War for the Planet of the Apes
Released 7/14/17
Like Star Trek and James Bond, I was never a fan of the original incarnation of the Ape franchise. I know those films were a product of their time, but, they never resonated with me. Aside from the "monkey makeup" which was cutting edge for its era, the movies were always very corny. I was a little more invested with Tim Burton's 2001 remake, but, I've found in recent years it doesn't hold up very well. Then came Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011 and my thoughts were immediately, "Another one? Really?" But, through some good word of mouth, I took the plunge with Rise and was pleasantly rewarded in doing so.
So, what was the difference you ask? I appreciated that Rise was more grounded in "reality." There were no lost astronauts. No wormholes to alternate realities. Rise was the start of a good old-fashioned apocalypse. Yes, I know the apocalypse has been done to death in film. But, I had the sense that if something of this nature were to happen, it would look more like this than it would an astronaut discovering he time traveled to a future Earth where human/animal relations have gone to Hell.
So where does War find Caesar and his clan since end of Dawn's story? As the title suggests, his group is now in all out combat against the remaining humans unaffected by the Simian Flu virus. They are hunted by a particularly nasty military unit led by a fanatical Colonel (Woody Harrelson). While all Caesar wants is peace, the Colonel is intent on preserving humankind by any means possible. That includes an act that wounds Caesar to his core and forces the ape leader to come directly to him.
War for the Planet of the Apes continues this franchise's tradition of breathtaking special effects, particularly, the work that's done with Caesar. The range of humanlike expression this CG character can emote has to be credited beyond the magic of a green screen. I would argue strongly that Andy Serkis who voices and performs the motion capture movements of Caesar should get some award consideration. He won't, I know. But, the job he does isn't simple and it should be recognized. Hey, Andy, look for some recognition from me at year end. It'll be the highlight of your career (not).
As far as action battle scenes, I call this version of the Ape franchise the "Anti-Transformers." The scenes have no wasted motion and don't exist to be loud and disorienting. In other words, despite the fantasy-based nature of the series, everything makes sense and fits into its place. And, you don't experience many things more eye-popping than a battalion of CG apes on horseback brandishing weapons. Haven't seen that yet? I suggest you do.
Clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes, the film is slightly overlong which is my only real complaint about it. There's a little fat that could be trimmed as there is a sub-story involving a human girl Caesar's chief advisor (orangutan Maurice) takes in. And, then, there's Caesar's fever dreams of his old enemy, Koba, that generally serve no purpose and doesn't move the plot in the least. Do we really need to know Caesar is having crises of conscience over some of his actions? I say no. All it does is bring the action to a crawl.
War for the Planet of the Apes can be seen as the logical end to a trilogy or the beginning of another chapter. How the ending is ultimately interpreted by the studio will be determined by how much money War makes of course. I would personally like to see where the story leads us now. Hopefully, we will. There's still plenty of room for the Apes' tale to expand.
So, I will leave you all on this final note. "APES TOGETHER...STRONG!!!"
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
****1/4 stars
Ratings Legend*= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
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