War for the Planet of the Apes

Reviewed by: Nick Evans

Score: 9/10

Recommendation: Full-Price Ticket

Summary: A triumphant conclusion to a surprisingly excellent Planet of the Apes trilogy

Review:

War for the Planet of the Apes is the third film in the new prequel series to the original Planet of the Apes. It stars Caeser as Caeser, Maurice as Maurice, Rocket as Rocket, Bad Ape as Bad Ape, Luca as himself, and a bunch of less interesting human characters. The only important human character is played by Woody Harrelson as the Colonel.

War for the Planet of the Apes may be a misleading title. War makes it sound faster paced and more action packed than the film actually is. War of the Planet of the Apes is principally a character drama. It follows Caeser on a quest for revenge and eventually shows his growth as he overcomes a specific dificulty he faces and returns to be the leader and hero of the film. War of the Planet of the apes makes Caeser (an ape) not only the most interesting character, but the most human character. His struggle turns him inwards and leaves his people... I mean his apes, to be captured and enslaved.

The film has a tremendous amount of Biblical symbolism for those familiar with the Bible. There's the obvious ones, like Caeser being strung up for a mistake done by someone else on a kind of crucifix, but there are also elements that aren't as obvious. The story is basically the story of Moses. Both follow a character that left their people, then returned to set their people free from a powerful foe. The colonel however also represents christianity as he had to sacrifice his only son to save the soldiers. Being familiar with these themes will help you understand the background of the story.

What makes the story powerful is Caeser/Andy Serkis/Some-visual-effects-guy gives a grounded performance. The Apes in the films are so interesting because they show the beginnings of society. Humans are unique in being able to reason, to act based on more than instinct, and to understand civilization and morality. The apes just gained this ability and show a very human story of the importance of civilization. As Caeser abandons his people and looks out for himself we witness the fall of civilization as a result of seeking revenge and abandoning the morals that created the community in the first place.

I loved this entire series and thought that War for the Planet of the Apes was excellent. I give it 9 glass albino gorillas out of 10.