By: Anton Massopust III

“Apes together – Strong!” – Caesar

Caesar’s Journey continues and concludes in “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

For those of you who have not seen the other previous films, here is a brief summary of what you’ve been missing: In “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” Caesar (Andy Serkis) is a young chimpanzee who is exposed to a drug that enhances his intelligence by a scientist trying to cure Alzheimer’s. This virus causes apes to become smart and humans to become sick (and lowers their intelligence). At the end of the movie, Caesar frees his people. In “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” one of Caesar’s rivals, Cova starts a war. Caesar tries to prevent this war to no avail.

In this new film, apes and humans are now on a collision course when a group of soldiers commanded by the mysterious “Colonel” (Woody Harrelson) wants to destroy all the remaining apes. Caesar tries to find a safer place for his people while the Colonel tracks him to another stronghold. Caesar suffers a personal loss as he sends all the others far ahead with the hopes of reaching a safe haven where humans cannot find them. Caesar takes his most trusted advisers: Maurice (Karin Konoval), the orangutan, Rocket the chimpanzee and a gorilla bodyguard along the way. During the journey, they run into a young mute orphan girl named Nova (Amiah Miller) and a very frightened chimpanzee named “Bad Ape,” (Steve Zahn) who learned from humans by listening to them talk. Bad Ape tells them that there is a camp of soldiers far into the mountains. When they go there, Caesar finds that it is not just a camp, but a prison where apes are captured and forced to do slave labor. They are forced to build a wall by the Colonel who believes that the virus that wiped out humanity has mutated and is turning humans into mindless beasts. Caesar must find a way to free his people and get away from the path of revenge the Cova had started.

This movie is an emotional rollercoaster – a war within. In many ways Andy Serkis really brings a different level to Caesar who is haunted by Cova’s ghost and doing what he really must do to help save his people. Every hero needs a good villain, and Woody Harrelson supplies that ruthless dictator who wants nothing but to wipe out the Apes and anyone else that gets in the way. He kills anyone who has the virus and he and his soldiers chant that they are the beginning and the end. If you’ve seen all the older previous Ape Films, there’s homage to all of them. There’s plenty of action scenes throughout as the war heats up, but I could not help noticing the great cinematography the performances of the supporting characters of the young girl who plays Nova even though she doesn’t say a word is heart-wrenching and Bad Ape is a great comical foil. This added a level teeth to this emotional drama.

I was looking forward to this movie even more than any of the Marvel movies and when this comes to DVD I wish or add it to my collection and probably watch it as a marathon with the other Ape Films. “War for the Planet of the Apes” is worth watching if you love a great drama – but have a big box of tissues handy.