Of all long-running movie franchises, only 'Jaws' fell further in quality between the first and final installments. Both the plot and dialogue for 'Battle' were either aimed at (or maybe actually written by) a bright eleven-year-old, whilst the production values were ridiculously low. Science fiction is a notoriously costly genre, and so we get an 'ape city' which looks like a hastily-erected squatter's encampment and a 'battle' highly reminiscent of a threadbare small-town Civil War reenactment. Yes, the titular 'battle for the planet of the apes' also refers to Caesar's 'peaceful co-existence' scenario versus Aldo's 'conquest is good' mindset, but with such a plethora of 'bad movie' moments distracting the viewer, it is not immediately obvious. In a multi-review site such as IMDb one should always try to say something which hasn't already been said, and to that end I draw your attention to the final scenes, set six hundred years in the future. Absolutely nothing has changed. Frankly, judging from the 'Biblical' austerity of this outdoor 'teach-in', society has actually regressed. Now there's a happy ending, eh?
Just as a postscript, it has always amused me that the 'cute, cheeky' chimpanzees were cast as the 'Apes' movies' most endearing and peace-loving characters whilst the gorillas were the violent warlike thugs. In nature it is very much the reverse.
Just as a postscript, it has always amused me that the 'cute, cheeky' chimpanzees were cast as the 'Apes' movies' most endearing and peace-loving characters whilst the gorillas were the violent warlike thugs. In nature it is very much the reverse.