War For The Planet Of The Apes

With a title that begins with the word ‘war’ the final film in the Planet Of The Apes reboot trilogy could have easily slipped into CGI battle over saturation. Thankfully though with Director Matt Reeves and co-writer Mark Bomback at the helm they’ve shown restraint whilst also focusing on the emotional undercurrent.

War takes place two years after the events of Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes with Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his fellow apes simply trying to survive away from humans. Unfortunately for the apes though an armed force known as Alpha Omega led by The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) is still hunting them down. Following a heartbreaking moment at the apes hidden home a blood feud is set in motion between Caesar and The Colonel.

Throughout the film there is an incredibly solemn tone, which is fitting for a war film that draws inspiration from history and religion. The phenomenal CGI by Weta Digital plays into this solemn tone as you quickly forget that these are CGI generated apes and simply embrace the characters and performances.

Whilst the film is rather long there are very few moments where it feels like it’s dragging thanks to the smatterings of emotional moments with impactful action sequences. The end of the second act being the primary exception to this statement though.

War For The Planet Of The Apes is a rare final instalment in a trilogy which wraps up the story neatly without wearing out it’s welcome.

★★★1/2

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Also published on Alt Media