War for the Planet of the Apes

Hey, folks!

It’s been a while since I’ve typed out a review for you, but, with spell check on my side, I’m getting right back on this bike to give you my best take on the new film, War for the Planet of the Apes. Like alwaysI’ll give you the short answer so that you can get a taste of how I felt about this movie and get an idea of what to expect without worrying about spoilers. Throughout the review, however, there will be spoilers abound, but they’ll be hidden. These spoiler links will be clickable links that you may click if you so choose to view said spoiler. So, if you don’t want to be spoiled, avoid clicking this sections so that you don’t expand them.

War for the Planet of the Apes stars Andy Serkis, reprising his role as Caesar, the ape who rises in his awareness of the selfishness of man and brings his fellow apes to his enlightenment through the use of a man made viral that was originally made to treat Alzheimer’s. The effects of this drug raised the intelligence of apes but had disastrous effects on humanity. The apes sought to separate themselves from man and create a new civilization.

Serkis does an amazing job bringing Caesar to life as he fully acclimates to a leader, becoming a folk hero the apes. By the time you leave the theater, you can feel the weight of his legend.
Woody Harrelson joins the story as a character known only as “The Colonel” a dark foil to Caesar bent on the destruction of the ape species. His motivation a mystery, he sets out to rid the world of the source of the simian flu that has ravaged the world’s human population.

What I enjoyed about this film the most was the process of the journey.

Caesar’s three friends: Maurice, Rocket, and Luca join him on this quest unwilling to abandon him. The dynamic of these three brothers in arms is amazing considering Caesar is the only speaking Ape for most of the film. To be able to say a film like this is well acted is a testament to not only the CGI used but to the skill of the actors involved. facial expressions and gestures really evoke strong emotional reactions from the audience when watching War for the Planet of the Apes.

Two powerful new additions to the cast came in the form of a chimp and a human. The human was a young girl who was eventually named Nova. Nova doesn’t have any spoken lines for the entirety of the film but is portrayed brilliantly by a young actress by the name of Amiah Miller. The reason for her silence is something I won’t reveal, even in this spoiler, but it allows for some great scenes between her and the rest of the gang.

The second addition comes in the Chimpanzee “Bad Ape” played by the hilarious Steve Zahn. The Bad Ape character doesn’t just serve as comic relief but really shines and adds so much heart to the team. To be honest, Bad Ape allows for a lighter tone with a film that becomes consistently heavy.

War for the Planet of the Apes was a great addition to the tale of Caesar the leader, father, and legend. It is definitely worth a view for all those that are fans of deep and gripping drama. With incredible character development, War for the Planet of the Apes journeys to the core of humanity and fleshes out its dark parts, exposing the savagery of fear and how it regresses our species. The film serves as a valid and necessary evaluation for the society of today. Go check it out. War for the planet of the Apes is still out in Theaters.