War for the Planet of the Apes

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⭐ 8.5/10

I took a long break after the last movie because I really liked it, and was worried a movie with the word "War" suck.  I don't just want a big battle movie, and it being the third in a series gave me Hobbit PTSD. But I was totally mistaken.  I started watching this one over a meal, thinking I could watch it over a couple different days in parts.  Oops, watched the whole thing, and it was great!

I like how this movie basically inverts the last one - two factions of humans fighting where the apes are in the middle of it. The colonel character is so over the top bad, but it works. The stakes feel high, and the final battle is spectacular, I can't believe how well it is staged and how good it looks. Modern blockbusters have to end in a big battle, but the ones in these movies feel more thoughtful and artistic than the Marvel and Star Wars slop. I didn't like The Batman, but it indisputably looks incredible, and Matt Reeves deserves a lot of credit for taking IP and making it stylish.  Same composer here too, a pairing I will be keeping an eye on.

The real miracle of these movies is how great these apes look, pretty staggering. Obviously I'm not the first to comment on that, but as the years go on it becomes even more impressive, the emotional connection you feel to CGI characters.  We have way more examples of it done poorly, so catching up on these has been a revelation, give Andy Serkis more awards.

It will probably be a bit of a break before getting to the most recent one, and I know that one isn't as highly revered. I will savour how much of a treat this trilogy has been, and let it give me hope in the future of blockbuster movies.

Comments

  1. Joe8 January 2025 at 17:22

    I guess I have to revisit this series. Not even sure I ever watched this one, didn't give them the attention they deserved

    ReplyDelete
  2. Will Froese20 January 2025 at 05:04

    Same as Joe, I need to watch all these movies in order sometime (starting in 2001). I've watched a couple but can't remember exactly which, and they've always been better than I expected going in.

    ReplyDelete

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