WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
Ape-ocalypse Wow!
Looks like Woody Harrelson’s picked a fight with the wrong species. Sad.
released OuT NOW! 2017 | 12a | 140 minutes
Director Matt reeves Cast andy serkis, Woody Harrelson, Terry Notary, steve Zahn
“Apes together, strong.” Chimpanzee Caesar’s catchy socialist credo first made an appearance in Rise, was repeated in Dawn, and is fully explored in War, the best blockbuster of the summer and the finest trilogy capper since Toy Story 3.
Like Toy Story, War was crafted in computers. Unlike Toy Story, you can’t tell. War is as close to photorealistic as CGI gets, and director Matt Reeves knows it – frequently risking a trip to the uncanny valley with multiple long close-ups, finding intense emotional responses instead.
But forget the effects: the story of the lessons Caesar (Andy Serkis) learns on his rampage of revenge against the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) is just as impressive – layered, elegant and powerful. After an opening that feels like a finale, Caesar finds himself hating humans as much as Koba did in Dawn. If that all sounds a bit dark, that’s because it is. But moments of levity (thanks to new character Bad Ape) and beauty (look out for a blossoming tree) break up the bleakness.
Part Western, part prison drama, part war movie, War’s closest parallel is Logan – another stirring piece of pulp that isn’t afraid to go adult/take risks. The result is a stunning conclusion that works as a perfect prequel to the Apes films of the ’60s and ’70s.
Even if it wasn’t a lead-in to one of the all-time great sci-fi franchises, this trilogy would be hailed as a masterwork. Its evolution across the three films is as impressive as Caesar’s journey from silent ape to talking leader. It’s so rare for trilogies to work as one complete tale, but each chapter of this story is essential. Apes together are strong. These films are too. Sam Ashurst
The name of the human troops the Alpha Omega, is a reference to the atomic bomb in Beneath The Planet Of The Apes.