War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) [Movie Review]


Dir: Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson
Dur: 2 hrs 20 mins
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 7/10

Although there are two film prior to this one which probably lay the foundation for what is to come, I didn’t see them, but still the film made sense to me. So though it builds up from the prequels it isn’t entirely dependent on them. The story stands by itself but viewing the previous films would help situate the characters and the drama of the plot.

The chief object of interest is the struggle between man and ape for survival. This theme is common to all the films in this series but the way this struggle develops or is depicted differs, for obvious reasons. The film obviously uses quite a bit of CGI for the apes and since they form a major part of the story, you can imagine the monumental task it is to produce and direct so many characters but I think the team did quite well. The visual effects were subtle and neat and didn’t drop a hint of being anything less-than-professional. The story is quite interesting, not so much for the literal matter as much as for the themes it covers. I read somewhere that people developed on the theme of animal care and safety through this film series. That does seem like an obvious theme but the film can offer wonderful insights when viewed anthropologically. There are also quite some philosophical insights that can be gained from the film. For example, one key question that arises and that delves into both philosophy and anthropology is ‘what does it mean to be human?’ The film favours the apes over humans and shows them displaying greater ‘human’ qualities than the human beings themselves. Another issue that could spark off reflection or discussion is the ability/inability of human beings to adapt to newer, hostile environments (When you watch it you will understand).

I liked the film. The story was quite clear and dramatic. The crew deserves credit for excellently putting it together. There were a few lacunae and unexplained events but they hardly have much influence on the overall progress and success of the film.  

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