MOVIE REVIEW – “Ape-pocalypse Now”: that was an actual graffiti joke in the last part of the Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy, which puts the simian Caesar (Andy Serkis) against The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) in an apocalyptic world, where humans are getting infected by a strange disease. But that joke is, in fact, a perfect description of the movie, which follows heavily the masterpiece of Francis Ford Coppola (which was itself based on the novel Heart of Darkness.)

 

I read Pierre Boulle’s original Planet of the Apes novel in French when I was still at school. I remember showing it to my father, explaining the basic story, who immediately, disdainfully dismissed it. Needless to say: it got me hooked even more, and to this day, Planet of the Apes is one of my favorite novels.

There were several movie adaptations ever since: the first movie, a big Hollywood sci-fi with Charlton Heston became a cult classic, and the following episodes were successful as well. They even tried to make a TV show, but it was so bad, that it was stopped, and Tim Burton tried to make a remake of the first flick, which was abysmal as well.

“They rise.”

The first episode of the prequel trilogy, 2011 Rise of the Apes was an origin story in the truest sense of the term. Set in present day San Francisco, the film is a reality-based cautionary tale, a science fiction/science fact blend, where man’s experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of war for supremacy. The main ape was Caesar, played by Andy Serkis.

The follow-up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, continued the story with Caesar, who led a growing nation of genetically evolved apes which is threatened by a band of human survivors of the devastating virus unleashed a decade earlier. They reach a fragile peace, but it proves short-lived, as both sides are brought to the brink of a war that will determine who will emerge as Earth’s dominant species.

This final episode, Caesar, and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson). After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

War… War never changes

While the title of this final episode in the prequel is titled “War,” in fact, the movie is less about a full-scale war and more of a road movie, with a strong reminiscence of Apocalypse Now. Indeed, Ceasar has a similar journey with a few ape-mates tagging along, where he has to find “The Colonel” (played by Woody Harrelson) who leads a rogue army on his own. Both The Colonel and his army are very similar the one in Apocalypse Now, and some scenes strongly remind us of this classic. In fact, Woody Harrelson plays his role in the same fashion as Marlon Brando going as far using the same mannerisms – if lacking the same kind of talent.

With Kong: Skull Island this is the second movie this year, which is having a strong vibe from Apocalypse Now. Besides that fact, the depiction of war is less spectacular (at least until the very of the movie), than both in the original Apocalypse and Kong Island. It’s truly a road movie, focused on Caesar, and the exodus of his apes the same pace of Apocalypse feels too much plodding when it lacks the talent and style of a director like Francis Ford Coppola.

Serkis is fantastic, but it won’t save the plot

Boasting more gravitas than many ‘real’ performers, Andy Serkis’ performance-captured Caesar remains an envelope-pushing marvel who keeps the Apes franchise grounded. Weta Digital has upped the ante again, with possibly the most impressive CG characters ever created. Stunning as the matted fur and creased skin is, it’s the soulfulness in Caesar’s eyes that validates Serkis’ commitment to the dotty-pyjama arts. Wherever the apes are going, it’s not the uncanny valley.

With Caesar struggling to reconcile his vengeful feelings with his desire for peace, the dramatic conflict is largely internalized. As such, it sometimes lacks the depth of predecessor Dawn, which had Caesar contrasted with bad ’un Koba, and found room for nuanced motivations within the humans. Here, it feels more clear cut: the innocent apes against Harrelson’s autocrat and his largely faceless minions.

Even adding a young human girl to the apes’ mix feels symbolic rather than substantial. The focus is very much on the monkey business this time, providing, even more, VFX to drool over, and there’s a very empathetic turn from Zahn as the timid Bad Ape (another rare source of comic relief). But it means there’s a lot of chatter before the plot kicks into gear.

Grim and empty

War of the Planet of the Apes has all the bombast and sense of finality seemingly required for the end of a trilogy, but there’s an underlying emptiness that nags with each scene. As an evolution of the morality play Reeves explored in Dawn, it still suffers the same fate: any discerning viewer will immediately latch on to everything these filmmakers have to say in the opening scenes, then must wait a few hours for the formulaic conventions to plod along.

Aside from the amusing supporting character “Bad Ape” (Steve Zahn at his Zahniest) and a bit of hilarious fun as a prison escape are carried out, a sense spontaneity and inventiveness is sorely missing. Humanity may be on its last legs, but if Reeves wants to dissect it in any compelling way, he should show at least a shred of it.

-BadSector-