War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
Directed by Matt Reeves
Written by Mark Bomback and Matt Reeves
Characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Planet of the Apes Premise and original novel by Pierre Boulle
Rated PG-13
Apart from 2001’s awful re-imagining by Tim Burton, the only film in the Planet of the Apes franchise that I have seen is the 1968 original film with Charlton Heston. I saw the movie on TV when I was a student in Japan (it was in English with Japanese subtitles) and even though I knew what the surprise was at the end (I can thank years of my childhood shows spoofing it before I actually saw the movie), it was still an extremely compelling movie. Films that deal with a world turned on its head can be simultaneously fascinating and scary. It was such as good film that I have never bothered to watch any of the sequels that came about in the 1970’s because I never believed they would measure up (that, and I have heard many a tale about the decreasing quality of the sequels as well).
When 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes was released I largely ignored it due to the fact that it was a form origin story and more often than not those tend to be lame. Then I heard that the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) was even better and I always had it in the back of my mind to check the movies out but for one reason or another I never did. Well, with the new one out, I finally got around to them. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was actually pretty good aside from lines from the original movie inserted for cringe worthy fan service. It was good set up for the substantially better Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Director Matt Reeves took over on Dawn and really did infuse the story with more style, more dramatic weight, more compelling philosophical ideas in regards human nature and such (sure a lot of audiences may have seen those ideas on screen before but what is important is how they are used and I think Dawn laid those out well) and action that is genuinely exciting and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Reeves (who, by the way, has come a long way since his directorial debut with 2008’s Cloverfield) is once again the director for War for the Planet of the Apes (as well as a co-writer) and I can safely say that at the time of this writing this review, this movie is the best movie of the summer and a rare treat to witness a movie franchise get better with each installment and end on such a grand note.
It has been 15 years since the medicine that was developed to cure Alzheimer’s mutated into what is called Simian Flu and wiped out nearly all of the human population on Earth while at the same time giving apes significantly higher intelligence. The ape leader Caesar (Andy Serkis) is striving to protect his clan of apes from an encroaching army of humans after an ape he trusted named Koba started the war between apes and humans 5 years previously. When Caesar’s wife and oldest son are murdered by the insane human army Colonel (Woody Harrelson who appears to be channeling Brando from Apocalypse Now) Caesar goes on a quest to kill the Colonel out of revenge while his clan attempts to flee out of the woods where they have been hiding. Unfortunately, when trying to track the Colonel, the Colonel had already captured Caesar’s clan and is making them build a wall around his base to defend against another army of humans that are coming to attack. Now Caesar, who himself gets captured by the Colonel, must somehow communicate with his allies on the outside (Maurice and Rocket as well as new comers such as an ape simply named Bad Ape played by Steve Zahn and a mute human girl who Maurice names Nova played by Amiah Miller) to get his clan out of the base and lead them to a safe place before they are killed during a clash between two human armies.
First and foremost, I need to talk about the performances and we need to start with Andy Serkis. He deserves all the praise he gets for his portrayal of Caesar who plays the role as a leader who is genuinely trying to lead his clan to safety against overwhelming odds. And while he is a good leader he is not perfect. In the previous film, he made the mistake of assuming that all apes are good and then ends up being betrayed by his ally Koba who, as stated earlier, started the conflict between humans and apes. In this one, he lets his thirst for revenge get the better of him and he neglects his responsibilities to his tribe and puts everyone in danger. Yet it is because of his imperfections and continued determination for him and his clan to survive that make us want to stick with him and see things through. Serkis’s performance is so good and his character is so well fleshed out that at one point you forget you are looking at an ape (a motion capture ape no less) and all you see is a great character who is struggling to balance the light and the dark inside him and discovering the need to let certain things go.
The other characters in the film are memorable and all have their place in the sun, so to speak. We have Caesar’s trusted friends from the first two installments such as Rocket and Maurice but we also have new characters to assist Caesar and his clan. We have Steve Zahn’s character who is simply named “Bad Ape” and pretty much does serve as a comic relief. But I was relieved to see that he was not intrusive and he actually does help move the plot forward by rendering assistance to Caesar. And he is genuinely funny. We also have the mute girl Nova who is picked up by Maurice out of the goodness of his heart when her guardian gets killed (by Caesar in defense of his friends) and can’t take care of herself. Not only does she help but she serves as an example of the Colonel’s evil practices (sorry no spoilers) and also serves to show how good hearted the apes can be to humans and still presents a possibility (at least in the time which this story takes place) of peace between humans and apes. And speaking of the Colonel, Woody Harrelson is pretty much perfect as the legitimately insane yet very pathetic Colonel (whose real name is never given in the film by the way) that serves as the antithesis of Caesar. Without going into spoilers, there is a scene where we have Caesar and the Colonel talk and we get an idea of how much of a true beast the Colonel is and by extension his troops are becoming and how much more human Caesar and his people are becoming by comparison. It is that irony that solidifies how upside down the world has become.
From a narrative standpoint, this actually took a bold step forward in regards to characters because this one is centered far more on the apes. In the first two films, it found a pretty good balance between human and ape characters and taking time getting to know each group. But in this film the apes are front and center and we follow them pretty much every step of the way. The only scene in the film where there is a substantial amount of exposition dialogue is in the conversation between Caesar and the Colonel, otherwise the narrative is told visually pretty much the rest of the time. Many of the scenes of the apes interacting with each other during their travels, their imprisonment and escape pretty much epitomize the concept of “show don’t tell.” We do get dialogue (mostly via sign language since Caesar and Bad Ape are pretty much the only ones who can communicate verbally) and other important interactions between the apes but it is their body language, facial expressions and their other actions that tells us what they are doing and how they are feeling.
The film found an excellent balance between action and drama but what I really loved are the quiet moments. I don’t mean quiet as in there was no sound but rather scenes that allow the audience to get immersed in what they are watching. Moments like Caesar and his friends searching in abandoned places for signs of the Colonel, Maurice bonding with Nova, Caesar and Bad Ape having a chat among other moments are what I feel are essential to not only bond with characters and to feel immersed in the world the movie presents but it also serves as a reminder that, if done right, movies don’t need to constantly dangle a shiny set of keys in from the audience’s face to keep their attention. Important character building moments and plot points can come in scenes where stillness reigns and it can encourage the viewer to pay more attention and to become more involved. The action is of course excellent as the sequences are efficient, comprehensible, genuinely exciting, don’t wear out the audience in both visual and sound departments and, most importantly, are in tandem with the narrative.
Aside from the small nit-pick of wanting some of the scenes be trimmed back a little bit in order to make the pacing feel just a bit tighter, everything in this film feels where it should be. I didn’t walk away thinking that something was missing or that things needed to be changed or removed. I was definitely a happy camper walking out of this film. I can’t say enough good things about it. I don’t want to say too much more about the film (especially in regards to the story which I kept spoiler-free) because it is best for those wanting to watch it to experience it for themselves. But I do advise watching the first two installments before going into this one. War for the Planet of the Apes earns my highest recommendation and will go down as one of my favorite films of the year.
