WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES review
(Reviewed by Daniel Shakespeare)
About the film
War for the Planet of the Apes is a 2017 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves, written by Mark Bomback and Reeves. A sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it is the third instalment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series. The film stars Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, and Steve Zahn, and follows the confrontation between the apes, led by Caesar, and the humans for control of Earth.
Positives
+ Acting. Every single one of the characters were brilliantly portrayed by their respective actors. From the charismatic ape Caeser (Andy Serkis) to the war-crazy general (Woody Harrelson), everyone gave their all.
+ Maturity. This is something you don't expect from a movie about super-intelligent apes, but it was probably the most grown-up movie. Kudos to Matt Reeves. His direction left a constant air of suspense, but never transitioned into horror. A less skilled director would've made this a full-on horror movie. Reeves, however, takes each cut perfectly, leaving a constant sense of uneasiness without scaring the audience by implementing a metric ton of jump-scares (The first one had this problem a bit).
+ Topical views. Who would've thought that a PotA movie would be the best showcase of hardships faced during war we've seen in a long time? It manages to cover some brilliant points, like the treatment of PoW's and mercy killing, but it does it exceptionally well without being overbearing.
+ Score. Composed by Micheal Giacchino, it's beautiful beyond compare. Each moment is scored perfectly, and "Exodus Wounds" might be one of the most emotionally stirring themes in recent memory.
+ Fitting end to the trilogy. The story progresses in a very natural way, and eventually perfectly wraps up the events set in motion in Rise. It's a very hard thing to do, ending a trilogy. But very rarely do you get a finale which is far more superior than the two movies preceding it.
Negatives
- NOTHING. I really can't think of a single thing I'd change about this film. It didn't rely as much on breath-taking action as the previous two, but it instead gave us an emotionally-riveting story. And I'll take that trade any day of the week.
VERDICT
War for the Planet of the Apes is a peerless movie. Beautiful design, brilliant direction and cinematography, incredible acting, great script and a riveting score provide the perfect sendoff for Caeser and his band of merry apes. It's been an honour.
FINAL SCORE=>10/10
(originally posted: 6/25/2017)
About the film
War for the Planet of the Apes is a 2017 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves, written by Mark Bomback and Reeves. A sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, it is the third instalment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series. The film stars Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, and Steve Zahn, and follows the confrontation between the apes, led by Caesar, and the humans for control of Earth.
Positives
+ Acting. Every single one of the characters were brilliantly portrayed by their respective actors. From the charismatic ape Caeser (Andy Serkis) to the war-crazy general (Woody Harrelson), everyone gave their all.
+ Maturity. This is something you don't expect from a movie about super-intelligent apes, but it was probably the most grown-up movie. Kudos to Matt Reeves. His direction left a constant air of suspense, but never transitioned into horror. A less skilled director would've made this a full-on horror movie. Reeves, however, takes each cut perfectly, leaving a constant sense of uneasiness without scaring the audience by implementing a metric ton of jump-scares (The first one had this problem a bit).
+ Topical views. Who would've thought that a PotA movie would be the best showcase of hardships faced during war we've seen in a long time? It manages to cover some brilliant points, like the treatment of PoW's and mercy killing, but it does it exceptionally well without being overbearing.
+ Score. Composed by Micheal Giacchino, it's beautiful beyond compare. Each moment is scored perfectly, and "Exodus Wounds" might be one of the most emotionally stirring themes in recent memory.
+ Fitting end to the trilogy. The story progresses in a very natural way, and eventually perfectly wraps up the events set in motion in Rise. It's a very hard thing to do, ending a trilogy. But very rarely do you get a finale which is far more superior than the two movies preceding it.
Negatives
- NOTHING. I really can't think of a single thing I'd change about this film. It didn't rely as much on breath-taking action as the previous two, but it instead gave us an emotionally-riveting story. And I'll take that trade any day of the week.
VERDICT
War for the Planet of the Apes is a peerless movie. Beautiful design, brilliant direction and cinematography, incredible acting, great script and a riveting score provide the perfect sendoff for Caeser and his band of merry apes. It's been an honour.
FINAL SCORE=>10/10
(originally posted: 6/25/2017)
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