War for the Planet of the Apes

Prequel reboots are curious types of movies that have been bursting in our modern day. They can take a series of movies that have concluded either on good or bad terms and provide backstories to the mythology introduced in the original source as well as explain a history of the events that lead to the present. The entries that fall short of being good calls into question on why did we need a backstory at all (such as the Alien prequels and The Hobbit trilogy with the answer to that question being money), while the entries that succeed on their own create a strong standing ground for the sequel series it supports. Here we enter the prequel reboot series for The Planet of the Apes franchise. The original movie was a standout in the science fiction genre, though the sequels that came out from it aren't as strong and aren't consistent in terms of quality. In 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes brought audiences back into the franchise with a modernized origin story for the evolution of the main protagonist and his growth in facing the world at hand. In 2014, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes escalated the tension between the humans and the apes after the world changing effects of the first entry, which leads us to the third installment. I enjoyed both of those entries through the experience as well as the story and have been anxious to see what will happen next. The trailers didn't expose much but showed enough pieces to build up the hype of these underrated prequel reboots. With the movie having received positive reviews, I entered the theater ready to see how the conflicting circumstances will escalate and left it feeling ecstatic and impressed over this great conclusion to one of the best movie trilogies.

Plot: The plot of War for the Planet of the Apes takes place two years after the human military is called into taking out the intelligent apes (aka the previous movie) and follows Caesar as he leaves to confront The Colonel after being pushed too far from a recent attack by the latter. This movie is more of a drama rather than a non stop action popcorn movie the marketing has been portraying it as (though the title of the film still makes sense in a metaphorical manner). The arc Caesar undergoes is fascinating to watch as he feels the aftereffect from his past conflict with Koba haunting him throughout the movie, which tests him on confronting his own darkness at certain moments in the movie. The film carries an uncomfortable tension throughout where you aren't sure if the protagonists are safe in the present area or if an ambush is waiting for them. Among the social commentary present here, the main theme to keep an eye on is how morality and decisions are affect by fear and anger, which was also used in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. It borrows elements from the previous installments and brings it to the forefront of the story at hand, such as the aforementioned topic, the epidemic from Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and the aftermath of Koba's actions. Most of the screen time is given to the apes so most of the scenes are quiet with sign language from Caesar's companions as well as Caesars own dialog. There is one exposition scene in the plot to look out for, which demonstrates the differences in politics and ideologies between Caesar and the Colonel that stands out for all of the right reasons that talking about it would spoil the movie. One thing to also to observe is the cinematography and the score throughout the film that are wonderful to watch. Overall while the story is War for the Planet of the Apes is predicable and cliched like the previous entries, it's dramatic nature is compelling and fascinating to watch as Caesars quest continues his character arc being pushed into dark territory from everything he has been through.

Characters: The characters to focus on in War for the Planet of the Apes are Caesar (Andy Serkis) and The Colonel (Woody Harrelson). Caesar is the caring but serious-minded leader of a tribe of intelligent apes who pursues The Colonel after being pushed too far in an effort to keep his tribe safe while dealing with his own darkness during his quest. Andy is fantastic in his portrayal as this character, in terms of vocal and motion capture, and gives his best performance here out of the three entries in this trilogy. He conveys his characters journey very well in both the peaceful well-meaning leader side who didn't want this war as well as the other side engaging in his insecurities in fear for his tribes safety through the decisions he makes. The Colonel is an oppressive leader of a paramilitary organization called in to exterminate the intelligent apes whose mindset has been shaped by the effects of the world's history on his life. Woody gives a great performance that lets him go over-the-top at times and surrounds any area where he's present with unease, mainly with his scenes between him and Caesar (such as the aforementioned standout exposition scene). He's the only human character worth focusing on and is all the better for it, especially considering how uninteresting all of the previous human characters have been in the previous installments (and plus it's a good promotion for the actor since he's proven he can handle hordes of zombies on his own (if you know which movie I'm talking about, you know what I mean)). Honorable mentions go to Maurice (Karin Konoval), a human orphan (Amiah Miller), and Bad Ape (Steve Zahn). Maurice is Caesar's wise and benevolent adviser whose arc involving a child they come across is fascinating to watch and is one of the best highlights of main characters who using sign language while demonstrating great emotional but silent moments (bolstered by Karin's strong motion capture performance). A mute orphan human Caesar's group encounters is adopted by Maurice and shares great scenes with her while also growing up through a harsh world with them, which is supported Amiah's good performance (there is a connection made near the end that I won't spoil for those of you familiar with the original Charlton Heston film). Bad Ape is a hermit with a harsh backstory the protagonists encounter who's our comic relief character and pays off with appropriate humor for the story at hand (despite the huge risk it presented to the movie) while being a treat to watch Steve portray this role wonderfully. Overall the cast provide great performances for characters that have either grown through their own story arcs in the past installments or been affected by what remains of the troubling planet with great interactions between all of them.

Overall Consensus: War for the Planet of the Apes concludes a successful prequel trilogy on a high note via its dramatic nature of portraying a compelling character arc, which is strengthened by strong performances, a great story narrative, and mature emotional respect. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🍿

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You watch the previous Planet of the Apes movies and want to see how this movie completes the trilogy. You like dramatic movies with a slow pace that continues a compelling character arc. You like watch movies with emotional payoff for a character you have seen grow up in their journey. You like science fiction movies with smart social commentary. You like films where Michael Giacchino composes a great score and want to hear it play throughout the movie. You want to see the apes work together in the harsh circumstances they are put in. You want to see how the motion capture has improved from the previous entries. You don't mind movies that have predictable cliches. You want to see how dark and mature the story can get. You don't mind movies where the action only takes place in the first 15-20 minutes and the third act of the story. You like films where half of the dialog is silent sign language.

Reasons to avoid it: You don't like any of the aforementioned actors. You don't like the previous Planet of the Apes movies. You don't like dramatic movie with slow pacing. You don't like science fiction movie with smart social commentary. You hate movies with predictable cliches. You don't want to see how dark and mature the story can get.

Coming up next: We are halfway through Jubilant July and the triumphant spirit has been felt much more strongly through the Apes than a kid learning how his spider suits works (in short: APES TOGETHER STRONG)! These movies have made an impression and are a sharp contrast from each other, with one of them becoming one of the best of the year! Let's hope the next entry for the month continues that trend and will be added to that list! Tune in next time as we will be taken to an even more harsh environments as I will be watching and reviewing the newest Christopher Nolan film, Dunkirk!!!