Starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn

Directed by Matt Reeves

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, out now

The conclusion of the Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy is a fine and fitting stopping point for the series, boasting simian characters that have evolved far beyond the human protagonists – though just be wary of the title.

Right from the tribal beats reworking of Alfred Newman’s 20th Century Fox fanfare at the start  of the movie you know that an awful lot of care and thought has gone into its production. Matt Reeves’ sequel to his own Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is that rare beast – a sequel that exists to tell a story rather than just to fill the studio’s coffers.

It’s two years since Andy Serkis’ Caesar has defeated insurgent ape Koba in San Francisco. The humans have sent out a distress call to the military to quash the ape rising and have finally tracked down the community back in the woods. It would then be fair to assume that we would get get the ultimate war between humans and apes –the clue’s in the title – but that’s not the film we get, and we’re richer for it. Frankly, a two-hour movie about primitive primates with spears versus the US Army feels a bit like Ewoks facing the Imperial Empire. One clearly has superior fighting power and to let the underdog (underchimp?) win would be false.

Luckily, we don’t get that film, and instead of a war movie it’s more a prisoner of war movie – the Ape Escape, if you like. Having abandoned his people to mete out his own revenge justice, Caesar discovers that he has subjugated them to slavery in a concentration camp, and the priority now is all about survival.

The level of the sophistication of the ape CGI has reached a point where the most extreme of close-ups are so photorealistic in terms of skin texture and the glistening of the eyes, that’s it’s hard to see where’s left to go. But that would be all for naxught without the performances that drive the technology. Serkis is of course excellent as Caesar, served by Karin Konival as his moral compass, Maurice. Newcomer Bad Ape (that’s the poor thing’s name) is wonderfully realised by Steve Zahn, providing a fresh set of eyes and being the catalyst of a lot of the humour.

What I particularly appreciated were the plot developments and nods to the original movie, allowing this one to be the final bridge to Charlton Heston’s 1968 classic. Don’t expect Rogue One style segues that stitch the two together, but instead look out for the narrative links that tie things up.

There are plenty of secrets revealed in Matt Reeves’ commentary for the movie (and don’t miss the commentary on the 25 minutes worth of deleted scenes, many of which have unfinished effects). Reeves clearly loves the saga and is forthright about many of the challenges that the filmmakers faced. Of the featurettes, Music For Apes is especially interesting, while The Apes Saga: An Homage and Apes: The Meaning of It All really do give you the feel that things have reached a natural conclusion…

Verdict: Grim and grey, this is a tough watch that doesn’t shy from the realities of conflict. Who’d have thought that a prequel series to the beloved franchise could have turned the tables so that you ended up rooting for the Apes instead of the humans. Damn you! God damn you all to hell! I thought the idea of prequels was a lousy, stinking idea. How wrong I was. 9/10

Nick Joy

War for the Planet of the Apes is available on Digital and on 4K Ultra HD™, 3D Blu-ray™, Blu-ray™ and DVD