War for the Planet of the Apes 3D Movie Review

Review Written By: Adolph Vega

Check out my Video Review on YouTube below:

3D

Unfortunately the 3D visuals for this movie are not impressive and don’t do much of anything. Occasionally you will see rifle barrels pop out of the screen. A few scenes have snow falling and the 3D looks decent as the snowflakes fly around in 3D space. The 3D visuals do help make the digital apes seem more lifelike because there a three dimensional shape instead of flat 2D shape. The 3D visuals never wow the audience and are a subtle and minor aspect of this movie. Overall the 3D visuals for this movie are mediocre, forgettable and simply not worthwhile.

Final Verdict: Weak 3D 2D RECOMMENDED

Movie

“War for the Planet of the Apes” is the third movie within this rebooted movie franchise. I really respect what the filmmakers have done with this franchise and how they created an interesting and believable world of apes. This trilogy is possibly one the best trilogies of cinema with all three movies being enjoyable.

The first thing I must mention about this movie is how misleading the title of the movie is. The title of this movie “War for the Planet of the Apes” seems to imply an action movie when that isn’t the case. The trailers are also very misleading and give an impression of a non-stop action spectacle. I mention this because the title and trailers give the audience an inaccurate picture and could potentially set up false expectations. This movie is very dramatic and serious and has lots of subtitles instead of spoken dialog. In many ways this movie feels like a thoughtful independent movie instead of a summer blockbuster. The movie does have some action scenes but the story is more focused on characters and plot than action. I feel that some people may find this movie boring because of the slow pacing and lack of action. This movie isn’t your typical summer blockbuster; it’s very cerebral, tense and suspenseful. I am not a marketing expert so I don’t know how to accurately make the trailers showcase this style of movie and give a correct portrayal of the movie. I usually don’t discuss the title of a movie or the marketing within the review, but for this occasion I believe that it must be mentioned.

The movie takes place several years after the events of the previous movie in this series “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”. This is the third movie within the rebooted “Planet of the Apes” franchise and it continues the story of Caesar and the super intelligent apes that follow him. This movie builds upon the previous two movies of this franchise, and they are required viewings before watching this movie. The movie begins with a few blocks of text on screen that give the viewer some context going into this story. This movie is about the ape of Caesar (the leader of the apes) and a small group of apes that follow him to investigate a nearby human military base. Broadly speaking this movie is about family, survival and the concept of mercy. The performances of the various apes are perfectly captured by cutting edge special effects. The acting and writing for this movie is truly excellent. I never once doubted the computer graphics on screen and it was a spot-on showcase to what the power of computer-generated characters can do under capable filmmakers. The characters might be digital creations but the have depth and substance. The movie does an excellent job of making these apes relatable and makes it easy to have empathy for them. This world that this movie presents is realistic, gritty, sad, tragic and is totally believable and thought provoking.

This movie has many returning characters but also several new ones. One of those new prominent characters is that of The Colonel. The Colonel is portrayed by Woody Harrelson and is the villain of this movie. This is easily one of the best performances by Woody Harrelson in his entire film career. This character has one excellent speech where you understand everything about this character and his history. I wanted to stand up and cheer after this speech because it was so perfectly delivered and it hit all the right notes. Another new character that is notable is that of an ape who used to live in a zoo. This character is used as comic relief and is very charming and very helpful to the plot. Many times he says what the audience is thinking and is a wonderful addition to this movie. Another new character is that of a young girl. This young girl is semi-adopted into the ape clan and is another stand out. This girl is a simple character and doesn’t have many lines but is a joy to watch on screen and has beautiful sweet innocence presence on screen. The movie keeps some of the best characters from the previous movies and adds several new additions that are all excellent and interesting. This movie does a wonderful job with handling all these characters and making them feel complete and meaningful.

The only problem I had with this movie was with the ending. I won’t spoil this aspect, but needless to say it is the definition of a deus ex machina

ending. The conclusion makes sense within context of the location this movie is set, but it still feels too convenient. Maybe the deus ex machine ending was intentional for the narrative but it feels cheap and like a cop-out. Overall the movie does end in a satisfactory manor that feels like a closure to this series of Apes movies and delivers catharsis.

In conclusion this movie is an excellent science fiction film. My issues with this movie are minor and related to the ending and the slow pacing. The story, characters and acting are all truly wonderful. These “Apes” movies have done something truly spectacular and made a perfect trilogy and this third movie wraps things up nicely. “War for the Planet of the Apes” is an incredible summer movie, and Andy Serkis (motion capture & voice actor for Caesar) deserves award recognition for this performance within this movie, because it’s perfectly executed and is totally believable. This movie is almost perfect and totally resonates with its emotional and dramatic elements. This movie is easily one of the best movies of 2017 and should not be missed.