Films > Film Reviews
War For The Planet Of The Apes
Cinema City
18/07/17
Damn dirty apes.
There aren't many things I'd put past James Franco; the sinister consumption of cake, the removal of a limb in a life or death situation, dying before he even appears on screen - but I would never have thought that he'd destroy humanity with a faulty Alzheimers drug, inadvertently raising up both the ape population and a long gestating movie franchise with it. Thank you James Franco, for this act of great kindness. I am incredibly grateful, although I am not upset that your monkey plague killed you.
Barrelling from 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes and 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes is the culmination of the highly successful prequel trilogy and the apex of its design, bringing the story closer in line with the 1968 original as the apes saga begins to come full circle.
Director Matt Reeves, who helmed Dawn for the Planet of the Apes returns for the final part in what shall go down as perhaps the strongest movie trilogy of the decade so far. Where many of the summer blockbusters are formed from pre-existing stock and franchise, War for the Planet of the Apes takes an established formula and entrenched recognisability and reforms it as a somber and satisfying film worthy of recognition in a sea of mediocrity. Following on two years from the ending of the previous instalment, War for the Planet of the Apes sees the series lead Caesar (Andy Serkis) leading his community of sentient apes in a desperate war for survival as they come under assault from the human forces of The Colonel (Woody Harrelson). Battered and broken, Caesar undergoes a deadly mission to end the threat once and for all and win peace for his people and peace for himself.
Part revenge thriller, part existential voyage into the unknown, War for the Planet of the Apes is a complex mix of science fiction underpinnings, war movies and unilateral nostalgia. Its blossoming soundtrack provided by Michael Giacchino echoes the sounds of the franchise in years gone by, a fresh twist on an old formula that feels new in the currently unremarkable state of film soundtracks. In many ways, War for the Planet of the Apes offers an antithesis to modern Hollywood; where a film such as Transformers might head straight into the action, War for the Planet of the Apes takes its time and imbues the viewer with a full cast of likeable heroes and villains. Woody Harrelson chews the scenery beautifully in what could have been a pastiche mash-up of Gary Oldman's character in the previous instalment - his more sinister yet still sympathetic edge keeps the film from dropping into farce as you engage with both ape and man, and the existential crisis this provides.
Andy Serkis, as always, steals the show. His portrayal of a haunted leader is the centre on which the film is tethered; achieved with immaculate motion capture work and CGI, Caesar and the other apes encapsulate and emote to levels of remarkable complexity. To believe that an orangutan called Maurice or a chimpanzee called Bad Ape could relate and be related to on an emotional level such as this defies conventional thought. Performances recorded more through body language and gesture sell these unconventional yet truly believable beings to such an extent that as a viewer you'll cease to realise it's all a trick, an elaborate lie; there is no movie magic here for this truly is a planet of apes.
Fully enjoyable and satisfying, this instalment of The Planet of The Apes brings its refreshed story to a gratifying close. Together apes are strong, and together this trilogy is nigh untouchable, so please do yourselves all a great favour and prepare yourself for the height of the summer season so far.