War for the Planet of the Apes
{5/5} “Apes together strong.”
War for the Planet of the Apes, released in 2017
Caesar doesn’t want to go to war with the humans. After one failed attack on them he sends back the human survivors alive. But the Colonel thinks humans must defeat the apes at all costs. When he sneaks into Caesar’s camp and kills his wife and child, Caesar changes his mind.
This is the best Planet of the Apes movie since the original from 1968. Fittingly, in this one there are some clever tie-ins to the original Planet of the Apes.
For a movie with the word “war” in the title there’s surprisingly little fighting. But it’s packed with more interesting things, only slipping into clichés once or twice in the middle.
It’s disturbingly realistic, but also beautifully filmed. Like the last 2 movies in the series, it has great characters.
Stars Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson. Directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes). The music by Michael Giacchino is one of my favourite recent scores.