War for the Planet of the Apes

Old Man Caesar. I was afraid that the purely war-themed ending wouldn't be dignified enough for this saga of primates and humans, but the opposite is true. It's not just an action ride; it's a multi-genre crossbreed that took my breath away with every change of storytelling spirit. From the almost palpable weight of the experienced leader's fate, through the mental battle of two strong personalities, to the escape, intensified by its unbearable tension. The last chapter even extracts so many emotions from me that I was surprised they were all just for the Planet of the Apes. Thanks to everyone who allowed Matt Reeves to have an impact on the script because War for the Planet of the Apes surpasses the thematically very close Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in everything. (2017-12-30)

An apocalypse (in terms of structure and "the negative character" and even annoyingly frequent visual references) incorporated into the ending of the trilogy, which in turn is incorporated into all the story lines, characters and themes based on the original Monkey Planet through a torn inner struggle for Caesar's soul. Yes, it's overcomplicated, and despite it´s not the Conrad´s Heart of Darkness in apes version, the resulting "Ape-pocalypse Now / ape Logan" is a surprisingly faded, free from any action (there's no war, and even taking about talking about fight or dispute would be an exaggeration. This is the Bridge on the River Kw... Planet of the Apes), whose many obvious drawbacks "but" (all humans are stupid, unreasonably long footage, unbalanced pace, deus ex machine ending) don´t really matter thanks to emotions, captivating Serkis, enchanting first half and "invisible" CGI effects, which are not here to impress. (2017-07-12)

A fantastic end to the trilogy. Smart, emotional, it grabs your heart. After all we have been with Caesar right from the very beginning. Reeves skillfully depicts a conflict between the fanatic colonel and the main hero, causing a powerful denouement. The special effects are absolutely top-notch, the acting convincing. Beautiful music. (2017-07-23)

The initial draw into the action with a chilling forest scene is still fine, but as soon as the generic piano motif trying to mine the viewer for emotion kicks in, it was clear that it was over and the third time was definitely not going to be the charm. This is a film that could have been anything: a war apocalypse to save the world, an ape odyssey, a grim post-apocalyptic ape drama. Unfortunately, however, it’s a bit of a patchwork of everything and as a result, it lacks a strong theme, something fatal compared to the previous episodes, especially the first one, which also had a nice "realistic natural disaster" feel to it. The acting of the rendered apes is a class above that of any real actors. Unfortunately, even Woody Harrelson picked a weaker moment and an absolutely bad movie. Two stars for the visual effects and (digital) expressions of the apes, which ironically were the only tangible, real ones. (2017-10-14)

They weren't kidding overseas, the third Planet of the Apes is another great spectacle. Matt Reeves continues the tone set by the previous installments and delivers a film that, while nearly two and a half hours long, isn't afraid to slow down and make time for scenes where the characters just sit around, talk, and you find out little details about them that make you worry about them instead of just waiting for the final set-piece. While last time the apes and humans were given similar space, this time it's almost all about Caesar, but Woody Harrelson has enough space to shine next to the digital (and of course amazing-looking) animal characters. I can imagine that the finale, with its slightly unexpected concept, won't quite suit some people, but paradoxically it makes all the ideas that have been hinted at several times throughout the film come through. Overall, War for the Planet of the Apes is exactly what we expected and hoped for. Plus, it confidently references the Charlton Heston version more than once, giving answers to questions one might not have thought to ask. A good and clever blockbuster. There's bloody little of that in cinemas.. (2017-08-16)