WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

US, 2017, 140 minutes, Colour.
Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Amiah Miller, Toby Kebbel, Gabriel Chavarria, Judy Greer.
Directed by Matt Reeves.


This third film in the recent trilogy of the Planet of the Apes received very strong critical affirmation. It has also done well at the box office. However, it has not pleased and myriad of fans who had been expecting a bellicose version of the war between the apes of the humans. They did not appreciate the amount of focus on the small group of apes led by Caesar, on the small group of humans led by The Colonel, and the limited amount of warfare at the end of the film, helicopter invasion, explosions. And, to cap it all, there is an extraordinary avalanche sequence.

It is amazing to think that the Planet of the Apes has been part of our consciousness since 1967, ever since, at the end of the first film, Charlton Heston came onto the beach and saw the toppled head, in ruins, of the Statue of Liberty. This film had for sequels: Battle for, beneath, escape from, conquest of… as well is television series The franchise was rebooted, as they say, in 2001 by Tim Burton but it did not have the impact of the original.

So, it was rather daring to begin a new trilogy in 2011 with The Rise…, conflict between humans and apes, the education of the leader of the apes, Caesar, and his ability to speak, and his leadership against the exploitative humans. This episode was so successful that Caesar led the apes against the humans in The Dawn… which also featured the rogue ape, Koba, and fierce battles.

In this film, Caesar is still the leader. And he is played by Andy Serkis, expert in this kind of performance after his Gollum in the Lord of the Rings series as well as Peter Jackson’s King Kong. Caesar can speak, but communicates with his fellow apes by sounds and sign language. He is roaming the forest with a loyal group, especially Maurice, a sympathetic and emotional ape.

They encounter some humans, are in conflict, but send the survivors back to the ruthless Colonel in the human headquarters. The colonel is played by Woody Harrelson reminding audiences of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and its film version, Apocalypse Now. He is in charge of a rebel group, in conflict with the apes, confining prisoners to a kind of concentration camp and hard labour without food and water.

During the winter, Caesar and his band wanders the mountains and snow, finding a mute girl and taking her with them, also encountering a comic ape, Bad Ape, who grew up in a zoo but is able to lead the small band to find the human headquarters.

The film sometimes takes its time, especially in the confrontation/interview sequence between Caesar and The colonel, explanations of Caesar’s attitude towards the humans, the loss of his son, the battles and the rebellion of Koba, and The Colonel explaining the deterioration of the humans infected with an illness which deprives them of speech and their faculties – which the Colonel exterminates by killing.

Delicacy is not exactly the word one expects in connection with the Planet of the Apes, but there is much human delicacy in the feelings of both apes and humans, highlighted by the variety in the musical score, especially delicate notes from the piano accompaniment.

Caesar is a charismatic leader but is also consumed by his hatred of the humans – which leads us to wonder where the next film in the series could go.

1. The popularity of Planet of the Apes films, in the 1960s and 70s? Television? In the 21st-century? This film the third in a trilogy?

2. Audience interest, in the idea, humans versus apes, intelligent apes and conflict? War?

3. The basic situation, the explanation of the Rise and the emergence of Caesar? The experiences of Caesar, leadership, the apes? Leading to Dawn and conflict, the superiority of the apes? Koba and his revolution? Human deaths? Ape deaths? Enmities?

4. The musical score, the range, the delicacy of the piano sequences?

5. The importance of the make up, the photography styles and acting? Convincing apes?

6. The focus on Caesar, his character, Andy Serkis and his screen presence, his rise, experiences, education, ability to speak? His leadership, family and deaths? Koba and the revolution? His being isolated with his group? The apes surviving in the forest? The roving bands? Loyalties? Interactions with the humans, fights, Caesar returning the soldiers, the significance of Preacher? The encounter with Bad Ape, the story of the apes in the zoo? Going through the winter, the snow, to the human headquarters? The apes as prisoners, hard labour, no food and water? The children imprisoned? The human conflict – and the troops from the North in conflict with those at headquarters? Caesar being taken, interrogated, imprisoned?

7. The forests, the isolation, the winter and the snow, the spring the blossoms, the impact of the avalanche?

8. The action sequences, stunt work, the final climax, the helicopters, the fighting, the explosions?

9. Caesar, wandering the countryside, the deaths, finding the little girl, her inability to talk? Taking her? His reliance on Maurice? The others? Talking and sign language? Travelling, the search? The character of Bad Ape, on horseback, shooting, his fear? The encounter with Caesar? His past, leading them on the trek? The comic touches?

10. The Colonel, echoes of Conrad and Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now? His leadership, the previous hostilities, his special squad, his scouts and soldiers? His leadership? Confronting Caesar, admiring his intelligence, the past, the family deaths, his cruelty, the story of the defect, the failing humans, his own son, killing him, killing the other troops? Preparation for the conflict with the soldiers from the North?

11. Caesar, taken, the confrontation with The Colonel, the interrogation, his being beaten, his being exposed on the stocks? The little girl coming in, the food and water, Caesar surviving?

12. Bad Ape, discovering the tunnel, the water filling the tunnel? Blocking it? Caesar’s friend and his sacrificing himself to divert attention from Caesar, his being put in prison, the beating? Finally giving his life?

13. Maurice, nice, with the little girl, her inability to speak, supplying the food and drink for Caesar? Her participation in the attack, her escape and hiding?

14. The plan for the escape, the workers, counting the number of steps, tunnel, helping the children to escape? Preacher and his doing the behest of The Colonel, on guard, any sympathy for the apes, his being released? At the end – and his death in the explosion?

15. Caesar, his anger, unable to forgive The Colonel? Confronting him, the Colonel suffering from the defect, collapsing, the gun, his death?

16. The attack, the helicopters, the fight back, the apes escaping, the shooting of the apes? Caesar, being shot, the grenade, the oil? And the final explosion and destruction?

17. The avalanche, the apes caught, climbing the trees, with the little girl, surviving?

18. The status of the apes at the end of the film? The humans? Caesar and his achievement?