WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES
PG, 140 minutes. Through tonight only at Niantic. Still playing at Waterford, Stonington, Lisbon, Westbrook. The recent prequels to the “Planet of the Apes” have created a core of solidly grounded realism in a spectacular fantasy world. It all reaches a breathtaking climax in “War for the Planet of the Apes.” Visually, the film is gorgeous, with complex but clearly presented battles and utterly lifelike computer-generated anthropoids perfectly meshed with on-camera performers. A “simian flu” pandemic has decimated the human population while boosting the intelligence of apes. Mankind’s remaining survivors and their likely successor species live far apart, apes in forested encampments and humans in compounds salvaged from scraps of their old civilization’s infrastructure. By the time we re-enter the story, the apes have evolved over about 15 years, now communicating complex ideas through speech or American Sign Language. Humans have been changed by the plague, as well, many moving closer to violent primal urges. That we meet them at the beginning in military camo, crawling in to ambush a peaceful ape clan, isn’t much of a spoiler given the film’s title. The frantic back-andforth combat between well weaponized humans and stronger, faster apes is the kind of alarming, agonizing-yet-exciting firefight that has been director Matt Reeves’ signature since 2008’s “Cloverfield.” Just as that giant monster epic powerfully touched on post-9/11 anxieties, his second “Apes” film explores socially charged themes fitting a dark tim. — Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
WISH UPON
PG-13, 90 minutes. Through today only at Westbrook. Still playing at Lisbon. What to make of the curious, ridiculous horror-lite “Wish Upon”? This is a spooky teen story that’s not particularly heavy on the scares and over-delivers on the unintentional giggles, almost ensuring it a spot as a cult movie, like the hilariously misguided “The Room,” though this sports a far bigger budget and higher profile names among the cast and crew. Written by Barbara Marshall and directed by “Annabelle” helmer John R. Leonetti, “Wish Upon” plays on the haunted object premise, with a mysterious Chinese wish box wreaking havoc on the life of Clare (Joey King), who can’t stop making wishes, even as her loved ones drop dead around her. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service
WONDER WOMAN
1/2 PG-13, 141 minutes. Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook. It’s taken 76 years for the comic book character Wonder Woman to lasso her way onto the big screen in her very own standalone film, and it’s not a moment too soon. “Wonder Woman” arrives in theaters under an intense amount of scrutiny. The first female-starring superhero film directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins, carries the burden of representing half the population, and her success could determine the fates of other female superhero films. Not only that, but after a string of superhero blockbusters that have been battered by critics, the DC Comics cinematic universe needs an acclaimed hit. So it’s a pleasure to report that “Wonder Woman” more than delivers on its promise. It is simply awesome. The keys to its success lie in the two wonder women at the heart of the film, director Jenkins and star Gal Gadot. With her scene-stealing appearance in last year’s “Batman vs. Superman,” it was clear Gadot could ably fulfill the duties of the hero: smart, sassy, strong, and in need of no man’s aid. She remains just as headstrong and physically formidable, but in “Wonder Woman,” we get to know Diana better, and she’s one of the most charming and lovable superheroes to come around in a long, long time. Gadot plays off Chris Pine, who plays British intelligence spy Steve Trevor, beautifully. The two have a winning chemistry together. — Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service