 was a prison escape movie on top of a Toy Story film, well so is this film. The movie is part western and part prison break. The majority of the movie is Caesar and his apes trying to get out of a human concentration camp. The way the ape escape (no reference/pun attended) is incorporated into the story is on the same creative level as Toy Story 3. I have no idea why great third installments have a prison break narrative but by God does it work. 

Andy Serkis has been making motion capture look cool since 2001. It is now 2017, and I have one question to ask. Whose ass do I need to kick to give Andy Serkis an Oscar nomination? With each Apes film, his performance as Caesar just gets progressively better every time. He was never bad at playing him by any means, but in War, he blows it out of the water. 

Just like Dawn, War retains some of the communication mechanics introduced in that film. You still have the Apes communicating in sign language where subtitles appear on screen. Yup, you’re still going to have to read subtitles. The film also carries over it's dark and serious tone where the sequences of emotion are both unexpected and unsettling. 

When the colonel gets introduced, not only does the stake gets higher, but shit gets real. If you thought the last film felt like Disney’s Lion King, the first act has the tragedy of Finding Nemo. When I say Finding Nemo, I mean the first five minutes of Finding Nemo.

War continues the franchise's social commentary on freedom and the inheritable rights each being should have despite being human or ape, but this time around the film has a major theme of sacrifice and mercy. With Colonel, you might seem to have an underlying threatening antagonist especially the way he’s introduced, but when he reveals his motives, you realize he is a fleshed out character as well. You see why he’s fighting for humanity. As Caesar takes every action that's done against him closer to home, Colonel sees the bigger picture and thinks of humanity's events in the long run.

If you have been following these movies, you feel a lot more resonance with these apes. Not only you care for Caesar, but you also care for his family and his friends. The second half of this film you have Caesar traveling with Maurice and Rocket who were the two apes that have been through everything with him since Rise. These characters are a family, and this film solidifies the bond that all of these apes have with each other. In the first film, we had Rocket who was Caesar’s rival in the ape shelter. In this third entry, not only is he his closest friend but does a noble act of loyalty that many people won’t probably catch onto if they haven’t seen the previous films.

The film introduces us to several new characters that do a solid job by their performers. We have Stave Zahn as Bad Ape who is an Ape from the San Fransisco Zoo. From the different homes that certain apes come from, you learn how they adapted to survive and how they taught themselves speech. Bad Ape is not different because he's just a new character but is different because he's born in a different place and had an upbringing in a way that differs from the rest of the apes we know. Steve Zahn does a great motion capture performance that you wouldn't expect, but then he's not utilized well after his introduction, but we'll get to that soon. 

When Nova is introduced, she's brought onto the screen in a very touching way. We have Maurice finding this mute human and taking her in as his own. You can show that in any movie with just the right amount of dialogue. What elevates this scene into an extraordinary moment in the film is its lack of dialogue, but its capability to express words without using any at all. The entire scene is done through silence where you hear nothing but the score and the noises they make. It is a scene that captures sympathy and compassion so beautifully and no words needed to be said. She even plays an intricate part to the film’s major theme of humanity where she may be human but has the spirit of an ape.

One of the most stellar aspects in the narrative that makes this stand out than the other films are the sequences of silence. This may be the first action movie that had me at the edge of my seat not because of the action but for the moments of conversation between different characters. No movie has made me feel this way in a long time. With just one look on the face of a character, you can tell how they internally feel. When Caesar just looks at Nova for the first time, you see nothing but hatred and resentment just because she’s human. He never expresses this through dialogue, but you can read it from his face. As an audience member, you can quickly analyze how he feels. At times when the characters are saying little, they say a lot just with their facial expressions.

Ever since Rise, I haven't seen these apes as performers in motion caption suits, but fully genuine fleshed out characters. These effects are so damn spectacular that I keep thinking these Apes are the actors. When Caesar is interacting with Woody Harrelson’s Colonel, those scenes are constructed so well that you believe Caesar was a real being that Harrelson was trying to belittle.

THE BAD: Though Steve Zahn is good in the movie, Bad Ape drastically shifts the tone every time he appears onscreen. He is the movie’s comic relief which is unnecessary especially since this franchise succeeds in its consistent dark tone. One of the most heartbreaking scenes can happen, but then the film cuts right to him doing something innocently silly or stupid to be played for laughs.  His comic relief goes from being as passable as Olaf but then becomes Jar-Jar Binks. He’s not offensive as Jar-Jar, but he does destroy the film’s tone. I guess zoo apes are the socially awkward ones.

LAST STATEMENT: War For the Planet of the Apes delivers another entry of thought-provoking themes on top of its layered screenplay and amazing performances throughout. It is a chillingly daring finale that swings through the vines, leaps, and sticks the perfects landing providing not only one of the best films of the summer or the year but also a perfect ending to a trilogy where every film was beyond greatness. It is amazing how the most resonantly dramatic and emotional stories this year is from a film where its lead stars are Apes. This is the most mature and damn near perfect trilogies since Toy Story 3.

Rating: 4.5/5 | 91%

Super Scene: Novas act of kindness