大象传媒

Attacked by what remains of the US army in their California forest hideout, the apes are forced to find a new home. But before they do, a grief-stricken Caesar and a few close allies ride out to find “The Colonel” (Woody Harrelson), the psychopathic military leader behind the assaults.

Pros:

1. Weta, the digital visual effects company behind the incredible CGI seen in the Apes prequel trilogy so far, have somehow managed to improve on the already excellent work they did in Rise and Dawn. Never have the apes looked more real, their facial reactions felt more impactful. Weta have such confidence in their craft that straight-on, highly emotional shots of certain apes’ faces – notably Caesar and Maurice (Karin Konoval) – linger in a way that previous films wouldn’t have dared. It’s stunning work.
2. These advances in special effects add seamlessly to the beautiful performances from the actors – actors, I should point out, required to wear the polka-dotted performance capture onesies to “become” the apes. Newcomer Steve Zahn (playing the beanie-hatted “Bad Ape”) may steal a scene or too, but this is definitely Andy Serkis’s film, with Caesar’s character arc coming to a beautiful conclusion, and adding further proof that The Oscars need to introduce a performance capture category sooner rather than later.
3. This is a blockbuster – complete with the action, adventure and explosions that you’d expect – that also deals with some pretty weighty themes. There aren’t many triple-A summer films that tackle the nature of war, racism and fascism. As with the previous films in the series, the big question is: can you ever forgive your sworn-enemy in the pursuit of peace? And if peace is the aim, is revenge ever the answer, even when you’ve been so brutally wronged, so many times? There really is something to this film, and if you’re looking for a reprieve from the frothy silliness in so many superhero movies right now – which I love on their own terms, of course – War is the film you need to see.

Cons:

1. For a film with “War” in the title, there’s not that much actual, you know, war. The opening act has a decent amount, but it fizzles out towards the end. If you’re expecting any extensive gorilla guerrilla warfare, or down-in-the-trenches, bullet-strewn battles, this isn’t that movie.
2. Towards the end, the film changes from a Western – Caesar and his riders trekking across California to wreak revenge – to a prison escape movie. In other words, it becomes the, ahem, Great Esc-ape. *cough*. And it’s during this final, jail-set act that some glaring logical inconsistencies crop up, with a few moments likely to leave you scratching your head like a dumbfounded orangutan. I won’t elaborate on them for fear of spoilers, but it is a bit of a shame in an otherwise relatively goof-free series.
3. The human side of this Apes film is the weakest of the three. Harrelson does his best as the twisted and tortured Colonel, but he’s pretty much the only speaking human character, and as he’s the BIG BAD, you long for other human characters with real heart.

Three word review: Apes conclude strong.