Here’s the premise: Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson) After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.
As I have said from the very beginning, I am a HUGE fan of the late 60’s/early 70’s movies and TV show, so I wanted them to do this series the right way; and they have exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds. From the story, to the special effects, to the acting; everything has worked perfectly. You can feel the build up from one movie to the next, and knowing the outcome of the old movies, you can see things coming and the reason we get to the outcome of the early films very clearly.
Again, WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES shows how man is creating their own demise by their superior attitude and not willing to embrace change that they have created. The scripts have been fantastic from the start and they are only getting better, you can see that writers Mark Bombeck and Matt Reeves really want to keep the integrity of Pierre Boulie’s novel in place; and that makes me love the movies even more.
The acting is off the chart, starting with Woody Harrelson, his portrayal of The Colonel is the embodiment of man’s weakness that has led to the war against the primates. Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, and does an awesome job showing the internal battle he faces to live peacefully of have to fight.
I wholeheartedly recommend WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, weather you are a fan of the old movies or brand new to this game, it is well worth the price of admission.
Russell Lockhart
