Movie Review: War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Within the first three or four minutes of this movie, I came to the conclusion that this probably has the best visual effects I’ve ever seen.

I mean, the gorillas specifically get plenty of closeups, and basically look completely real. The main orangutan, Maurice, has looked really great throughout the trilogy, but the gorillas stand out here.

But this movie’s great for plenty of reasons other than the visual effects. It’s a wonderfully engaging and emotional story, and I appreciate how it’s almost 100% from the perspective of the apes. Andy Serkis continues to impress as Caesar, who in his third movie, is more interesting than ever.

The humans, led by a Colonel (Woody Harrelson), are also interesting, mostly for how we don’t get to see their full perspective. There is a scene where the Colonel explains his point of view to Caesar, but a great deal of it still lies beneath the surface.

This was my favorite of the new trilogy. It’s a wonderful conclusion.

Rating: 8/10