Following the explosive internal conflict featured in “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his fellow apes have grown to be almost mythical, the creatures in the forest that soldiers whisper about. There is a strong sense of wonder around where Caesar is, what he is planning and his whereabouts. Although we find out relatively fast that his main focus is on his survival. Within this film series, one of the intriguing traits about Caesar is his propensity for conflict. Warfare seems inevitable, primarily due to the obstinacy of humans’ refusal to accept a species that might be superior to them. That’s precisely what occurs when a character referred to as The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) goes on to exterminate some of Caesar’s family at the apes camp. This is the point where the ape learns that human emotion can sometimes be a tragic flaw: vengeance.
How “War for the Planet of the Apes” unfolds from here is rather straightforward, especially for the frequently plot-soaked summer blockbuster films. The script by Mark Bomback & Matt Reeves has many brilliant facets and one of them is its forced perspective. Aside from that opening sequence, we stay thoroughly focused on Caesar as he progresses toward the mysterious human base with a few other monkeys and a mute girl they name Nova (Amiah Miller). “War for the Planet of the Apes” midsection also recalls a relative of the war movie as it starts to feel like a modern Western, a road trip film about a band of heroes heading toward the town that has been captured by the blackcoats. The emphasis once more is striking. Dozens of other films would have bounced us narratively back and forth between the Colonel and Caesar. It’s much stronger and easier to identify with Caesar because in this case, he’s the one we travel with, and for accompanying him, the only information is what he knows. The burden of trying to return the human star before the hour-mark becomes more demanding, however.
Reeves is a brilliant director who also avoided the pitfall with the last film in this series, as well as the criminally underestimated “Let Me In.”
Reeves has performed exceptionally well in all areas of the production, but perhaps the two most brilliant moves he made were hiring people you won't find in any of the advertising flyers, but who nevertheless contribute significantly to the film’s compelling success. The first is Michael Seresin, the cinematographer and “War” has been given a rich, natural color treatment by him which marks defiance to what we have come to expect from blockbusters. The Birdy and Angel Heart and also the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’s acclaimed cinematographer, gets to show off nature throughout the capture sequences with Caesar and his traveling mates. It is a film that is inherently loaded with CGI and yet the images I think of when I remember it are built on foundations of snow, water, trees, etc. Secondly, I would like to mention the great Michael Giacchino who is regarded to do the best of his work in the movie. He recalls works of war movies, and great blockbuster scores of the 70’s and 80’s while composing pieces that are essential towards the success of the film.
For more than any blockbuster film I can remember, “War” has a shocking amount of silence. This means Giacchino’s score in the movie is as vital as a pre-sound film's music in how it evokes emotion, conveys narrative, and suggests even personal struggles. It’s simply phenomenal.
How do I persuade a viewer who might be skeptical about a film featuring talking apes to consider it one of the best trilogies in Hollywood history? Like much of great science fiction – and really what a movie about apes evolved into is “War for the Planet of the Apes” is as much a sci-fi narrative than anything else – “War for the Planet of the Apes” is a reflection of what human beings were in 2017. It is the story of civil wars and bloodthirsty vendettas.
Telling “Planet of the Apes” within this framework of “War” allows weaving in and blending together themes of saudade: the ache of loss and the glue that allows people to go on fighting against overwhelming odds. When the support or scaffolding is taken away, it shatters into profound anger and violence. And when something is incomprehensible in the reality, it leads to a primal response – fear and fighting to control. So much and everything else lies scattered throughout “War for the Planet of the Apes” and as with so much poignant art, resonates in a way that often doesn’t hit you until hours or days later.
Not only is it shockingly memorable, as it “gets better as you dissect and discuss,” feels rewatchable but it is refreshing in the variety of ways it bounces between entertainment and captivating storytelling, especially when looking at its forces mixed while elevating philosophical questions. The movie might feel a tad insufferable at times and carry a bit too much focus on its upbeat, gruff pace, while its split endings could feel over-the-top.
Another positive for banana munching summer movie goers is the fact that it is laugh-inducing in an accessible but thought-provoking way. Bat-ape, humorously voiced by Steve Zhan, delivers most of the zingers, but they come at a cost. There is an abundance of action scenes that outclass everything else in the season and seem jaw-dropping during the final act. Bad Ape was not the only highlight in my book. It felt like I was granted closure and emotional nostalgia after marking the last part of the Caesar Trilogy of “Apes” films watching it in the cinema. I couldn’t help but notice the similarity intermediate of looking at Caesars gentle face. He looked exactly like Clint Eastwood with mid-tier Westerns stare and a soft overlay accompaniment of the ancients playing in his mind. Slouched shoulders, looking through what seemed to be the window of a last glimpse one gets while executing the final blow to a suspended animation world. And battles that face will always stay iconic and these franchises are bound to receive more and more acknowledgment, like all marvelous additions to Hollywood.