War for the Planet of the Apes Review

"Apes Together Strong!"


War for the Planet of the Apes is the third and final entry (really hope not!) of the popular Planet of the Apes franchise. The latest entry of the franchise was directed by returning director Matt Reeves and stars the likes of Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karen Konoval,and Amiah Miller. The film follows Ceaser (Serkis) as he battles with his own darker instincts whilst trying to protect his family from a never ending war between apes and humanity.

The latest Planet of the Apes franchise has certainly been one of the most engaging and stand out franchises that we have seen in recent years. Both the previous films Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes were not only successful and praised by critics and audiences, but also in their own right extremely intelligent blockbuster films (just like there ape counterparts!). War for the Planet of the Apes continues this trend and in my personal opinion is the best film out of the three films in the franchise, and without a doubt is one of the most intelligent, emotional and awe inspiring blockbusters that I have seen in recent years (it really is!).

One of the most successful and standout aspects that have appeared in all the films and returns in this entry into the franchise is the amazing performances from its talented cast. As each film progresses the actor's performances get stronger and stronger and more powerful and in this film you can really see the emotion in the characters eyes and feel for them during the duration of the film. Credit and praise is due to Andy Serkis (really should be getting some nomination for his truly amazing work) whose performance is absolutely stunning and engages you from his first scene on screen. But this film does not just have one standout star, the whole cast gave great performances, and Steve Zahn as Bad Ape is just one example, of another stand out cast member, and Zahn brings just the right amount of comedy from his character to lighten up the tone of this certainly darker and more mature blockbuster. I also have to mention the CGI in this film is absolutely stunning, the level of detail has got better and better over the years (and is so life like!). What I love about this film is the way the CGI is used to enhance the story and not detract from it, like previous films this year such as Transformers: The Last Knight in which the CGI is used just for the sake of it, instead War for the Planet of the Apes uses its CGI to enhance the overall emotion and story of the film, whilst keeping the films narrative grounded in the real world. I would also like to mention that the cinematography in this film is stunning and every frame is perfectly framed and executed which is helped by the stunning locations used throughout the duration of the film.

There really was not anything that I did not enjoy about this film. I can imagine some audience members expecting a lot more "big" action set pieces throughout the film because it has "war" in the title of the film, but personally that really does not bother me one bit!, even though the bigger set pieces are few and far between, this film is an intelligent war film, it doesn't rely on pleasing audiences with spectacle over long action set pieces (it really doesn't need to!), it relies on building strong characters, and putting them in situations in which they have to overcome problems during a war between humanity and ape kind, and having the over shadowing of war over the characters the whole time is more interesting and engaging them watching set piece after set piece after set piece, and watching how the characters interact and the small moments between characters are far more engaging then the stereotypical action set pieces that we have come to expect from modern blockbusters.

Overall this film is incredible and credit is due not only to the amazing cast but also the filmmakers behind this film and the franchise for truly bringing an intelligent blockbuster back to the big screen. If you only get to see one blockbuster over the summer this is the film you need to see.

Verdict: 5 out 5 stars