Directed by: Matt Reeves
Written by: Matt Reeves, Mark Bomback
Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn
IMDb Link
A disclaimer before I start: The movie is great, easily one of the best blockbusters this year, but its advertising rings pretty false. War for the Planet of the Apes hits closer to Apocalypse Now via The Great Escape with talking apes. While this still ultimately makes for an excellent movie, it's barely a shadow of the 'war' that it's been touted as, which does feature loud and proud by film's end, but doesn't permeate the whole experience.. This isn't a knock on the movie itself but its advertising, which doesn't affect the film's overall quality, but I still feel needs to be addressed. Alright, on to the review.
This is the culmination of Caesar's journey. War begins its story two years after the events of Dawn, looking at the effect Koba's aggressive actions had on the apes and the military retaliation that ensued. The filmmakers also did the smart thing and put the focus of the film squarely on Caesar; the series has lived on the back of his awesome, Moses-esque character arc, so they smartly shifted all of the attention towards him, and how the events of the previous films continue to affect him. Even the human military conflict gets immediately rolled in to an event that challenges Caesar's very being to his very core, and sparks a change his view tainted by both his actions towards Koba in Dawn and the actions of Woody Harrelson's Colonel. That's a complicated way of putting it, but it's the best I can do without giving the exact details away. If you don't want to hear any plot details, skip straight to The Verdict.
*Warning: Spoilers Ahead*
The Colonel kills Caesar's wife and son, setting him off on a revenge quest with the help of Maurice, Rocket and Luca, three apes you should recognise from the previous films. In doing so, he leaves his people to head in the direction of an area Rocket scouted. What follows is a well thought out examination of Caesar's character and his creed, most importantly showing that his actions have consequences, which ultimately leads to Caesar and his clan's imprisonment and escape. This film does a great job in its foreshadowing, every event simultaneously setting up another event later on. It's really strong storytelling, with a lot of "this happens because that happened because that happened", and a meaningful if a little trite use of tragic irony. At the best of times it's poetic, such as the death of The Colonel coming by what he fears most, delivered in the hands of a child's toy that, had he known the origins of, he would've burned immediately. My other favourite example is the capture or Caesar's clan, which only happens because he abandoned them to get vengeance for his family. In losing his focus on finding safety for his clan, he ultimately puts them in harm's way. At the worst times it's just events being glossed over for the sake of time, or feels a little forced (Apocalypse Now references are less than subtle, calling the apes 'Kong' like 'Viet Cong', or graffiti in a sewer saying 'Ape-Apocalypse Now' aren't the film's best moments when the whole journey in to hell is already noted). The little girl Nova goes from looking over the body of her father, killed by the apes she stands before, to riding with those same apes, in one cut to another. Admittedly, her cognitive degeneration could account for this, but the films spends absolutely no time on it. It should also be noted that a noticeable number of events in the film can only occur due to the incompetence of the military in the film, which isn't a bad idea given the state of humanity in this world, but it becomes awfully convenient to the point of ridiculousness. A little girl walks straight in to a military base and comforts Caesar, without being spotted, despite spotlights shining over her multiple times. The way the music swells combined with the way the sequence is shot tells me that she could be an allegory for something, maybe an angel (the latter half of the film is laden with Christian imagery, so it's not too much of a reach), but it's a strange sequence even with that in mind. Overall, the writing's highs more than make up for the rare lows, as every time the script shifts back to the incredible badass that is Caesar, now desperate and stripped of what he loves most, we get to see growth as he becomes more like Koba, which teaches him sympathy to Koba's circumstance, which leads to him realising his actions' likeness to Koba's, which leads to him confronting with his hatred head on and learning from it to re-affirm his previously deconsructed ideology. That's not just good writing, it's so much more than what most blockbusters offer nowadays. I really appreciated this story, and the trek Caesar takes to set his character to what he believed to be its most right.
I've spent so much time on the story I don't have room for much else, so I'll finish with the film's visual effects. The apes already looked incredible in Dawn, but they stepped up their game in War. the apes look even more realistic than before, a fact I think is most helped by their focus on the hair covering the apes, with seems a lot more wispy and varied, with individual strands here and there to give each ape a very 'real' look to them. Along with Serkis at his best with Caesar, the two factors combine to make it incredibly easy to attach yourself to CGI apes. This one will probably get the Oscar next year, although Dunkirk may give it a run for its money.
The Verdict: War for the Planet of the Apes is an exceptional ending to an excellent series. Caesar's story is one filled with believable growth and change, and the film's choice to focus on him as the lynch pin for just about every event in the film allows a lot of room for him to display his strong characterisation while Serkis portrays him wonderfully. Do see this film, especially if you've seen the previous ones.
Rating: 8/10
Published Thursday, 27th of July, 2017
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