The 2011 release of RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES successfully revived the Apes franchise (after the tepid Tim Burton version) and here we are, 13 years later, getting the forth movie in a rebooted timeline that’s still going strong. It’s hard to say what monkey-magic it is that gives these films such enduring appeal, but if I was going to make a guess… well, there’s a notion in screenwriting that the best stories resonate with something primal in us. And it’s hard to think of a more “primal” film series than this one. Man versus Nature. Primitive societies clashing with brutal technologically advanced colonists. The desire of “the civilised” to impose their will on the wild frontier in the name of progress, no matter the cost. It’s no surprise that the later films in this series seem to share some genealogical roots with Westerns, that other classic primal genre.
Set 300 years after the events of WAR OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, this latest film is intended to be the first part of a new trilogy. And as such, there’s a slightly loose, open-ended feel to the story. Though that’s rarely a good thing for any movie, in this case it overcomes it by just being really, really well made. You get the impression that everyone involved in the production absolutely gave it their all. The performances were great – and the performance capture on the CG Ape characters is incredibly well done. They feel like living, breathing performers with no hint of the uncanny valley. The CG work in general is just great. In a lot of ways, it actually impressed me more than Avatar 2 in it’s earthy, naturalistic quality – especially in its use of lighting.
The writing is decent and there’s some pretty awesome action sequences. I was, for the most part, thoroughly entertained. The second half of the film seemed to be hinting at developing some story ideas from BENEATH THE PLANET OF THE APES, which I’ve always had a soft spot for (if only for its weird horror scifi elements and its brilliantly bleak ending) and I’ll certainly be up for seeing more films in this series if they maintain the level of craft and care shown here. It’s not as good as DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, but still a worthy entrant in the series and well worth hunting down.
