By: Jonathan Pabico
War for the Planet of the Apes is an outstanding achievement for Cloverfield director Matt Reeves. With a great start and a powerful finish, the film focuses on evolving its storytelling through profound commentary.
The movie subverted my expectations, but in a good way. Reeves focuses less on brutal battles and more on creating a compelling story, which made its central theme of war more moving through the sense of loss experienced by human and ape characters. This theme of war is told well through sympathetic imagery, such as the aftermath of the film’s first battle. It makes us aware of the tragedies and grief that war causes, regardless of which side we’re on.
Reeves also transforms his story into a philosophical journey. He explores morality through Caesar and his apes’ continual unity in staying strong as a group. Using thought-provoking themes on existence and purpose, the film is also driven by its overarching ideas about the struggle for dominance and survival. Reeves proves his smart directing ability when engaging with serious subject matters to tell this story.
Star Trek music composer Michael Giacchino makes the film more poignant. With flawless strokes of piano keys conveying tones of smooth tranquility, Giacchino creates an emotionally powerful atmosphere for the film’s sorrowful moments. His music creates a mellow approach in evoking the movie’s narrative, and delivers solemn sounds which perfectly capture every scene.
Also impressive is the film’s well-rounded cast. Andy Serkis once again gives a commanding performance as Caesar. The Lord of the Rings star continues bringing out the ape leader’s strength as a devoted protector of the ape community. Through startling facial expressions, Serkis also shows a more tormented side to the ape leader. He creates a haunted hero archetype through the character’s nightmares of Koba, an ape Caesar killed in the film’s previous instalment.
However, True Detective actor Woody Harrelson is incredibly underused. Portraying a colonel leading a group of dissident soldiers, Harrelson’s chemistry with Serkis isn’t strong enough to leave a long-lasting impression. The only scene that is truly indicative of their potential chemistry is a philosophical dispute between their characters. Harrelson is skillful in bringing out the colonel’s views about the law of nature and cold-hearted morality on making sacrifices for the greater good. His scene with Serkis is filled with tension, but sadly is the only space for these actors to really demonstrate their compatibility.
As for newcomer Amiah Miller, she provides innocence, curiosity, and inner strength for her role as Nova, a young orphan girl that can no longer speak. Like Serkis, Miller’s moving performance is derived from her facial expressions, emphasizing the film’s many poignant tones, especially her role that represents the only remnant of human kindness and compassion in the film. She forms a strong contrast to other human characters that have shown only cruelty and prejudice toward apes.
With a well-rounded cast and compelling themes, War for the Planet of the Apes is a tremendous achievement. Director Matt Reeves creates a captivating narrative layered with diverse tones and remarkable storytelling. Despite the film’s depictions of the horrors of war between apes and humans, there’s a story of heart to it.
