WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Six years ago, director Rupert Wyatt released Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes which was his reimagining of the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut who lands on a planet where humans are enslaved by apes. Almost fifty years later and it still remains one of Heston's most memorable roles. Before the release of Rise, there was doubt it would be any good because the follow-up sequels to the original were disappointing and Tim Burton's 2001 remake received a lot of criticsm. Fortunately, it was an impressive reboot and received critical acclaim and over $481 million at the box office. A sequel was soon announced, however, due to his concern that a May 2014 release date would not give him enough time to properly make the film, Wyatt quit and was replaced by Matt Reeves. Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes was released three years later and, in a lot of ways, was an improvement over its predecessor. It was darker and more intense as the conflict between the apes and the human race grew. This lead to a thrilling fight between the two species. Now, the third film in the franchise, War For The Planet Of The Apes has finally been released but is it as good as its predecessors?

Five years after the events in Dawn, Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of pressure to create a film that's just as dramatic and thrilling as Dawn, fortunately, the filmmakers have succeeded. For those of you, like me, who haven't seen the original 1968 film, you'll be surprised at which way the narrative goes. It features a lot of twists and turns to make for an unpredictable watch. 

In my review of Dawn, I said that these films could be seen as, in a way, prequels to the original Planet Of The Apes films due to how it ends, with the apes being human-like and the humans behaving more like apes. In War, Caesar can now speak in full sentences rather than just words with many apes' intelligence having increased since the last film. The humans are shown from the apes' perspective and they're seen as the main antagonists. I think that this was a good decision to make because, in the original film, the apes were shown from the humans' point of view. By showing the humans in an evil way, we easily connect with the apes, especially Caesar who has developed a lot since the first film. He's a lot braver and more powerful. He doesn't want to fight, however, after a heartbreaking tragedy occurs, he becomes obsessed with getting revenge by killing the Colonel. Throughout this film, he shows a wide range of emotions including anger and sadness which causes us to feel empathetic for him as we know what he's been through. This all comes from Serkis' mesmirising performance. Using motion-capture to create the apes was a great choice. In the original films, computer generated imagery didn't exist so the cast wore make-up and costumes, unfortunately, it looked unconvincing. This was improved upon in Burton's remake with Helena Bonham Carter looking completely unrecognisable as her character. However, the creation of the apes has improved a lot and look a lot more realistic. This is where these films succeed the most as the visual effects are really impressive and I wouldn't be surprised if they receive an Academy Award nomination next year.

Harrelson is best known for his comedic roles, however, as the main antagonist, he shows he can handle the darker and more dramatic roles. He is introduced briefly in the beginning of the film, however, he's not seen again until the film is a third of the way over. Despite this, he still gives a strong performance. Amiah Miller becomes the second actress (after Dafne Keen as Laura in Logan) this year to portray a young, female mute who is named Nova. Her eyes, facial reactions and actions express emotions in a way words could never do. It's an impressive performance from someone so young. Despite this film being dark and intense, there are moments of comic relief which come from Steve Zahn's character, Bad Ape, who was the only survivor at a zoo and learnt to speak in full sentences from the humans. Karin Konoval returns as Caesar's loyal friend, Maurice, who is a wise Bornean orangutan that forms a bond with Nova.

At the time of writing this, a fourth film is currently being planned, however, I think that it's best that the filmmakers leave it as a trilogy. The ending is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy and ends on a bittersweet note. I'm not sure what more the writers could do with a fourth film but it'll be interesting to see if they do release another sequel. 

Fans of the previous two films will not be disappointed here. There's a lot of intense drama and exhilarting action throughout. Those who loved the original films should give the trilogy a watch because it redefines the apes. 

I can definitely see this being one of my favourite films this summer. It's an original and emotionally potent chapter to one of the longest-running movie franchises.

8/10