War Of The Planet Of The Apes

John M. Finnell
Jul 27, 2017 · 3 min read

An adventurous and heartfelt odyssey premiered two weeks back, wrapping up a Herculean story line that deserves recognition as one of the best trilogies in modern cinema. War Of The Planet Of The Apes is the crowning jewel to the retelling of a classic Science Fiction franchise, Planet Of The Apes, and with the odds stacked against Producers Peter Chernin & Dylan Clark (2 producers who have stayed on board throughout) to produce a succesful and entertaining film — let alone films, they kept their oath as moviemakers, and created imaginative, innovative, and intriguing cinema.

As of July 24th, War Of The Planet Of The Apes grossed 100M in domestic ticket sales and 77M in foreign sales, holding the #4 spot at the box office. With a budget of 150M, the film cleared it’s cost slightly north of 20M, but despite these numbers, War is more entertaining from start to finish, than any film in theaters with a greater margin in sales. Filled with wholesome lessons of morality, tribulations of war, and a forewarning of American progress, Apes encompasses the essence of Science Fiction; a metaphor for humanity and the path we travel down.

The film opens with a prologue, truncating Rise & Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes in 2 sentences; giving the viewer all the information they need to watch independently of it’s predecessors. We grasp an ape outbreak occurred causing apes to spread over the globe, a war started against humans by another Ape (Koba) and a rogue Colonel (Woody Harrelson) is sending soldiers on a search and destroy mission to kill Caesar (Andy Serkis), the leader of the Apes. In a beautifully coreographed battle, we learn that apes fight on both sides (some for human but most for ape), Apes can use weaponry to fight, and Caesar is a merciful leader to the enemy, despite the pain and suffering his soldiers have endured.

After releasing enemies captured during battle, a message Caesar is sending to the Colonel, his son returns from a reconnaissance operation with word of new prospects with a clean and fruitful terrain for a peaceful life, but it is clear that other Apes fear their fate and the growing danger of the colonel.

That night, Caesar sleeps with his wife and two children (his second son Corneleus is only an infant) but sleep is ruined when fear grows of a home/base invasion. After a tense sequence of espionage, Caesar comes face to face with The Colonel, who has murdered his wife and eldest son, sending Caesar in to a blind rage as the Colonel escapes.

The next morning, in a heart clenching scene, Caesar hands Corneleus to a guardian, mounts his horse, and rides in the opposite direction of the Apes (who are trekking for their new home) to wage a personal vendetta against the Colonel that will not end until one of them is dead.

War For The Planet Of The Apes hits every note that an epic should. Each scene is shot and staged with precision, creating a beautiful moving image, the acting is delivered delicately one might forget they’re watching CGI creatures on screen, not to mention the graphics at times are so heightened one questions what is real. The story is written with precision, cutting off all the fat, leaving the best parts for viewers to enjoy. Last, the score sends shockwaves through the senses, reminding us that Michael Giacchino is one of the best film composers working in the business.

War
holds essential qualities of good cinema, maintains an excellent arch as one of the best trilogies made in recent decades, and should be considered one of the greatest war films. Dunkirk was released a week after Apes, which overshadowed the war aspect of this picture, but Apes is a quintessential war film, referencing greats before it like Apacolypse Now, Full Metal Jacket, Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, and Paths Of Glory.

With all of these things to juggle; score, CGI, script, caping a trilogy, and the essense of a war film — this is one of the years best, and will take a lot to knock it down from the top 5. (At least my top 5)

John M. Finnell

Written by

Sometimes, I review movies.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade