When people ask, "why are they constantly rebooting or remaking every piece of cinematic treasure?" you can point them to the recent reboot of the Planet Of The Apes as an example of getting it right. There is so much dross and garbage trotted out before audiences every year, that it's easy to disregard anything with an "R" word before it as trash. However, on the off chance that Hollywood actually gets it right (see the most recent Spider-Man reboot as another example), these stories can be worthy successor to their much beloved originals.
War For The Planet Of The Apes is the third (and reportedly final) entry to the Apes family of films. The previous two (2011's Rise and 2014's Dawn) have been heralded both for their storytelling and their landmark special effects. War is no different in this regard. Once again, the team manages to deliver top notch motion capture work alongside real locations and human actors. Andy Serkis again reprises his role as the simian leader, Caesar. In this film, the war that was teased at the end of Dawn is in full swing. The human resistance is in its final throes, and is attempting to find (and kill) Caesar and the rest of his ape compatriots. The humans are led by the exceptional Woody Harrelson (in full Marlon Brando Apocalypse Now mode). They believe the only way to victory is through complete annihilation of the apes. Caesar is a much more conflicted leader. He still seeks peace, while doing what it takes to protect his kind. Unlike Harrelson's character, Caesar wears his emotion on his face. He is a conflicted leader, who is haunted by his past actions and his love for humanity.
This is what I most enjoyed about War. For a war film, there were many tender moments throughout it. Large chunks of this film are silent as the apes mostly communicate through sign language. The audience is along for the ride as Caesar and his friends try to end the war for good and bring peace to the world. Since there is limited talking, a lot of the emotion is done through facial expressions and grunts. I can't say enough about how good of a job Andy Serkis does. I don't think he'll get an Oscar nomination for his work in these films, but his ability to act via motion capture is unparalleled. His personality is felt throughout this film (and its predecessors), and he has done all he can do to bring validity to motion capture filmmaking.
While War does have some tremendous action set pieces, it does tend to drag in parts. The third act felt a little long, and the Moses imagery was laid on a tad thick for my tastes. I can't rate this one higher than Dawn (in my opinion, the high water mark to the series). However, in an already strong year for mainstream blockbuster film making, War For The Planet Of The Apes delivers a highly satisfying and very entertaining conclusion to this trilogy.
Kudos to director, Matt Reeves, and his team. 3 out of 4 stars.
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