Man, I can always tell if a series is great if I get that empty feeling when it comes to a close.
With that being said—this is one of the most gripping, emotional films I've seen all year, serving as a fitting bookend for Mark Reeves' outstanding series of Apes movies.
This is a bit of an unorthodox ending to a trilogy. Instead of aiming for the overblown action spectacle that usually close these things out, War for delivers a deeply moving, character driven story. That might turn some viewers off from the film, especially because the marketing behind this movie—and even the title—creates certain expectations. While this could be disappointing, the film is so effective on an emotional level that you can forgive it for it's lack of constant action.
War for definitely benefits from the two previous films when it comes to character development, specifically the development of protagonist Caesar. Caesar is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters ever put to film. We have seen him go from orphaned infant, to budding revolutionary, to thoughtful leader, and now; extremely weary general. This slow buildup of character depth makes the completion of his arc truly captivating. When tragedy strikes, you care. When good favor comes his way, you care.
If we talk about Caesar, we have to talk about the man behind the ape. Andy Serkis has done a marvelous job portraying every stage of Caesar's life through motion capture in these films, and his performance is just as amazing here. It would be a tragedy if Serkis doesn't at the very least get a Oscar nomination for his performance here. The emotion that is conveyed through the eyes and voice of Serkis' performance is far superior than most "real human" acting performances this year.
If Serkis deserves an Oscar for his performance, than the visual effects team definitely deserves one as well. The CGI of the apes is simply flawless. Director Matt Reeves makes a point of shooting the apes close up, really putting the outstanding work this effects team did on showcase.
Not only is this the most visually polished film of the trilogy, this is the most beautifully shot film I've seen all year. From beginning to end, Reeves puts together poignant sequences that rely almost exclusively on visuals. There are many historic visual allusions here, ranging from shots reminiscent of the Trail of Tears to Holocaust symbolism. The allegory presented combined with the emotional investment in these characters, creates some truly heart- wrenching moments.
One element that I thought didn't work as well in the previous movies were the human characters. Woody Harrelson flips this trend on it's head with an excellent performance here as the Colonel. Not only is the Colonel the most villainous human character of the series, he is the most complex human character of this trilogy.
I can talk on and on about how much I love this movie, but instead I'll let the stars speak for themselves. Just go see this.
War for the Planet of the Apes pulls absolutely no punches, delivering a powerful conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies ever made. All aboard the Andy Serkis Oscar train.
With that being said—this is one of the most gripping, emotional films I've seen all year, serving as a fitting bookend for Mark Reeves' outstanding series of Apes movies.
This is a bit of an unorthodox ending to a trilogy. Instead of aiming for the overblown action spectacle that usually close these things out, War for delivers a deeply moving, character driven story. That might turn some viewers off from the film, especially because the marketing behind this movie—and even the title—creates certain expectations. While this could be disappointing, the film is so effective on an emotional level that you can forgive it for it's lack of constant action.
War for definitely benefits from the two previous films when it comes to character development, specifically the development of protagonist Caesar. Caesar is, in my opinion, one of the greatest characters ever put to film. We have seen him go from orphaned infant, to budding revolutionary, to thoughtful leader, and now; extremely weary general. This slow buildup of character depth makes the completion of his arc truly captivating. When tragedy strikes, you care. When good favor comes his way, you care.
If we talk about Caesar, we have to talk about the man behind the ape. Andy Serkis has done a marvelous job portraying every stage of Caesar's life through motion capture in these films, and his performance is just as amazing here. It would be a tragedy if Serkis doesn't at the very least get a Oscar nomination for his performance here. The emotion that is conveyed through the eyes and voice of Serkis' performance is far superior than most "real human" acting performances this year.
If Serkis deserves an Oscar for his performance, than the visual effects team definitely deserves one as well. The CGI of the apes is simply flawless. Director Matt Reeves makes a point of shooting the apes close up, really putting the outstanding work this effects team did on showcase.
Not only is this the most visually polished film of the trilogy, this is the most beautifully shot film I've seen all year. From beginning to end, Reeves puts together poignant sequences that rely almost exclusively on visuals. There are many historic visual allusions here, ranging from shots reminiscent of the Trail of Tears to Holocaust symbolism. The allegory presented combined with the emotional investment in these characters, creates some truly heart- wrenching moments.
One element that I thought didn't work as well in the previous movies were the human characters. Woody Harrelson flips this trend on it's head with an excellent performance here as the Colonel. Not only is the Colonel the most villainous human character of the series, he is the most complex human character of this trilogy.
I can talk on and on about how much I love this movie, but instead I'll let the stars speak for themselves. Just go see this.
War for the Planet of the Apes pulls absolutely no punches, delivering a powerful conclusion to one of the greatest trilogies ever made. All aboard the Andy Serkis Oscar train.