War for the Planet of the Apes

Parental Rating: PG-13

Contains: Language    Violence    Adult Content    

Jill's Review

Opens July 14, 2017

Runs 140 minutes

This installment picks up right where the last one left off. The Apes, led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) are hiding in the forest and really just want to be left alone. But, the Colonel (Woody Harrelson) just can't let "talking" apes live free. He is out for vengeance. And, to make matters worse, there is a simian flu going around that causes humans to lose their ability to speak. All the more reason to be rid of the apes. The Colonel strikes first and kills some of Caesar's family. Caesar then sets out with some of his closest friends including his best friend Maurice (Karin Konoval). They hope to stop the Colonel. Along the way, they meet "Bad Ape" (Steve Zahn), a talking ape who escaped from the zoo and Nova (Amiah Miller) a young girl who seems to be unable to speak. This ragtag team only wants to protect their own kind. Unfortunately, the rest of the apes are captured by the Colonel and put into labor camps. Now, it is up to Caesar and his team to rescue his tribe and stop the Colonel once and for all.

Surprisingly, I really liked this film. I wasn't looking forward to it because I can't stand to see animals get hurt and there is definitely violence and killing. But, it was handled in an appropriate way. It was still emotional and pretty violent but I didn't think it was too gratuitous. I thought the apes were amazing. it is worth seeing this film just to watch these amazing creatures. Some of them talk and some of them use sign language. it is just incredible to watch the way these creatures are portrayed. There are gorillas and baboons and other types of ape. Just amazing. Andy Serkis who plays Caesar is the most amazing actor today. He is just great. It doesn't matter too much if you missed the previous installments. There is a short explanation at the beginning that catches you up on the previous films. The human actors were fine, too. Woody Harrelson as the Colonel was great. And, Amiah Milller as Nova was very good. She did a standout job as the the only human to help the apes. Really liked this film. Better than expected. Go see it.

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