War for the Planet of the Apes

Before I get into my review for War for the Planet of the Apes, I have a somewhat crappy announcement for my readers/followers. For the past couple years I've been using a subscription-based product called MoviePass to see as many movies as I do in an affordable manner. In recent months (and past year really) this product has failed miserably to keep up with the changing landscape of going to the movies -- things like assigned seating and buying your ticket in advance -- and truthfully, it became a chore to use. But, for the most part, it still made this hobby of mine affordable. 

Unfortunately, as of yesterday, we split ways; far more amicably than they'd like to believe (they terminated my account). So what does this mean for my reviews? Two things: I'll likely be choosier about what movies I attend. I've been starting to do this during 2017 anyway as life has gotten busier, but you may not see every film you'd like to get reviewed. But hey! Maybe this means I'll have more frequent Retro Reviews for films I missed in the theater? Also, my reviews won't be as timely. I plan on hitting up some weekend matinees to make this hobby not cost an arm and a leg, which means that unless the film is HUGE, I likely won't see it on opening night. 

I'm pretty bummed about the whole situation and more than a little disappointed in MoviePass. For anyone wondering if they should get the product, my unequivocal answer is: absolutely not. It polices its customers and if you're someone who lives in a remotely busy city or suburb and likes to see movies opening weekend, it's virtually useless. Part of me is angry because I have 10,000+ ideas (okay, maybe not that many) of how to make it a better product that it's incredibly tempting to make my own flat-rate-movie-viewing company and put them out of business. 

Alas...maybe an adventure for another day. 

But on to the main reason you clicked on this post: my review for the final (?) film in this surprisingly iconic Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy.

"Just start the damn review already!"

For some inexplicable reason, I've entered each one of the films in this trilogy with low expectations. Something about a prequel/origin tale of Planet of the Apes has always seemed goofy to me. Throw in visuals of apes, including gorillas, riding horseback and speaking English and you have a series that flat-out shouldn't work. Though it has! Every film in this series has been impressive and FAR better than we could have hoped. Rise was an intriguing beginning with humans still being the majority of the planet's population and giving us an indication that the series was taking itself very seriously and we should too. Dawn painted a bleak scenario that had killed of every human character from the first film and left a sparse population of apes and humans stuck trying not to conflict with each other. Again, it came with a dark, mature tone and delivered a fantastic villain in Koba -- setting up an antagonist that continues to haunt Caesar. 

Now, we come to War, supposedly the final entry in this trilogy that takes place sometime after Koba pitted the apes and humans against one another. Caesar and his apes are fighting to defend themselves and simply trying to be in peace while the humans are hunting them for reasons unknown. War is yet another bleak entry in this series but it's so meticulously crafted and well thought out that I couldn't tear my eyes away. 

It's captivating, engrossing, thrilling, and emotional. And it's the best film in this trilogy, which is saying a lot.

Man, this Hunger Games sequel got weird...

We're introduced to a world not all that different from the one we left at the end of Dawn. Humankind is up against the brink of extinction because of the flu from the first film and highly-intelligent apes are also struggling to survive from their attacks. The film starts with a tense, shocking fight scene that doesn't really pull any punches. Over the course of the film, Caesar attempts to extract revenge against the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) for a tragic loss and finds himself unraveling a significant mystery all while trying to defend his people. I initially entered this film thinking that I'd know the whole story and that would be disappointing. I'd say that's largely true just because of the knowledge that comes with a prequel tale, but sometimes the journey is vivid enough to warrant the telling of some obvious points. Even past that though, there are surprises in there and, during a moment of heavy exposition from Harrelson, a fairly shocking development is revealed that hints at a potential, visceral future for the franchise. The whole story across three films is rather Shakespearean mixed with a little sci-fi and this one is no different. It rounds out the story well, has its emotional moments, and offers the payoff we're looking for. 

But for real, this is a great scene...

As this series has continued, the special effects have evolved and they're downright staggering here, just as they were in the last film. Andy Serkis as Caesar is eerily ape-like, but also distinctly human. The amount that he's able to say with just his face and his eyes is world-class and all of the apes movements are shockingly accurate. There may be no space battles or giant robots, but make no mistake that War has some of the most impressive special effects...ever. It doesn't stop with effects either. The film has probably the best cinematography of the entire series which, again, is saying something and superb editing of a handful of really strong action scenes. The pacing is spot-on though part of me wishes the movie was a little shorter. For the life of me, I can't quite figure out where I would make cuts. War also, thankfully, features a memorable, tragic, and powerful original score. It's easily one of the best from this year and probably some of the best work that Michael Giacchino has done outside of LOST. As we all know, that's always a pleasant surprise for me and often gets bonus points.

Lastly, we come to the performances which are lifetime "bests" for several actors. Andy Serkis once again proves that he's one of the best actors in Hollywood and certainly one of the most disgustingly forgotten when it comes to major awards. I'd say that I hope the Academy gets it right this year by at least nominating him, but I doubt it. His performance as Caesar is the stuff that iconic characters are made of. Stoic, genuine, real, but at the same time a completely CG character. He's immensely captivating and every time he's on screen specifically, the talent of Serkis mixed with the stupendous CGI is true movie magic. Harrelson is immensely impressive too in a smaller role than I thought it would be. One scene in particular describes his character in full and, as a villain, he's brutal, but not entirely "wrong" for what he's doing. I love that: when you're conflicted with a villain and their motives. The scenes he shares with Caesar are powerful and I'd dare say he's comparable to Koba from the last installment. Steve Zahn, who I feel like I haven't heard from in a long time, gives one of the best performances of his career as the comedic relief. He plays a scared chimp who has fairly broken English, but the humor is apt for the movie's tone and never really feels like it's fighting against it. It's touching and heartwarming among all the death and destruction and his character is similarly genuine. 

Most unrealistic thing about this series?
That a horse can support the weight of a grown gorilla on its back

War for the Planet of the Apes blew me away if I'm being quite honest. Maybe it's the lowered expectations that I enter this series with, but at the end of the day, it's a fantastically well-made film that is as poignant as it is entertaining. And shockingly, in a time where Hollywood is striking out more often than not with reboots and sequels, a Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy, of all things, gives us one of the best trilogies in the last decade, if not more. 

CONS

• The story is still rather "small scale" for being about a planet of apes
• Feels a little long, though I can't think where I'd make cuts
• To a certain degree, you already know where it's going plot-wise

PROS

• Andy Serkis delivers his best performance as Caesar yet (and arguably his career). This character is insanely captivating and displays a wide range of emotions/thoughts with just his face
• Nearly as strong performances from Woody Harrelson as a desperate villain and Steve Zahn as the well-used comedic relief
• Matt Reeves really took this series home with the last two films and he deserves immense applause for keeping the series' tone and maturity throughout. I'm now very confident that he can make a great Batman film
• Well paced and edited throughout. Emotional moments linger, as they should, and the action is memorable and competent 
• High-tension moments shine
• Special effects that raise a new bar for motion capture for the industry
• Cinematography for the win!
• Original score for the win too!
• An impressive wrap-up to a trilogy that no one thought would work. It's a testament to what can be accomplished with the right team and source material on board and Hollywood as a whole could learn a thing or two about reboots/prequels/sequels from this iconic trilogy

 Rath's Review Score | 9.5/10