Written by: Mark Bomback & Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Toby Kebbell, Gabriel Chavarria
Rating: [4.5/5]
Finding and achieving peace exists as a much sought-after wish even if oppositional forces will never let it occur. There’s too much to be gained by pumping people up with fear of the other, which War of the Planet of the Apes captures in such an eloquent manner. By displaying war in a manner many were not expecting, this film opts for a more meditative approach and with it allows it to fully explore the ape we have followed in this evolution of his life and leadership.
Fully leading his colony of apes, Caesar (Andy Serkis) hopes to lead them to a place where they can fully rest and find safety without the fear of being killed by enemies. At the same time, a militia group of surviving humans set out to vanquish apes led by Colonel (Woody Harrelson), who will stop at nothing to accomplish this feat.
Coming off of the mightily successful Dawn of the Planet of the Apes came this trilogy capper that comes with the name of something promising an epic showdown. Going from “Dawn” to “War” indicates something larger and much more bombastic, which we do not necessarily receive with this film to my initial surprise. While what he displayed here certainly captures some aspect of war, it does so in a much more methodical and meaningful manner where we see this showdown between Caesar and Colonel not necessarily on the battlefield but rather in what each of them represents and the decisions they make. The two of them undoubtedly carry sway and power over the groups they lead making this showdown much more symbolic than necessarily on the battleground.
That does not mean this feature does not have spectacular action sequences because it does. The scenes where Caesar’s ape outpost attacks the human fortress to rescue the hostages taken from them display this franchise operating at a distinguishably high level. It does by displaying the sheer power of these apes in the way they can physically overwhelm humans but remains unafraid to exhibit the damage bullets can bring to them just it does their homo sapien counterparts. The battle scenes carry a brutality of pent-up aggression and fear colliding together that centers this violence shared between them. One could argue this fusion ultimately represents all wars other than the political machinations often rearing their ugly head.
With this film serving as the trilogy capper within a larger franchise, we get the full evolution of Caesar not only as an ape but also as a leader in this film. Seeing how he shifts from the young ape in the first film, and firming up his leadership in the second, seeing him completely turn into this seasoned veteran in this film displays how much time has passed. He attacks this situation with plenty of experience under his belt but also the full knowledge of all of the deaths that have occurred in the decades that have passed since the apes have run free and begun to rule themselves. You can see the energy draining from him and how his ultimate goal of finding this oasis for these apes comes as not only finding a locale where his group can finally find peace but he can also ultimately find rest as he deals with this large burden placed upon him. Kudos, once again, must go to Andy Serkis and his impeccable motion capture performance as Caesar. Just when you think it could not get any better he may do his best work yet in bringing out the pure emotion of this ape.
On the human side, we also get the perspective of the Colonel leading this group through fear and anger in his hopes to vanquish the apes to a degree that begins to defy logic and reason. A fit of anger that blinds him from the realities of what it means to survive for his race of people makes him such a worthy opponent to Caesar. The way Colonel leads serves as nearly the opposite of Caesar but the man ultimately represents how many take up the mantle in these positions and begin to lose sight of what helps the larger group versus what ultimately serves as their individual goal in the larger scheme of things. Woody Harrelson does so well in capturing this fear and anger through this character and what he does with his eyes communicates it all. He does not have too many scenes of erupting anger but handles so much of it in a measured manner where you can still feel the emotions brimming off of the man.
Surprising in the direction it takes for the good and delivering a sensational story, War for the Planet of the Apes steps in and brings quite the story to conclude Caesar’s arc. Watching this journey play out for him establishes this ape as one of the most beautifully developed characters in fiction of the 21st century. The trials and tribulations we see him go through all culminate in this story where he serves as a figurehead in a battle of the wills where he leads from a position of weakness as a prisoner. We certainly get war in this film, but not in the manner many would expect with this franchise. Brilliantly crafted and deeply emotional in how it presents it all, this film continually astounds throughout and caps off this trilogy in moving fashion.
Films with Josh 
