Review: War for the Planet of Apes (2017)

A Perfect Finish

Score: 8/10

The film takes colours from different films, mythologies and history. It starts with showing how a few apes have already sided with the humans losing all hopes of winning a war against their modern weaponry. Caesar tries to keep it calm until a betrayal begins a chain of events that leads to having his family killed. The whole 140 minutes relies on Caesar’s journey to Colonel to avenge his family, their capture and a war that eventually makes the earth a planet of apes.

The realism carried in the character sketch of the ideal leader Caesar, his slogan, his war keeping up the moral integrity at the same time carrying an emotionally deep understanding to his motivation is a straight reminiscent of Moses leading Israelites to freedom from slavery. Woody’s character as the colonel with a cheeky maniacal fashioned avatar talking with convincing statements on his actions reminds you of the Brando’s much more demonic and psychotic Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, though even Woody owns the part with an interesting individualism. The final third of the film takes many cues from the Great Escape when the captive Apes plan an escape. This part uses a lighter-mood background score even with the extreme tension of the situation giving us some subtle humour along the way.

The film doesn’t always push itself to be fast, but does it with enough zest keeping you engrossed throughout. It likes to have conversations and generate details not found in other summer entertainers. The credibility is so evident that you stop seeing them as apes but as probably less privileged humans who have not had equal rights even with their growing intelligence almost posing a threat to humans. Its, only in the end you realize how you have supported the apes in winning the war killing all the humans but you still can’t help but rejoice in the destruction of mankind, if that is not direction then what is?