War for the Planet of the Apes: Blu-Ray Review

The final installment of Planet of the Apes franchise focuses on the internal conflict of Caesar. 
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In the final chapter of Caesar’s story, Director Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield,” “Let Me In”), who took up the reins of the rebooted “Apes” franchise with “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” has finally come into his own, creating a grim but beautiful film that far exceeds the expectations of a summer blockbuster.

    While the film has a couple of explosive battles that live up to its name, “War for the Planet of the Apes” spends the majority of its runtime focusing on the internal conflict of Andy Serkis’s Moses-like figure, Caesar, as he leads his band of apes desperately struggling to survive the repercussions of the previous film. Due to the violent actions of the human-hating Koba, Caesar’s apes are now two-years into a brutal war with the surviving human military. While the humans are not exactly safe from extinction themselves, it is clear the apes are losing this war, as they are preparing for a journey to a safe haven far from the humans seeking to end the apes once and for all. Even worse, the apes must face their own kind in the form of donkeys, apes who were loyal to Koba but now work for the humans out of fear of what Caesar might do to them.

    The series up until this point has been no stranger to tragedy, but “War for the Planet of the Apes” ends the series with a bleak and painful story populated with countless breaking points for Caesar. After an unfortunate encounter with the leader of the human military, Caesar’s usual goal of fighting purely for the survival of his people is quickly replaced by a consuming desire for revenge, taking him and his loyal friends Maurice (Karin Konoval), Rocket (Terry Notary) and Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) on a journey to face Woody Harrelson’s merciless Colonel, who mirrors Marlon Brando’s Colonel Kurtz from “Apocalypse Now,” a film which “War” pays many interesting homages to throughout its story.

    As with the other films, the highlight of “War for the Planet of the Apes” is the apes themselves, starting with Caesar. Once again, Andy Serkis reminds viewers that he is undoubtedly deserving of an Oscar, which he will likely never earn. The other incredible performance-captured actors alongside the incredible visual work of Weta Digital brings the film’s apes to life, creating a world where the apes feel more human than the soldiers they encounter.

    With that said, for the first time in the series, “War” presents humans that are actually very interesting. As the humans face a crisis of their own, they must now take many ruthless and unconventional measures to ensure their survival. Harrelson’s character, while a bit too heavy at times, served as a perfect counterpart to Caesar, as he is a leader that is likewise doing whatever it takes to protect his people, no matter the costs. This conflict between the opposing leaders creates an interesting dynamic for the film, with the conversations between the Colonel and Caesar being some of the best parts of the film.

    While “War” presents a heart-breaking narrative livened by poignant moments of beauty, the film suffers from a slow second half and, without spoiling things, an ending that while an emotional conclusion to Caesar’s story, was brought down by some gaps in logic that had me shaking my head during the final moment of the film.

    That disappointment was short-lived, however, as I remembered the emotional journey that brought me to that final moment. Despite its flaws, “War for the Planet of the Apes” is a truly remarkable film that’s equal parts tragedy and beauty. If this is truly the end to the apes’ story, then the series could not have gone out on a higher note.