FOR FREEDOM. FOR FAMILY. FOR THE PLANET.
A few years after the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), the war between apes and humans is growing bloodier and Caesar finds a personal enemy in the ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson).
The third film in this series borrows from Westerns and POW movies for a relentlessly grim (with the exception of a new ape, played by Steve Zahn, who’s been on his own too long) adventure. Drags a bit in the middle, but on the whole this is a gripping, action-filled clash between civilizations, with mankind in decline.
Awe-inspiring views of forests and wintry landscapes, outstanding motion capture work and visual effects, all aided by a multifaceted score.
2017-U.S. 140 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Matt Reeves. Screenplay: Mark Bomback, Matt Reeves. Cinematography: Michael Seresin. Music: Michael Giacchino. Cast: Andy Serkis (Caesar), Woody Harrelson (The Colonel), Karin Konoval (Maurice), Terry Notary, Steve Zahn, Ty Olsson, Judy Greer.
Trivia: Followed by Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).
Last word: “I wanted the movie to be, like, a widescreen movie like a David Lean movie, or a Leone movie, and see the apes against the landscape of the planet. What I’ve been excited about from the beginning was the idea of taking cutting edge technology and mirroring that with traditional forms, with the idea of myth, and a really classical story. So you’d have this odd experience of seeing something that felt very rooted, a kind of timeless story, and yet the uncanny aspect of there being these apes that are playing out that drama. And so on this one, I wanted it to be a very epic-scale movie, but still very intimate.” (Reeves, Den of Geek)
