You like sadness? How about absolute tyranny? An apocalyptic view of how humans have no redeeming qualities, as a whole? Do I have the film for you! 2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes, the final film in the Caesar trilogy, is a brutal end to the successful “reboot” of the sci-fi epic.
This film follows Caesar trying to thwart the Alpha-Omega militia, made up of humans and a variety of apes who the humans deem “donkeys”. All the while, Caesar is trying to bring his colony to a newly found oasis, away from the remaining human hubs, to hopefully bring peace and sustainability to his fellow apes.
Meanwhile, the Simian Flu has begun to mutate, causing the opposite effect on humans. Their brains begin to deteriorate, causing the human race to morph into primitive creatures, without language. This leads the Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson, to try and obliterate the entire ape population (and humans who are showing signs of the new Simian Flu strain). Oh, Caesar also finds a little girl who has lost the ability to speak, they travel together, showing a smidge of empathy. Good on ‘em.
War is a dreary movie. Snow-covered hills (but not in the chic, “Landslide” way) allow every blood soaked ape or military explosion to pop on screen. Harrelson is, based on no facts other than just general vibes, playing himself? You can tell he’s definitely threatened his dog that he’s gonna “pull an Old Yeller” if they don't stop ripping up the couch. (ALLEGEDLY.) This felt like the first villain in the trilogy to have no redeeming quality, which is absolutely a fair choice to make, but did stick out to me as a first-time watcher of the franchise.
Yet, what still remains, above all? A sympathetic, wise orangutan to win the hearts and minds of all who watch! Brief storytime: When I was younger, my home theme park was Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. When they opened their “Jungala” land when I was in middle school, it included a large orangutan enclosure. Part of the “fun” was a glass panel on the floor of the viewing area where a hammock was nestled below, so guests could view the animals from above. If I only knew that the orangutans would become such wise creatures, I would’ve broken them free from resting below people jumping on top of them so they could help lead a revolution!
Of course, the reason these movies have excelled to be a big-budget franchise loved by audiences and critics is Caesar. Andy Serkis’s performance remains, until the bitter end, an undeniable tour-de-force and I hope his work within motion capture can help to bring actors into larger awards conversations for their performances. (I still believe Zoe Saldana should’ve received a nomination for Avatar: The Way of Water.)
A climactic and tragic end to a stellar franchise. Yet, the end wasn’t the actual end. Time to enter the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is currently in theaters. Will it be able to stack up against the love for this trilogy? Will another wise orangutan be nearby?!