War for the Planet of the Apes has everything you’d want from a summer popcorn film. From breathtaking action powered by some excellent CGI to engaging storytelling that features strong characterisation, deeply moving set-pieces and plenty of social commentary — this is the complete package.

Being the third and final installment in the latest Planet of the Apes trilogy, the film picks up exactly from where Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) left off. The leader of the apes and the genetically-enhanced intelligent chimpanzee who started it all, Caesar (Andy Serkis), defends his clan alongside his fellow ape warriors against the latest vicious attack by humans. This comes courtesy of a military faction called Alpha-Omega, a crazed group led by a psychotic man simply called The Colonel.

The attacks by The Colonel are relentless and when we meet the man played in one of the best performances of his career by Woody Harrelson, we feel that we couldn’t possibly empathise with him, especially after his cold-blooded heart-wrenching actions earlier on. Yet such is the excellence of Harrelson’s performance coupled with the quality of the script by Mark Bomback and the director Matt Reeves that by the end we feel ever so slightly for him, even if we can’t justify his actions. Like Caesar, we also learn that he really is fighting for humanity’s survival, just not for the reasons we had assumed.

War for the Planet of the Apes is a worthy finale to this third franchise

The dogged attacks on Caesar, his family and his clan finally harden him to the point where he eventually becomes consumed by vengeance. Here, he is haunted by visions of his scarred bonobo lieutenant, Koba, as he realises that he is becoming what he hated most. This development in Caesar’s character is perhaps the most interesting part of the film. At the same time, we come across apes that had been loyal to Koba and left Caesar’s ranks after the duo turned on each other. These apes join the humans in battle against their own kind, even though they are treated with utter disrespect by their masters. To their humiliation they are called ‘Donkeys’ with the word even written across their backs. Some Donkeys are used to whip ape prisoners, in scenes that remind us of the house slaves who’d whip regular slaves for their masters. There are also other parallels with real-life events in War for the Planet of the Apes, which I will not give away here. Most work well, though others come across as a little heavy-handed. Of course, starting with the Planet of the Apes films of the ’70s, the franchise has never shied away from social commentary on racial tensions and the civil rights movement, but War for the Planet of the Apes offers some of the strongest references yet.

The parts I found especially heartrending in War for the Planet of the Apes involve fatherhood. It is a credit once again to the fantastic special effects and utterly brilliant motion-capture work that the scenes between Caesar and his little son Cornelius are so emotional. When Cornelius wails for his father, we forget that the apes we are watching are computer-generated and not real creatures, as the torn emotions in Caesar are conveyed by his incredibly realistic expressions.

War for the Planet of the Apes is a worthy finale in this third Planet of the Apes franchise. In an age where Hollywood studios are clumsily trying to start their own lucrative series by rebooting old properties, 20th Century Fox has shown everyone how it is done. While each piece of the trilogy has offered eye-opening special effects and pulsating action, the compelling stories have left us invested in the characters. It’s been enough for us to root against our own kind.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence, action, thematic elements and disturbing images

Published in Dawn, ICON, July 23rd, 2017