Review – War for the Planet of the Apes
The final chapter in the Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy is a perfect ending to one of cinema’s greatest trilogies. War for the Planet of the Apes ranks with Return of the Jedi (1983) and Toy Story 3 (2010) as the greatest finale to a trilogy I have ever seen. This is a bold, epic, beautifully shot movie and one of the best movies of 2017.
War takes place two years after the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are on the run from a large military group hunting them, led by a man simply known as The Colonel (Woody Harrelson). After suffering an unimaginable loss at the hands of The Colonel and his men, Caesar sets out on a revenge mission that puts himself and his entire colony in danger.
One of the best aspects about this Apes trilogy is how the movies are so different, yet are so similar at the same time. Rise of the Planets of the Apes (2011) played out like a science fiction thriller. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) was an action-packed, Shakespearean drama in the same vein as Macbeth. And here, in War, the movie is a revenge, escape film with ties to war, slavery, and religion. Caesar, usually more level-headed than most apes, is hellbent on getting revenge on The Colonel for what he did and will risk his life so that he pays. This allows The Colonel to capture Caesar and shocking images and scenes reminiscent of the Holocaust and slavery of the 1800’s add a darkness this series had yet to tackle. We also get a really cool escape film that reminded me of The Great Escape (1963), as Caesar tries to break free himself and hundreds of apes from the clutches of The Colonel. Director Matt Reeves masterfully meshes all of these genres together, making for an epic movie that is different than most blockbusters or sequels.
It is time for the Academy to recognize Andy Serkis for his extraordinary work as Caesar. Since Rise, Serkis has redefined what a motion-capture performance is. Serkis gives Caesar so much depth and emotion, you don’t look at him as a monkey. The entire Apes series has been about the rise of Caesar and War is his peak. There is a Moses-like feel to the story of Caesar, as he leads an entire group of apes from enslavement to freedom. He risks everything for his ape family and every ape respects him. We also see him at his most conflicted here in War. The events of Dawn still haunt him, particularly letting Koba die. He feels guilty about killing him, but knows that he was drunk with power and letting him live would have only hurt the apes even more. Koba brought the apes into this war and now Caesar must get them out. This is a remarkable performance and I don’t know if there is another actor who could have given Caesar this much life.
Woody Harrelson also give another great performance as The Colonel. This is easily the best performance by a human in this series. He’s menacing, vengeful, and actually has a good motivation for why he is doing what he is doing. Harrelson is one of the best actors in Hollywood and this is another great performance for him. I also really enjoyed Steve Zahn as Bad Ape. He added some much needed humor and fun to this incredibly tense movie.
War for the Planet of the Apes solidifies this Planet of Apes trilogy as a crowning achievement in cinema. Matt Reeves has created a movie that is intense, gripping, and thrilling, that is full of heart and has perfectly timed humor. This is a film with deep themes in religion, revenge, power, and humanity while also being technically astounding. This is one of the very best movies of 2017.
Did you see War for the Planet of the Apes? What did you think? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.