War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Review

140min

Genre:     Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-fi

Director:  Matt Reeves

Cast:       Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Amiah Miller…and more

Writers:   Mark Bomback, Matt Reeves, Rick Jaffa… and more

-Synopsis-

After the devastation suffered by both sides in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, Caesar is torn between a duty to lead his nation of super-apes to safety and an all-consuming quest for revenge against a ruthless colonel and the last remnants of humanity—as a final clash for survival and the dominance of Earth draws near in the final chapter of this classic sci-fi series reboot/prequel.

Rare is the occasion when a modern Hollywood remake/reboot, prequel or sequel of a beloved film or series truly does justice to the original, and more unusual still is one that exceeds it—but after six years which included 2011’s impressive series debut with ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ and the masterful 2014 follow-up ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’, director Matt Reeves, producer Rick Jaffa and writer Mark Bomback get the chance wrap up the series and seal a hat-trick of successes for 20th Century Fox . . . and boy do they deliver.

Most of the main characters in the film are of the ape variety, and are brought to life through cinematic sorcery which blends arguably the most impressive CGI ever seen in film with the extraordinary motion capture and voice performances of real actors, led of course by the godfather of mo-cap  Andy Serkis as ape supremo Caesar—worn down by conflict and driven by a desire for vengeance after suffering tragedy at the hands of a callous colonel (Woody Harrelson) and his unit of ape-hunters.

As his clan heads for safety and he heads on a revenge mission with ‘Maurice’ (Karin Konoval) the orangutan, ‘Luca’ (Michael Adamthwaite) the gorilla and ‘Rocket’ (Terry Notary) the chimpanzee in tow—plus young human mute girl ‘Nova’ (Amiah Miller) and skittish chimp ‘Bad Ape’ (Steve Zahn) who they pick up along the way—Caesar’s obsession will threaten the survival of his kind as they head for an inevitable clash between man and ape, and amongst themselves as the future of the planet is decided.

As the name might suggest, this is every inch a war epic (or more accurately an anti-war epic), but ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ is much more than a gripping battle movie. This an all encompassing war drama which features classic genre elements like a ‘small band of men on a mission’, a prison abuse and escape angle, and of course plenty of gut-wrenching action— but it’s all delivered as a modern anti-war, anti-tyranny epic with plenty of human introspection . . . which just happens to be about super-smart fantasy apes.

Matt Reeves and his co-conspirators deserve plenty of credit for crafting a CGI-heavy studio blockbuster that musters the emotion and pathos of a classic conflict spectacle, both a gritty sombre war drama and a meditation on the tragedy of the human condition, continuing the established theme of mankind being the architects of their own destruction, while using apes to evoke as much humanity as any major studio picture you’ll see.

Yet this is still very much a movie within a classic series which pays tribute to the films that have come before it, even featuring some familiar names you might recognise from the 1968 original, albeit taking some chronological license and somewhat of an anachronistic leap to make it work.

The sights & sounds on show are truly something to behold, with Kiwi cinematographer Michael Seresin (Angel Heart, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) returning to capture some stunning landscapes, meticulously crafted action sequences and classic ‘Planet of the Apes’ imagery, while both visually and thematically referencing ‘Apocalypse Now’ as well as other classics about the madness and folly of war—and they’re all set to yet another deft and driving score from the new prolific king of blockbuster composers Michael Giacchino.

Meanwhile the digital effects here are quite spectacular, somehow improving on the quality of ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ to set the highest standard ever seen on film, not only elevating the spectacle but giving all the motion capture artists the chance to bring more humanity to their respective apes than you will find anywhere in Hollywood. The result of the extraordinary CGI efforts are perfectly illustrated by Maurice the orangutan, the emotional heart of the piece we all aspire to, and of course the collaboration with an Oscar-worthy performance by Andy Serkis, giving Caesar new complexity and a remarkable emotional arc. Once again Serkis re-defines what performance can be in modern film, while channelling ‘Spartacus’, ‘William Wallace’, ‘Maximus’ and many more to give us an unforgettable cinematic hero.

There’s no doubt that ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ is somewhat limited in terms of grittiness and harrowing content by its certificate and by the constraints of a studio franchise, and it’s ultimately a dark tale with an inevitable silver lining, which may yet breathe further life into this gloriously resurrected series. Yet this is about as good as a CGI-led Hollywood blockbuster gets—triumphant as both an anti-war epic and a character-driven drama, and easily one of the best major motion pictures 20th Century Fox has delivered for quite a while.

The Bottom Line…

Visually stunning, emotionally gripping, poignant and most importantly hugely entertaining, writer/director Matt Reeves & co. manage to craft a summer blockbuster which elevates tentpole filmmaking and nicely rounds-off one of the greatest classic film resurrections in cinema history. ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ is sure to move and captivate audiences, while leaving you beguiled by our simian cousins and lamenting our own destructive nature.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

We find our planet many years after the events of ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ where humanity has been decimated by the Simian-Flu leaving pockets of survivors scattered around the globe, while Caesar (Andy Sirkis) has lead his Apes into the Northern-Californian forests to build a thriving civilisation, only to be confronted by a colony of human survivors which sets off a series of events that threaten both species’ survival.

Directed by Matt Reeves and starring Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke and Andy Serkis among others.

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