War For the Planet of the Apes
With "War for the Planet of the Apes", the great ape trilogy reaches an epic conclusion.
"War of the Planet of the Apes" successfully concludes the trilogy, and it also concludes the formula, hopefully. The plot elements used in film three have become familiar. You've got your good human and your bad human, your good ape and your bad ape, your peace lovers and your war mongers, your clever moves and your great escapes. You learn once more about how we are like apes and the apes are like us. It is played out. Still, it is done well in "War" and I don't mind one bit.
However...
The film is too full of coincidences for me to fully love. Many of the great escapes were as much about luck as it was skill or intellect. At other times, the motivations of the Colonel are unclear in "War" and it would have taken one or two lines of well placed dialogue to fix that. We know why he is going after the apes, but his other actions remain an enigma.
What the writers may have relied on was the stereotype of the rogue military officer with no motivation required. Too bad, because it taints a good performance by Woody Harrelson. Nova, the human girl, also lacks a back story and we never learn about where she was living and whom it was that she was living with. Did she care? Why did she take so well to the apes? Was it just that she was an innocent and thus adaptable?
Though slightly underdeveloped, the Colonel has some of the best dialogue in the film, and I am not just talking about the line about the "Planet of the Apes" from the trailer. The film pivots on the Colonel, as films often do with antagonists. Without the Colonel, there is no plot and no climax; the Colonel is why Caesar is propelled into action.
Caesar goes through every emotion: sadness, grief, anger even happiness. Well, more anger and grief than happiness, but we see him feel happiness when he is with his family. Serkis does the facial expressions for Caesar so well he's almost human. Seriously, he great and it's a powerful achievement making us sympathize more for Caesar than most characters in film these days.
The visuals are compelling and the settings are filmed well, capturing both their intimacy and power. The music doesn't interfere and the moments of silence in the film play to great affect.
Serkis isn't the only motion capture star in the film. The rest of the actors as apes do well, and Karin Konoval as the orangutan Maurice, is particularly skilled.
Rating: Pay Full Price "War of the Planet of the Apes" won't go down in history as a groundbreaking film or one of the best films ever, but for my money, it's a great film to see in the summer heat. Will their be more ape films? Here's a clue: Caesar's son is named Cornelius. That name should be familiar to long time Ape fans.
PS: I saw the film in 3D and it didn't enhance my viewing experience. Unless you are a huge fan of 3D, regular resolution on a big scene is fine.
Peace, Tex Shelters
With "War for the Planet of the Apes", the great ape trilogy reaches an epic conclusion.
"War of the Planet of the Apes" successfully concludes the trilogy, and it also concludes the formula, hopefully. The plot elements used in film three have become familiar. You've got your good human and your bad human, your good ape and your bad ape, your peace lovers and your war mongers, your clever moves and your great escapes. You learn once more about how we are like apes and the apes are like us. It is played out. Still, it is done well in "War" and I don't mind one bit.
However...
The film is too full of coincidences for me to fully love. Many of the great escapes were as much about luck as it was skill or intellect. At other times, the motivations of the Colonel are unclear in "War" and it would have taken one or two lines of well placed dialogue to fix that. We know why he is going after the apes, but his other actions remain an enigma.
What the writers may have relied on was the stereotype of the rogue military officer with no motivation required. Too bad, because it taints a good performance by Woody Harrelson. Nova, the human girl, also lacks a back story and we never learn about where she was living and whom it was that she was living with. Did she care? Why did she take so well to the apes? Was it just that she was an innocent and thus adaptable?
Though slightly underdeveloped, the Colonel has some of the best dialogue in the film, and I am not just talking about the line about the "Planet of the Apes" from the trailer. The film pivots on the Colonel, as films often do with antagonists. Without the Colonel, there is no plot and no climax; the Colonel is why Caesar is propelled into action.
Caesar goes through every emotion: sadness, grief, anger even happiness. Well, more anger and grief than happiness, but we see him feel happiness when he is with his family. Serkis does the facial expressions for Caesar so well he's almost human. Seriously, he great and it's a powerful achievement making us sympathize more for Caesar than most characters in film these days.
The visuals are compelling and the settings are filmed well, capturing both their intimacy and power. The music doesn't interfere and the moments of silence in the film play to great affect.
Serkis isn't the only motion capture star in the film. The rest of the actors as apes do well, and Karin Konoval as the orangutan Maurice, is particularly skilled.
Rating: Pay Full Price "War of the Planet of the Apes" won't go down in history as a groundbreaking film or one of the best films ever, but for my money, it's a great film to see in the summer heat. Will their be more ape films? Here's a clue: Caesar's son is named Cornelius. That name should be familiar to long time Ape fans.
PS: I saw the film in 3D and it didn't enhance my viewing experience. Unless you are a huge fan of 3D, regular resolution on a big scene is fine.
Peace, Tex Shelters