War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) User Reviews (980)

Andy Serkis Was Robbed...

[cyguration · 8/10 · 8 April 2021]

...of an Academy Award.

A lot of people felt Serkis should have won for his portrayal of Gollum, but he puts that performance to shame with his turn as the not-so-poker faced leader of the apes, Caesar.

It's the understated emotion that really bubbles to the surface in Serkis' depiction of the reluctant but always resolute Caesar.

It's not easy to give a performance through a CGI ape and convey to the audience through vocal intonations and an extremely limited speaking script the hurt, the ambition, the hate, and the pain that Caesar feels, yet paired with an incredibly talented special effects team, Serkis manages to pull it off.

I suppose I can't give all the credit to them, because the script for this film is way above par. It works on so many different levels, and it's really quite something because I just got done watching Godzilla vs Kong, and oh boy is there such a stark difference in screenplay quality between the two films.

All while watching War For The Planet of the Apes I was thinking to myself "Why couldn't the Transformers get this sort of on-screen characterization and treatment?" The Hollywood excuse is always "No one wants to see robots fighting for two hours!" and yet that's always the best and only parts worth watching when it comes to the Transformer films.

Here, however, director Matt Reeves flipped the script (I suppose you could say literally) by putting the focus on the CGI apes instead of the humans. The entire story is about Caesar -- everyone else plays second fiddle to Caesar.

It basically proves that you can make a quality, character-driven film without tacking on some ridiculous human sub-plots just to pad out the time or tie together action scenes.

In this particular case War For The Planet Of The Apes is probably misnomer given that this is not an action film. Yes, there are action scenes, but this is all character drama, with a few action set pieces to payoff the trilogy.

I thought the original Dawn of the Planet Of The Apes was an okay film, nothing too memorable. I didn't care all that much for Rise of the Planet of the Apes. However, I have to say that I adore War For The Planet Of The Apes.

The difference boils down to bringing the emotion out of the leads (who are all CGI apes), giving the main antagonist a complex and multi-dimensional approach to his self-proclaimed "purpose" and a few twists you likely won't see coming.

I can understand why a lot of people may not like the film because it's methodically filmed and paced. This isn't The Fast & The Furious, and if you go in expecting more "War" rather than "Planet of the Apes" then I suppose you'll be sorely disappointed.

However, if you're looking for a movie that's actually really well directed, better written than it has any reason to be, and a lot more emotionally driven than most other Oscar-bait dramas, then you'll definitely enjoy War For The Planet Of The Apes.

And it still irks me that Serkis wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for his performance. I didn't bother checking to see who won best actor for 2017, but I'm finding it hard to believe anyone turned in a more layered, heartfelt, and multi-dimensional performance than Serkis did with Caesar.

Too many 1 star ratings....somethings up

[Uncle-Feggster · 8/10 · 15 June 2018]

Sometimes, when I read reviews about movies on IMDb, I see patterns in the writing. Similar text, similar structuring and similar indignant shouting. Read enough of them and you see that quite often there is an underlying reason why the reviews are marking a film so low. Be it political or religious. Very rarely is it actually about the quality of the film. More often it is about a personal issue that the reviewer has - and so he vents his anger in the only way that's he knows how - a screaming one star rating and a list of reasons why the film is the worst he has ever seen. Makes you wonder what kind of a strange person would do that.

However, if you read past all the silly 1 star ratings you often get to the truth. And the truth as far as this film is concerned is that it is a cracker. It draws you in like none of the other ape movies - it's pacing is superb, the visual effect stunning.

I would suggest that you ignore the ranting 1 star reviews and take them for what's they are - a few individuals with multiple accounts and strange views on the world.

Nice third installment with epic moments , noisy action , thrills , and overwhelming battles

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 15 November 2019]

This War of the Planet of Apes is an intense and exciting film with great visual effects by means of Motion Capture technology . The picture delivers enough energy and turns out to be an impressive flick full of fighting, action , battles and suspense . An acceptable Ape movie with huge production design in which the performers are very fine , and special mention for Andy Serkis who provides the sturdy central pivot the tale surely needs . There concerns Caesar (masterfullly incarnated by Andy Serkis, Gollum alter-ego) , a chimpanzee who gained human-like intelligence and emotions from an experimental drug that rose to a super-intelligent chimp who leads an ape upheaval . As Caesar and his apes : gorilla , chimpanzee and orangutan , are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel . Along the way the apes suffer unimaginable losses and Caesar (Andy Serkis), a Chimpanzee raised like a child by the drug's creator (first outing with Will Rodman: James Franco) . Here Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and starts his own mythic quest to avenge his kind that is being submitted in slavery and apartheid . Later on , Caesar is locked and seeking justice for his fellow primates , as they carry out a riot in which simians turn the tables . As simians , Chimpanzees , gorillas uprising violently every human in sight . As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) are pitted against each other in an impressive battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

This awesome film is a brilliant and intelligent sequel that contains fights , thrills , frenetic action , go riding , violence , breathtaking scenes and a strong denounce about animal mistreat . Dramatic as well as spectacular film in which simians undergo a rebellion against humans and winding up at a climatic final . Recent sequel in the series based on Pierre Boulle novel initiated by the mythical film ¨Planet of Apes¨ (1968) by Franklyn J. Schaffner that at time of its release regarded as the most extraordinary Scifi in years . It deals with a Chimpanzee hero called Caesar well played by Andy Serkis , this is the third film in which Andy Serkis plays an ape, having previously portrayed 2005's version of King Kong and he was also the motion capture actor for Gollum in Lord of the Rings . Highlights of the movie are the spectacular ending scenes when happens a fierce confrontation between a human army and the simians commanded by Caesar . As Caesar leads an animal revolt against his human captors and mankind in which humans battle the apes led by the intelligent ape . The flick plenty of metaphysical significance with thoughtful reflexion about vengeance , apartheid , upon origin of human being , racism , and mistreating ; though also packs action , adventures , intrigue and entertainment . Being mostly a decent follow-up of the former stories , with big moments of energy remaining throughout and it results to be , particularly , a breathtaking Sci-Fi movie full of frantic action , battles, suspense and top-notch FX by Oscarized team who made Avatar and Lord of the Rins . The performers , particularly Andy Serks and Woody Harrelson are pretty good , the characters are well drawn and in spite of excessive computer generator frames all of them are still oddly convincing . Although several elements of the screenplay strain credibility to the limit the story turns out to be pretty interesting and amusing . This film is considered to be the third live action film to have its main hero as a thoughtful, feeling , self aware animal . Andy Serkis's distinctive features prove to be recognisable even under ¨Motion Capture¨ FX images . One of the first feature films to use motion-capture in a so-called 'on location' setting , formerly , motion-capture was limited to special studio set up with special ¨motion-capture¨ cameras in very clearly defined surroundings . Similar the previous films, this is an Apes movie to have CGI apes and with arm extensions . Remaining cast formed by Gorilla , Chimpanzees , Orangutans and other apes are nice , in spite of overlong scenes in Motion Capture they are still nicely and compellingly made . Writing credits by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver , along with Mark Bomback and Matt Reeves himself , their screenplay is just clever and including interesting issues about human being and animals . One of the important attributes of this work, is the magnificent and luminous cinematography by Michael Seresin . Epic as well as emotive musical score by Michael Giacchino , it's full of fury and sound . Motion picture was well directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes , Let me in , Cloverfield)

Other adaptations based on the characters created by Pierre Boulle are as follows : The original and the best is ¨Planet of Apes¨ by Franklyn J. Schaffner with Charlton Heston , Roddy MacDowall, Kim Hunter , followed by "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" (1970) with James Franciscus , Linda Harrison , Maurice Evans ; it's followed by three inferior sequels : Escape from the planet of apes , Conquest for battle of Apes and Battle for Planet of Apes. A reboot Planet of Apes 2011 by Tim Burton . And new remakes : Rise of the planet of Apes 2011, and Dawn of the Planet of Apes (2014) .

Absolutely epic movie and trilogy.

[IamNiyatiJoshi · 9/10 · 27 May 2019]

War (as arguably miss-titled as it is) is once again on top of its game, with a more intense story, the effects looking better than ever, some genuine surprises and shocking moments, and the A-game acting. This trilogy has truly ended on a high note

everyone who gave this film a 1* rating?

[urthpainter · 9/10 · 25 July 2017]

Seriously needs to reevaluate the criteria by which they review films. Why? Because giving this film 1/10 says, "I am ignorant of quality film making." Descriptions like slow and boring just don't cut it! Opinions like this are an act of ultimate laziness - the inability to mentally invest in the passive experience of a film. An inability to invest in a well made film that has something to say no less.

Everyone has the right to an opinion - but when a person abandons merit before their eyes, and quality film making is overlooked by choice? That is simply, unfortunate. I can continue to admonish those without taste, but what good is that?

War for the Planet of the Apes isn't a good movie - it's a Great movie!!! I thought part one was above average, part two was surprisingly good - but this movie? Its a borderline classic!

In a nutshell, War for the Planet of the Apes is a struggle for survival between Caesar's group of sentient apes (gorillas, orangutans), and a derelict group of soldiers led by a broken/crazed leader. This fight begins as open warfare but moves to very close quarter survival between captors and prisoners. There is a lot of heavy, dramatic sequences - and I would say this movie compromises entertainment for meaningful content. Normally I am very critical of this type of film, but not this time! Everything serves the characters and story - and in doing so becomes a project that far exceeds the sum of its parts. Yes this movie has death, suffering and plight - and it also has heroism, empathy and displays the strength of unity.

The effects are astonishing - and immediately allow the viewer to slip into the world in a believable way. It is possible that this movie is 5 years ahead of its time. It may be a while before another film achieves this level of drama, all while being a heavily effect driven experience.

Apparently this movie requires an active viewer. A person actually has to show up, absorb the content of a film that will not pander to selfish, "give me action" needs. More science fiction should be this brave and literate. I love movies that ask interesting questions and can bring you on an emotional adventure. It is surprising to me that the third film in this trilogy would improve so much on the previous two films - good movies in their own right.

Way more I could talk up: great soundtrack! The music both blends in and adds to the drama/action - the best kind of soundtracking - beautiful camera work in interesting locations, and several unique characters, many of whom never utter a word of dialog! This movie is full of great character building, and all the big moments really land where they should.

For me, best movie of the 2017 summer - maybe the year!

All the 1* reviews at IMDb are a mystery... audience approval for this movie isn't this low. Very odd, anyways for those who care, critics got this one right - 9/10.

A Poetic Final Chapter

[Sparse · 27 July 2017]

War for the Planet of the Apes isn't the masterpiece I hoped it'd be. As someone deeply invested in the characters however, it's still a highly satisfying, emotionally- profound final chapter for the trilogy. War also compensates for its relative lack of allegory/social commentary with an intricately complex (and rather poetic) character/story structure, adding new merits to the franchise even if dissatisfying others.

I've been studying/writing about the entire Planet of the Apes franchise for the month leading up to my first viewing of War. Down the line (probably when the director's commentary comes out), I'll revisit my thoughts. For now, here are my impressions.

Matt Reeves returns from Dawn with equitable ambition, making this the best-directed of the trilogy, addressing all of my primary issues from the previous film. Most notably, the pacing is better than Dawn's, with the emotional core always at the forefront and never sidelined. This film still doesn't have the unrelenting momentum of Rise, but it never dragged for me, and felt shorter than 2 hours (as opposed to the 2+ hour runtime). This was enhanced by the riveting (but admittedly sparse) action sequences, especially one not far into the film, which had me on edge. The sense of scope was far more realized in this film, venturing through different landscapes while not feeling claustrophobic, and implying a massive new world of unknown territory. Overall this was an ambitious film, but it didn't innovate from Dawn as Dawn innovated from Rise- -at the time shooting in the mud and rain, now opting for a tamer, snowy environment.

Visually, this is nothing short of a spectacle. The (borderline R-rated) Holocaust imagery is genuinely haunting and unsettling, and crafts a unique tone with the sci-fi premise. Chinlund's production design is more enthralling than Dawn's, even if more greenscreen was used to get the result, contradicting the ambitious physical sets from before. The cinematography by Seresin also improves here, achieving some rather interesting shots, if still less engaging than the symbolic photography from Rise. As for the CG, I'm blown away. As good as the previous films were, there were still moments in which the effects were noticeably computer-generated. In War. . . the effects are flawless--so seamless that I never once actually saw "CGI". The effects in here are no less than groundbreaking. Spectacle isn't everything though, as there were various, smaller directorial flaws woven throughout.

For one, the title card didn't match the style of the first two films, and the highlights of the former films' titles felt shoehorned-in. Also consider the distracting Coke truck in the middle of nowhere, and the ridiculously thin layers of snow covering the tunnels. How much effort would it have taken to show the characters digging or mining through stone? I can mostly excuse these smaller flaws on merits of the meticulously- crafted story.

This is the sole film of the trilogy which wasn't written or adapted from a draft by Rick Jaffa/Amanda Silver, who retrospectively had a better understanding of the franchise's allegorical implications than Reeves/Bomback (who wrote this film). Now, Reeves knows how to create a brilliantly-layered story (not sure about Bomback), but his efforts left much to be desired in the way of commentary/allegory. There are clear (and often brutal) allusions to the Holocaust, with depictions of scapegoating minorities for predicaments the accuser is guilty of. In the way of contemporary commentary, the humans are trying to build a wall which ultimately proves useless (remind you of anything?). All in all though, it doesn't reflect the series' core allegory of racism very well, presenting nothing especially insightful or impressive. The final culprits are a handful of "Did they really just do that?" plot conveniences, mainly the tunnels with conveniently placed holes, but where the writing actually thrives in this film is structure.

In War, we're presented with an abundance of reversals/reflections on the former films' themes. Consider that for the first time since Rise, Caesar finds himself in a cage and inciting a revolution. We also see him abused with water, and fed slop. Also consider the dramatic irony/poetic justice of the virus: designed by humans, activating the speech centers/enhancing intelligence for apes, now doing the precise opposite for humans, effectively switching their roles in a quite literal interpretation of Planet of the Apes' core reversal. Additionally, Alpha Omega isn't just an easter egg--it's about this film as the end of a trilogy and the beginning of a vast mythology, accentuating the motifs within the film.

Character structure in War is also impressive. For example, Caesar kills Nova's father. This draws a parallel between Caesar and the Colonel (who previously killed Caesar's family). This turn not only reflects Caesar's disillusionment with humanity, but incites another parallel with his former opponent, Koba. Note that the now-orphaned Nova is a reflection of young Caesar, growing up and learning to sign with the reverse species. The performances are strong all-around, and there's not much new to be said (also I'm butting heads with IMDb's word limit). I'll add that I really enjoyed the tragic/comedic character of Bad Ape, and that Serkis was brilliant yet again.

I still find Doyle's score for Rise to be the best of the trilogy, but Giacchino manages a noticeable improvement from his work on Dawn. Though still simple in orchestration, the music feels far more realized/developed here, and some nice new themes are added to the fold. I would have liked to hear more Goldsmith sensibilities (and Doyle's themes), but what we got was fantastic nonetheless.

Not long after screening this film, I wanted to watch it again. Had this movie integrated more intelligent commentary and allegorical content, this could have been the second masterpiece within the Apes franchise, next to the 1968 film. I just hope that Fox keeps their damn dirty paws off my Apes until there's another story worth telling.

Score: 9/10

Those damn dirty apes have pulled off a great trilogy

[NormanCroucher · 7/10 · 9 October 2017]

The new 'Planet of the Apes' franchise has been an unexpected and surprising success, easily equaling the quality of its iconic ancestral lineage, or even arguably surpassing it. 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' was always going to be a tough act to follow but thankfully 'War' bucks the trilogy trend of the third film often being a lesser installment. It's not as well executed or as well structured as 'Dawn', but it's an excellent film nonetheless and builds upon an already rich mythology that offers up an elaborate explanation as to how Charlton Heston came back from space to find himself on a damn monkey planet.

Matt Reeves returns for directing duties and recaptures the same foreboding and tension he evoked the last time around. This is a very downbeat and bleak movie, so much so I actually had to remind myself that this is a summer blockbuster produced and released by 20th Century Fox. It's incredible to think that something as dark as this can still sneak under the wire and into the mainstream, and we should all be thankful of that fact. Andy Serkis has graduated across the series from being the plot device of 'Rise', to the dual protagonist of 'Dawn', to the full-on lead character of 'War', and his motion captured performance is truly remarkable. You can even tell it's his face at certain points - a sneer here, a frown there - and I fully believe this performance should qualify him for an Academy Award nomination for Lead Actor. He's the crown jewel of this franchise and he leads the charge from beginning to end this time around. I also have to make room for Steve Zahn's performance as a newly introduced ape, who is about the closest thing to a comic relief this film gets and his comic timing and tender eccentricity allows some breathing room between all the doom and gloom. The crowning achievement of this trilogy is its ability to seamlessly blend technological craft with human artistry. I have always favoured practical effects over CGI, but my god, even I can't deny just how magnificent the visual effects are. This is as close to photo- real you will see.

The title of the film is somewhat of a mislead since it's a much smaller and more intimate story this time around, and I feel there was more of an epic war taking place in 'Dawn'. This is much more of a revenge tale, framed through the eyes of our protagonist Caesar, who we have seen grow up and mature into a leader across the two previous films, which lends a greater sense of dimension and complexity to his character. Watching him and his clan strike back against the remnants of the human race becomes an interesting exercise for us. As human beings we are naturally predisposed to the survival of our species, even in fiction, and usually films set in a post-apocalyptic world tend to lean heavily towards that as the goal. The 'Apes' films ask us to do something else - they ask us to root AGAINST the human race, and that does create a conflict within us as viewers. Not all humans are bad, and we know where this story is taking us once you factor in 'Planet of the Apes' 1968, yet at the same time these apes are every bit as complex and fallible and heroic and dangerous as we are. They have an equal right to live and build a future together. And while this film definitely comes down on the side of the apes, unlike 'Dawn' which showed the failings of both sides to make peace, it is a strange experience rooting for them to win this time around since there are no real human allies like James Franco or Jason Clarke's characters. In any other film, the apes would be the villains and Woody Harrelson's Colonel character makes a good case as to why he sees it that way, even though the filmmakers jettison his humanity in order to paint him as a more out-and-out villain. After all, we, the audience, have to be on side come the finale, especially come the arrival of an unexpected deus ex machina.

This has been an intelligent and emotionally and morally complex series of films that have raised interesting questions about animal rights, speciesism, societal hierarchies, leadership and subservience, communication, conflict and peace. They are not simply mindless sci- fi movies cashing in on an existing property. Both of the previous films have been deeply thoughtful explorations of those aforementioned themes and ideas. So I am very pleased to report that 'War for the Planet of the Apes' proudly carries that torch all the way through to its beautifully biblical final moments.

Ignore the ignorant

[conroyart-46646 · 10/10 · 5 April 2020]

Don't normally review. Some like a film, some do not. But when I see this film given 1* I have to say something. Ignore such people. They enjoy the power of criticising the efforts of others while having, I imagine, little talent of their own. The film is a masterpiece. A war film, comedy, tragedy and biblical. What more can one ask for? Enjoy!

Apes Together Strong!

[DeadMan66 · 7/10 · 6 October 2017]

Good and interesting movie. Glad I watched it.

Story is simple and straight forward. It is the sequel of earlier Ape movies of Caesar. Writing any sentence about the story line is like spoiling the movie. So I will keep it short.

Movie is worth watching. I enjoyed every frame of movie. Movie includes sentiments, emotion and revenge. I don't think any more sequel will be made of it. Movie is long, of 2 hours so you have to be patience and keep watching to know the end.

Someone has it in for the movie makers

[nicerep · 10/10 · 21 October 2019]

A quick look at the bad reviews shows that most of them were written around the same time, mid July 2017 and most all of them are 1 star ratings, an obvious attack on the movie makers and nothing to do with the quality of the film. I urge you to ignore these fake reviews and read instead those written after the summer of 2017!

Detailed, but slow and uninteresting

[Sabre-El · 6/10 · 8 December 2018]

War for the Planet of the Apes picks up from where the previous two movies had left: the intelligent apes are increasing in numbers and the humans are afraid of them. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the first installment, was a masterful piece of art. It mainly focused on two characters, Caesar, the protagonist of this movie, and his 'keeper'/friend. It was very detailed, focussing on the relationship between the two and all that fit well with how the narrative unfolded. The second installment had a similar formula of keeping the story detailed and it worked well for it was well.

That's why I had a lot of hope for this movie. Unfortunately, that very formula that made me love the previous parts, just doesn't work with this one. War of the Planet of the Apes starts out just fine, but then, just in a few minutes, the story slows down a lot: each scene is very detailed, trying to give its viewers a feel of its characters. The thing is, we already know about many characters from its previous parts, so we're not that interested about that any more. Many apes haven't developed speech, so most of the movie is in sign language. While it is 'realistic' and I give plaudits to the makers for this, it adds to the slowness of the movie, making it boring, as one just can't understand what's going on. On top of all that, the movie is quite predictable. Add up all these factors and the fact that the movie runs for more than 2 hours, it becomes slightly difficult to watch. I literally had to fast forward a few scenes because I just wanted the movie to end.

All that said, the movie does have its positives. The CGI is amazing and the apes really look as if they exist. The movie might be boring, but it is still a good piece of art in terms of story-telling and one can tell a lot of effort went into it.\

Recommendation: don't watch it if you can't stand slow movies and don't have your hopes up based on the previous two installments

New energy for the franchise. Very good movie.

[michaelRokeefe · 9/10 · 9 January 2018]

This is the third chapter of the acclaimed Planet of the Apes franchise. Matt Reeves directs and this episode that is nice on the eyes to watch. Enough activity to keep your interest and story line that moves along at a good pace for a two hour twenty minute movie.

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are goaded into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a devious, head-strong Colonel (Woody Harrelson). Caesar tangles with his inner, dark instincts and comes to grips with his own mythical stature avenging his own kind. He comes face to face with the Colonel as bitter challengers in a battle that will determine the fate of both species. Ape versus Man and the future of the planet.

Really impressive is Steve Zahn playing Bad Ape. Also in the cast are: Amiah Miller, Judy Greer, Aleks Paunovic, Karin Konoval, Toby Kebbell and Michael Adamthwaite.

Heavy handed self-loathing La-La Land

[davidhawley-10709 · 6/10 · 1 September 2021]

Humans bad, apes good. This thesis sums up the first half of the movie, harped on so heavily and in such a clichied manner that I lost interest in continuing. And apes, of which chimps are the most violently aggressive and unpredictable. La-La land for the self-loathing.

Having said that, the movie looks fantastic.

Some of the worst writing I have ever seen

[fkarpenko · 1/10 · 22 July 2017]

I was first reluctant to see this film when my friend invited me but after seeing that it has a whopping 8.1 rating and remembering that the previous films were quite enjoyable I was prepared to see a truly good movie. I was incredibly disappointed. **SPOILERS** My first trouble with the film happened with the appearance of the little girl, who seemed to serve absolutely no purpose other than to spontaneously cause tear- jerking moments which were accompanied by sad music in every instance. Throughout the film there must have been around 10 of these, all of them completely pointless and forced. It also baffled me that she had close to 0 reaction to her father dying yet, when a gorilla who she had known for literally one day died, she wept like it was her brother. Another massive problem is that the entire plot of this movie hinges on one condition: that every single person out of the ~1,000 soldiers at the concentration camp is a complete and utter imbecile. Caesar's crew is running around right outside of the walls of the camp? Of course no one notices, why would anyone be on over-watch at a military base? All of the monkeys escape from their cages? Of course there was only one person watching over them. In addition to that, for the duration of what seemed like 10 minutes no one else even noticed that all the monkeys were gone or that the single guard watching over them was killed. Are these real soldiers!? Even statistically, what are the chances that not a single soldier looked at a cage that is in plain view from any part of the camp. These were just the most glaring issues I had with the film. So little thought went into the script. These are incredibly basic problems which could have been fixed with even the slightest effort, This movie was so incredibly dumb that even my friend who doesn't have much interest in film asked me if I wanted to leave before the film was over.

Don't understand all the hate.

[larrymeers · 10/10 · 17 July 2017]

Before i saw this movie i looked at some people's opinions about it and i saw mostly negative reviews, so i was really nervous going into this movie thinking that i would have had the same reaction to it and seriously i have no idea what those people are talking about.

So War for the planet of the apes is the 3rd film in the new prequel/Reboot of the planet of the apes movies. And this is about Caeser going on a journey to stop a war between his apes and an army of highly trained soldiers, while he also tries to control his more violent instincts.

First the obvious, the CGI is amazing and is truly a technological marvel to cinema. Andy Serkis once again plays the ape ruler Caesar and is easily the best movie character in recent years, in each film he has gotten progressively better and in this one it is definitely the best performance. The story is great and is well acted throughout. This movie is also an amazing drama. There are a lot of moments that just make you jerk a tear every once in a while and its believable. The action sequences are pretty good too. Woody Harrelson plays the colonel and he does a pretty good job at it (He is not as good as koba but still good). He is just a character that you can relate to and you understand why he is doing all of this. Caesar and the colonel are pretty relatable. As much as i would love to say how great this movie is, i better stop right here.

I loved every part of this movie and i did not find anything i did not like about it, but i am gonna talk about why i think most people were disappointed with this film. So if you watched all the trailers and looked at the title you may be expecting one thing, a ton of apes and humans fighting with guns and rockets. But although there is some of that in this movie, its definitely not the main point of it. This movie to its core is about the war that a person faces emotionally while war is happening around him. We see this concept with Caesar all the way through the movie.

It also talks about what terrible things a person or people would do in a war. Woody Harrelson's character does what he does because he believes that the entire human race is going to go extinct if he does not act. I mean, would you do that if you knew that you could slowly be replaced by another species?

So some people do not like this film because they were expecting a full on hardcore war movie. And it is that, but it really is a commentary about how a person has a war within themselves when war is happening around them. And people either missed, did not care, or did not understand the more darker themes about this movie.

But anyway, in the end i thought this movie was a masterpiece in every way it could have been. It has amazing CGI, performances, action sequences, dark themes, tear jerking moments, and a beautiful moral to it. A+ or 10/10 APES TOGETHER STRONG!

This is a great movie.

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 9/10 · 12 June 2019]

This a great movie. Down of the planet of the apes is better. But still this movie has great acting. It also has a great story line. 7.5 is underrating this movie I give it 9 out of 10.

Caesar, a unique and over-intelligent ape, has his family killed by Colonel McCullough of the military, and sets off on a quest for vengeance.

[DHWaldron · 11 August 2017]

The movie truly delves into the quote of "Ape shall not kill ape", as we see Caesar slowly transgressing into the cloud of darkness, and abandoning all of his ambitions and love. Caesar is haunted by the memory of Koba and the quote previously mentioned, and, as the movie progresses, Caesar's love of humans dies along with his family and other apes, making him become similar to Koba. Throughout the movie, the audience soon realises that the movies are not about "The Planet of the Apes" anymore, but about a deeper issue of Caesar and his character's mind and thoughts. And, even Caesar seems to value his personal quests rather than the larger goal.

The setting and photography are magnificent, making it hard to tell what is CGIed and what isn't. But, without the perfect visual effects, the movie would not have half the impact it had, with every single hair being done to precise measurement, you can even see the graying of Caesar's hair as he grows old and weary, with the tips tinged with white to represent the snow and ice forming on his body. Gunshots seem realistic and wrinkles on the apes give perfect contrast to the precise detail and architecture of their face. You can even notice the bags under their eyes! But, being a dedicated fan, as most who see this movie are, the tie-ins and 'nods' to the original "Planet of the Apes" are natural, unforced tie-ins, adding to the experience as a fan even more-so than a new customer to the "Apes" franchise.

Easily being one of the best "Planet of the Apes" movies, this does not disappoint, whether you are in search of action, vendetta, emotional drama or just to the see sequel to "Dawn". The darkest and most tempting movie in the franchise: "War for the Planet of the Apes".

prison break- apes edition ( the key scene..omg)

[yazanalamari · 7/10 · 17 July 2017]

The security guard and the key! what bugged me the most was that scene ...in the entire movie...just dumb, like what am i ... 11 years old watching this film???! yeah why not let the apes throw poop at the guard who happens to be standing above the cage> let the guard get mad and go down to them> have him walk into the effing cage with the keys> locks him self there with all the apes > and you know what happens next, they beat him and they steal the keys that led the infamous prison break!

Mindblowing

[BenjaminPopkin · 9/10 · 30 March 2022]

Not my favorite of the trilogy, but definitely an amazing film.

That opening scene was even better than the last one. The CGI is the best of the trilogy in this installment for sure. If the last one didn't get Andy Serkis a nomination for an Oscar, then this one certainly should have. Some of his best work ever IMO. They didn't win an Oscar for visual effects either which I honestly find bizarre. This film also has the best music of the trilogy by far.

My main issue with the film is that it starts to feel lengthy towards the end and I think they could have cut some things for sure. Also the girl was kind of pointless, she didn't really do anything or add that much, other than showing an emotional side to the apes. But, other than that I had no other real problems. I did get some Logan vibes.

I liked the revenge plot and Caesar battling his inner demons. I liked how Caesar offers peace again to humans and it doesn't work out just like the previous time. Could have used more Woody Harrelson. He stole his scenes though. I also totally agreed with his perspective because if it was real we would all be on his side because we are the last of humanity so I could see how he feels the need to wipe out the apes because the law of nature says they will replace the humans. You root for the apes because that's what we're watching but if it was real we would all be team Woody.

Overall, War for the Planet of the Apes is an amazing film. The cinematography, music, acting, CGI, and characters are all amazing. Caesar, Maurice, Luca and Rocket are such amazing characters who use such little actual dialogue, yet they can still carry the film so well. Also Bad Ape was really funny and I like that they finally decided to add some form of comedy in the trilogy. I also liked the concept of the zoo ape. The ending of this film is also perfect and definitely a tear jerker. This trilogy was just so well done.

The Planet of the Apes trilogy is one of my favorite trilogy's of all time for sure. The character development, storyline, all the visual effects, acting, and emotions that it puts you through is just so amazing. Lengthy but worth it in the long run. If you haven't seen any of these films I suggest you watch them, they are all so great. Now, I'm going to watch the originals.

I do think War is the same as Dawn in terms of quality and filmmaking, but overall Dawn is still my favorite of the trilogy. Also, War is a better film than Rise, but I think out of the trilogy and rewatchability that I may like Rise more than War.

The Usual Blockbuster

[templar77099 · 6/10 · 10 February 2018]

Well, that was a bit of a letdown. It´s not a bad film by any means, but my whole perception of the trilogy is now not as untouchable as it was. I might have to rewatch "Rise" and "Dawn", but, apart from the effects and the performances, specially Andy Serkis - he really is out of this world - there's not much else to hold the film, that really suffers from a thin plot where many incongruences can be found. Its what you'd expect from a tentpole blockbuster but it can elevate itself beyond that so keep that in mind if you're gonna give it a watch.

I am addicted

[ixmeraz · 10/10 · 6 September 2019]

My only complaint about this movie is that I became so addicted to it, that I had to buy it! I can watch it over and over again.

Watchable - Just!

[barberic-695-574135 · 7/10 · 17 August 2018]

Stupid story line, oh, it could have been so much better. Too much ape dialogue was in sign language, we even considered putting the subtitles on at one point. The SFX is impressive and makes the film watchable but by a thin margin. Technically and logically there is so much wrong with this movie to the point of being ridiculous. Based on the ending, we assume that will be the last Planet of the Apes movie. If this one was the best they can do then it will not be a bad thing. Will we be watching it again, highly unlikely.

As near a perfect film as you'll get.

[Pgle05 · 10/10 · 4 September 2022]

War for the Planet of the Apes is as near a perfect film as you'll ever get. It manages to surpass Dawn in just about every aspect, which is a huge achievement. The pacing is perfect, the score is phenomenal, and the CGI is out of this world. You can't give the special effects team enough credit, what they've done for this film is truly magnificent. Andy Serkis is oustanding as Caesar and I'm fully aboard the Oscar train! Woody Harrelson plays a great villain and is owner of the one and only expositional scene in the film. It truly is a masterpiece and caps off the trilogy like I never thought possible. A remarkable film.

8,1 IMDb rating insult.

[goeienamiddag · 6/10 · 18 July 2017]

8,1 score. Best rating of all of them. I couldn't wait to see it. But man! How on earth this movie got an 8,1 IMDb rating? For example: Please explain me how the title and the poster that goes with this blockbuster reflect the content? And its way too slow, not logical, not coherent, not consistent. Its like a modern interpretation of the old testament: Moses leading his people to the promised land.

If this gets an 8,1 rating, IMDb as a reference will lose all its credibility.

No, it's not really thought provoking, or a very good film at all.

[sswilkinson · 1/10 · 16 July 2017]

I've seen the original Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowell, I've seen the remake with Tim Roth, I've seen thousands of films during my life. War for the Planet of the Apes seemed to me as simply a showcase for the digital ape effects.

It's full of closeups of different digital ape faces against a blurry background. Af if it's 1957 and we should be marveling at new Disneyland animatronic characters. It's full of distant shots of digital chimps scurrying around. That's most of the movie.

What people are saying is thought provoking, is a simple illustration of two groups in conflict. Draw comparisons to Nazis and Jews, black and white, Shia and Shi'ite, slave and slave owner. The same "thought provoking" questions arise.

The only difference here is that it's put into a science fiction context - what if apes were as smart as humans? Well, what if cats were? Or squirrels? Had this been an action film, I'd say OK, it's an action movie and it's fine. But it isn't. It has some action, but is not an action film. It's mostly a very slow moving, dull, inarticulate drama.

Inarticulate in two ways. A lot of the apes use sign language instead of speech, and the script is not clever or intellectual. A few flashes of well written dialog come up during an exchange between the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) and Caesar (digital ape) and that's all there is. Less than five minutes. The rest of the dialog is mainly focused on vengeance and war or merciful understanding. There's no complexity or intellectual stimulation here.

I'm shocked that nearly all professional film critics give this movie a high rating and praise. Perhaps they all received $5,000 checks from the film studio.