Review: 'War for the Planet of the Apes' offers ultimately satisfying conclusion

war for the planet of the apes philippines review

The third film in a trilogy usually tend to go bigger in scale and in action. While 'War for the Planet of the Apes' follows the tradition it was expected to become, there's a really interesting side to it that seems to stray away.

It continues the ongoing war between simian apes headed by Ceasar (played by Andy Serkis) and the remaining humans that started in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes.' But this time around, remorse is nowhere to be seen. The human colonel (Woody Harrelson) keeps saying no for an invitation of truce, and is willing to risk the long battle to save his home away from the new captors, while Ceasar obviously, has intentions also for his own group.

The film seems to not hold anything back. The opening scene immediately prompts a raid of the apes' quarters, with heads being brutally beaten and bodies arrowed to the death. This alone justified the "War" in the film's title.

There are a lot of sequences wherein director Matt Reeves seemed to pull a full-length 'Apocalypse Now' tribute but with apes. Woody Harrelson portrays a head-shaved colonel, very reminiscent of Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz in the 1979 film. Heck, there was even a graffiti that says "Ape-pocalyse Now." The nods aren't hammered down, but either way it's a great fit to the mood this film is trying to set up.

Pushing a motion-capture performance for awards consideration seems like a far-fetched idea now, but Andy Serkis really deserved it for his turn as Ceasar. The actor showed a gravitas and complete range of emotion that a lot of actors with no computer-generated alterations can't even carry. A simple stare at the screen allows layers upon layers of depth, a true testament that CGI is no excuse for terminating natural moments on-screen.

The visual effects were, hands-down, the best there is. 2016's The Jungle Book owned it for a while, but this one took the entire cake. The design of the CGI apes were flawless, no doubt.

The grand finale of 'War for the Planet of the Apes' is a reversal of traditional blockbuster climaxes. The eventual war is so much different contrary to everyone's expectations, and it could have divisive reception from the crowd. But it's a risk that Matt Reeves and the team somehow got right.

Perhaps one of the biggest revelations of Hollywood cinema is a surprising one: a trilogy based on the ‘Planet of the Apes’ films from the ‘60s. No one wanted it, but look how this become. 'War for the Planet of the Apes' delivered what it has to deliver: a grand, ultimately satisfying end to this rebooted franchise.

The geek rates it 10/10!

'War for the Planet of the Apes' is now showing from 20th Century Fox Philippines.