We all know the story of Planet of The apes and this film is the 3rd prequel to the 1968 classic. So far we’ve followed Ceaser the ape from birth, through the outbreak of the virus and his rise to leader of the ape colony. Not only have we watched him and his character grow through all 3 movies but we’ve also seen the motion capture special effects get better. To the point where in this film I couldn’t even tell they weren’t real apes… till they were talking anyway.
Ceasar is getting older now and it’s starting to show. The apes are under threat from a delusional and desperate army lieutenant (Woody Harrelson) who is just as at war with himself. Ceasar must now fight to save his family but at the same time he needs to lead by example. He doesn’t want any more death and killing but the people after him wont stop until all apes are dead. At the same time his mind is plagued by the events of the previous film where his bestfriend (who started this war) betrayed him.
This film is an absolute action packed emotional roller-coaster, Andy Serkis Deserves an Oscar for this performance as he takes you on a journey deep in to the heart and mind of this character with very few pieces of dialogue. As an audience member I was in pain with him, I was angry with him and I felt every hard decision he had to make. The plot was unpredictable and the film offered so many scenarios where things could have gone differently. At points, the film was at such an intensity I wanted to scream out “hide!” or “run!”
I would recommend watching the other 2 first to fully understand what these characters have been through, but if you don’t have time Just go see this, because it is soo visually captivating it deserves to be seen in the cinema. The opening credits will fill you in on what you’ve missed anyway. But definitely see the others if you can, as many of the same characters from that film are still with Ceasar now and have their own character arcs. It’s beautiful, Its intense, Its scary and its even funny at times. In my opinion a perfect film.
JORDAN RATING 10/10