Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox
‘The War For The Planet of the Apes” takes places two years after “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”. Most of the human race across the globe have been wiped out by the outbreak of the ALZ113 V, aka the Simian Virus, while the ape population has thrived and grown in numbers.
Caesar (the incredible Andy Serkis), the leader of the apes, is hiding out with his wife Cornella (Judy Geer) and their newborn son along with his fellow simians in Muir Woods north of San Francisco. At first look, their life could be seen as idyllic. Unfortunately, that is not the case. They must always be on the lookout for the remaining soldiers, who, under the orders of the psychopathic Colonel (Woody Harrelson), want nothing more than to kill them.
As the film begins, the apes are attacked by the soldiers and suffer many casualties, including the death of Caesar’s wife. Caesar wanted nothing more than to live in peace with the humans, but now he’s forced to wrestle with his darker instincts and begin his own mythic quest to avenge his kind.
When Caesar and the Colonel are finally face to face they are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of mankind.
“The War For The Planet of the Apes,” directed brilliantly by Matt Reeves is everything a person could want from the final film of a trilogy. It has a first rate story filled with breathtaking scenery, complex characters (the apes, not the humans) and edge of your seat action sequences.
The cast including a simian called “Bad Ape” (the very funny Steve Zahn), Maurice, (Krin Konoval) the overgrown orangutan with a heart of gold, and Caesar’s youngest son Cornelius (Devyn Dalton), are pitch perfect in their performances. Lastly, Michael Giacchino has created an incredible score that pushes the film’s momentum forward.
‘War For The Planet of the Apes opens in theaters July 14th, 2017, and it’s a definite must see.
