War for the Planet of the Apes is the final installment of Twentieth Century Fox's Apes reboot trilogy, following 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and 2014's Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. War seemingly picks off where Dawn left off, as an army of humans are on collision course with the apes in what promises to be a violent confrontation that will decide the fate of the planet. Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, essentially the closest thing the apes have to a Jesus/Moses type of figure, and he is forced to battle his demons as war with the human race looms. Caesar has always been the most diplomatic and pragmatic of the apes and has never wanted to engage in war with humanity, but after the events of the last film he has been given no choice as his kind have been put on the defensive. Caesar has also been the most emotionally grounded and reasonable, but in War, the conflict becomes more personal than ever and truly tests his nature. Fueled by rage, Caesar embarks on a revenge mission tracking down a human military commando known simply as The Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson. What ensues is a gripping tale of survival and sacrifice that is one one of the most brutal and well made films of the year, and the perfect ending to a surprisingly fantastic trilogy.
"...there are moments of excitement, but this film is really not what it was marketed to be, but rather a slow burning and often tragic film that builds up to a riveting final act reminiscent of fireworks, in a much more emotional and poignant sense than the pyrotechnical comparison would suggest."
War begins with a brief summary of the previous films, then jumps right into the action with a forrest raid led by humans against the apes. Arrows and bullets are flying, bombs going off and debris flying everywhere. It's a brilliant sequence, shot very well and emotionally punctuated by Michael Giacchino's musical score, one of the best and most minimal of his career I might add. But after this opening sequence, War for the Planet of the Apes almost entirely stops being a war movie. There really isn't another Ape vs Human battle sequence like it for the rest of the film, until the end of course. War promises to be the explosion heavy third installment, the film that tries too hard to be overly climactic and make the other movies pale in comparison due to the risen stakes and scale of the action. Like the third Hobbit film, or Iron Man 3 or X-Men: The Last Stand, and many other comic book movies, War set itself up to be the action packed culmination of everything the prior films built up to, high octane but low substance. However, it completely subverts expectations and becomes something entirely different than what was expected. It transitions into a dark, thought provoking drama more than anything else, and the movie is so much better for it. Yes there are moments of excitement, but this film is really not what it was marketed to be, but rather a slow burning and often tragic film that builds up to a riveting final act reminiscent of fireworks, in a much more emotional and poignant sense than the pyrotechnical comparison would suggest.
War for the Planet of the Apes also witnesses what could only be seen as the nearly final evolution of motion capture technology. The apes are more lifelike than ever before, down to every single hair on their backs and wrinkles on their faces. It's hard to see how much better the technology could get, as almost immediately into the movie you forget that they are computer generated. Their faces move so perfectly and convey such a strong sense of emotions it's hard to fathom that it's entirely digital. Which is where Andy Serkis comes in. Having been one of the best Mo-cap actors, probably the best, since his days as Gollum in Lord of the Rings, Serkis turns in arguably the best work of his career here. I'm not quite ready to promote his Oscar hype train, as many believe he deserves, but I can say that he is fantastic, and Caesar has never been such a magnetic character. The internal struggle with his morality, the tragedy and loss he faces, the burden of an entire races' survival that he bears, is all seen in his eyes, and the combination of Serkis' brilliant work and state of the art mo-cap make Caesar so compelling, and more easy to root for than ever before. Woody Harrelson does a good job as the antagonistic Colonel, a human being devoid if practically all human virtues. He is perfect as the figurehead for humanity in this film, encapsulating the desperation and hopelessness of the situation, but also the rage and fire within the soul that would fuel mankind in times like these. The stakes are never more apparent in this trilogy than in War, which chooses to resolve the fate of mankind with a more personal and allegorical approach than action packed.
With Matt Reeves at the helm, War is a near perfectly directed movie, with beautiful shots and extremely impactful visual story telling. While there is a slight lull in the momentum as the film heads into its home stretch, War is consistently engaging and enthralling. The new stand alone Batman flick, which Reeves is signed on to direct, seems to be in very capable hands. War for the Planet of the Apes is a film that succeeds where many others could have failed if in different hands. Reeves, Co-Screenwriter Mark Bomback, and Serkis are so passionate about this world, almost having a personal stake in it as if it were real. Carefully crafting a near perfect trilogy that saves the very best for last and packs a very emotionally impactful punch. War for the Planet of the Apes is a must see.