War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Genres

Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

Director

Matt Reeves

Country

USA

Cast

Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Ty Olsson, Judy Greer, Max Lloyd-Jones, Devyn Dalton, Sara Canning, Michael Adamthwaite, Aleks Paunovic, Alessandro Juliani, Woody Harrelson, Amiah Miller, Gabriel Chavarria, Chad Rook

Storyline

After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar (Andy Serkis) set on his own quest to avenge his kind and faces the ruthless Colonel (Woody Harrelson) responsible for the losses.

Opinion

Apes. Trilogy. Strong. These are the exact words I used last night on Twitter to describe the trilogy. And frankly, there aren't more appropriate words because, after two fantastic films, Matt Reeves closes the trilogy with a stunning, emotional, moving and thought-provoking movie that makes for a perfect ending.

The story is original, touching and absorbing; it is slowly and yet beautifully developed, and it contains many reflections of today's society *coughs*wall*coughs*. Also, there's a little introduction that makes it work as a stand alone film as well. The ending is a little predictable, especially if you saw the original series, but it still is suspenseful and gripping. But what makes War for the Planet of the Apes truly stand out is the emotional charge of the story. I would have never thought I'd see a blockbuster with so many emotions. Genuine emotions are captured in most of the scenes.

And those emotions, of course, are delivered by the characters, one in particular to be honest, Caesar. This time around, the leader of the apes reached a complexity that the two previous movies could only aspire. The film digs deep into his morals, values and beliefs and wonderfully explores his inner conflict. And hail, Caesar, oops, I meant, Andy Serkis for delivering a stunning performance. His facial expressions, body movements are just perfect. Easily his best performance ever.

The other characters are great too. Although not as developed as Caesar, the other apes are nicely done, and funny new entry Bad Ape lightens up a little the film dramatic tones. Then there are the humans. Most of them are just paper-thin caricatures, but then there's the Colonel. He is your typical, cruel military antagonist and yet he qualifies as the best villain of the franchise. He's even better than Koba in my opinion. And the performance from Woody Harrelson is very strong, especially when he delivers his character's backstory and in the final part of the film. I also liked the contrast with the little girl. They are both human and yet they couldn't be more different. However, the character didn't have much to do and was nearly useless.

Visually, the film is breathtaking. Special effects and cinematography are both stunning. The action, that could be the film's biggest problem. Although it didn't bother me at all, War for the Planet of the Apes lacks action. There aren't added a lot of battle scenes - the trailers gave away most of them. However, the action sequences are exciting and very well done, so I'm not sure it's a real problem.

One thing is for sure, War for the Planet of the Apes is much more than a Summer blockbuster and easily qualifies as one of the best films of the year so far. 

Planet of the Apes (2001)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Tim Burton

Country

USA

Cast

Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Estella Warren, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Kris Kristofferson

Storyline

Air Force astronaut Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) crash lands on a mysterious planet where evolved, talking apes dominate a race of primitive humans.

Opinion

Thirty-three year after Pierre Boulle's masterpiece, "Planet of the Apes", they thought it made sense to remake a film that absolutely needed no remake. But how do you even attempt to remake a classic? Idea, you hire a great director, Tim Burton, he's definitely going to make a great film. Well, I hate to say this, but it doesn't work like that, and this new "Planet of the Apes" is the very proof of that.

Obviously not even close to the original, this film is also pretty much atrocious from start to finish, and the main reason is the dreadful script.

The writer decided to abandon the original story - which is okay so they won't ruin it - for a lame, simple story that has more holes than a strainer, made of cliché after cliché, only to end in the worst possible ways, with a silly finale that makes no sense whatsoever. And it can be summarized in three words: running, hiding, battling. That's all that happens after all.

But what kind of awful story would it be without awful characters? Don't worry, that's another feature of this film. Character development is completely lacking - okay, maybe Ari, the ape played by Helena Bonham Carter, is slightly developed, but that' all - and there are plenty of useless human characters. The astronaut would have been enough, even though he's quite a character. One minute he says to apes that on his planet apes are kept in zoos, and regarded with nuts; a moment after that, he says that on his planet humans and apes live in peace. That's a weird conception of peace.

However, that's not what annoyed me the most, that place belongs to Tim Burton. He is completely missing. There's nothing in this film that would make you think he made it. Nothing at all. Somehow he also failed to make any kind of social commentary, and he handled the theme of being different in a very childish way.

Even the action sequences, special effects and score are awful. And the cast, of course. Estella Warren deserves a special mention because she is the worst of them all. She is basically a very good looking piece of wood. I wonder how she even gets acting jobs. Please, don't answer that.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

Genre

Action | Sci-Fi

Director

J. Lee Thompson

Country

USA

Cast

Roddy McDowall, Claude Akins, Natalie Trundy, Severn Darden, Lew Ayres, Paul Williams, Austin Stoker, Noah Keen, Richard Eastham, France Nuyen, Paul Stevens, John Huston

Storyline

After conquering the Earth, Caesar (Roddy McDowall) wants the ruling apes and enslaved humans to live in peace. But warring factions of apes led by a militant gorilla general (Claude Akins) as well as various human groups threaten the stability.

Opinion

After a few not so good entries, the original Ape series has finally come to an end with "Battle for the Planet of the Apes", a terrible film that easily classifies as the worst film in the series.

Once again the filmmakers decided to continue the storyline of the previous film. But unlike the previous film though, this one actually has a plot. Sure, it isn't great, and doesn't add anything to the series, but after all it is a decent story with a little potential.

I bet you're wondering why I told you this is the worst entry, well, simply because the way the story is told is awful. It doesn't meet the standards of the previous films - even though I wasn't enthusiastic about those films, at least they knew how to tell a story -, rather it feels like a cheap television film that doesn't make a lot of sense.

Also, while "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes" made you root for apes killing humans - I know, it's crazy -, this one is so uninteresting you couldn't care less about what happens to those characters that lives in the City of the Apes, or maybe I should say Village of the Apes. And since I mentioned them, now I have to talk about the villain. The name's Aldo, he is a gorilla general, and the worst part is that he is labeled as the bad guy since the first scene.

And it does get worse. The makeup and visual effect look stupid and cheap, the music is just terrible, and the acting is just painful. Nobody seems to be making some effort to give decent performance, with the exception of Roddy McDowall, he does a good job as Caesar.

Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)

Genre

Action | Sci-Fi

Director

Don Taylor

Country

USA

Cast

Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Bradford Dillman, Natalie Trundy, Eric Braeden, William Windom, Sal Mineo, Albert Salmi, Jason Evers, John Randolph, Harry Lauter, M. Emmet Walsh, Roy Glenn, Peter Forster, Ricardo Montalban

Storyline

Cornelius (Roddy McDowall) and Zira (Kim Hunter) flee from their planet and travel back through time landing on late 20th Century Earth where they are received with fascination and fear from the people they meet.

Opinion

Even though "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" wasn't a worthy sequel, it did have some good. "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" is pretty much just a stupid excuse to bring back to the screen those talking apes. With a gleam of depth.

And once again the main problem is the plot. While the beginning is quite interesting, having Cornelius, Zira and Milo escaping their doomed planet only to land on 70's Earth and being locked up and studied by humans. And basically "Planet of the Apes" happens, reversed the circumstances. After that, the storyline gets quite dumb. Established they come from the future, the apes are treated as human, but not just normal humans, but like they were the most important people in the world.

As dumb as it gets, the film somehow manages to address quite well social issues that were going on in the world a that time. Right when racial segregation was ending, this film managed to deliver a powerful message about race relations and prejudice, stating that we should accept those who are different from us and give them a chance.

The film's humorous tone doesn't work very well in my opinion. Considering the issues the film address, it felt quite inappropriate not the way Cornelius and Zira were treated by everyone, but the fact that the filmmakers tried to make it funny. I'm not sure if you know what I mean.

Finally, there aren't many special effects which is weird considering it's a science fiction flick, but it's totally okay because this story doesn't require them.

Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

Director

Ted Post

Country

USA

Cast

James Franciscus, David Watson, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, Paul Richards, Natalie Trundy, Jeff Corey, Gregory Sierra, Victor Buono, Don Pedro Colley, James Gregory, Charlton Heston, Tod Andrews, Thomas Gomez, Roddy McDowall, Paul Frees

Storyline

The sole survivor (James Franciscus) of an interplanetary rescue mission searches for the only survivor (Charlton Heston) of the previous expedition. What he discovers is a planet ruled by apes and an underground city run by telepathic humans.

Opinion

Following the success of "Planet of the Apes", the filmmakers rightfully thought to make a sequel. Unfortunately "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" is a mediocre, unengaging copy disguised as a sequel.

The first film was fascinating because of its plot and philosophical meaning. I guess that's the reason why the writers thought it was a brilliant idea to write another film with basically the same story. For almost an hour, the film is just a worse copy of the original film. An astronaut crash-lands on a planet, discovers the ape civilization, gets captured by them, escapes and finds out the truth about the planet. Sure, he's also looking for the survivor of the previous mission, and the story becomes different after the dreadful beginning, but that doesn't necessarily improve the film's quality.

I have to admit that the dark world beneath the planet of the apes is original and quite interesting. Same goes for the religious commentary and the anti-war propaganda. But it doesn't raise big questions like the original film did.

The characters are another problem with the film. There are a lot of them that have nothing to do. They just be.

However, it isn't a complete disaster. It is action packed and the action sequences are actually good and quite evocative. And the acting is unevenly good. While Charlot Heston steals the show reprising the role of astronaut Taylor - even though it's basically just a cameo -, James Franciscus overacts in most of the scenes. But the supporting cast is decent.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Genre

Adventure | Romance | Sci-Fi

Director

Franklin J. Schaffner

Country

USA

Cast

Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison, Robert Gunner, Lou Wagner, Woodrow Parfrey, Jeff Burton, Buck Kartalian, Norman Burton, Wright King, Paul Lambert

Storyline

An astronaut (Charlton Heston) crash lands on a distant planet ruled by intelligent, talking apes who enslave and oppress humans.

Opinion

In 1968, two films came out that would have eventually changed science-fiction films forever. While "2001: A Space Odyssey" is still the most popular - even though it was a dreadful experience for me -, "Planet of the Apes" is the better one. Of course it is not spectacular because of today's standards, but it deals with some interesting philosophical questions - unlike Kubrick's film that was too tedious to even care about the meaning.

Once again I didn't know the plot, and having only seen the new films - "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" - I was expecting something completely different. That being said, I'm so glad it was different. Actually it was the opposite of those other two movies, having apes enslaving and making experiments on humans. And the story is very entertaining, absorbing and fresh.

What I've able to understand and appreciate is the philosophical questions about existence and becoming raised by the film. The film also deals with many important issues such as evolution, human rights, animal rights, racism and also makes an excellent commentary on religion and its conflict with science.

But how about the effects? Are they good? Yes, they are. They are not as impressive as they were in "2001: A Space Odyssey" - it's quite impossible to top the film on that -, but they are surprisingly good. There are no high-budget CGI effects nor impossible/ridiculous stunts, and I think that's what makes the film more appealing.

The costumes, even though you can tell they are fake, were pretty impressive for the time and combined with the effects they give a much more realistic look that allows you to get into the film.

And finally, there's Charlton Heston's performance. He is terrific in the role of the astronaut captured by the apes, giving a portrait that is a balanced blend of boldness and vulnerability.

PODCAST 172: Planet of the Apes [Totally Bananas Edition]

This week Forest & Cory take a hard look at the iconic sci-fi monkey flick Planet of the Apes, and explore it's various social commentaries.

CONTINUE READING

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

Genre

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Director

Matt Reeves

Country

United States

Cast

Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Nick Thurston, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Doc Shaw, Judy Greer, Lee Ross, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Kodi Smith-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Jon Eyez, Enrique Murciano, Jocko Sims, Keir O'Donnell, Kevin Rankin, Lombardo Boyar, James Franco

Plot

Ten years after a pandemic disease, a growing nation of genetically evolved apes led by Caesar (Andy Serkis) 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.

Opinion

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is even more impressive than Rise of the Planet of the Apes: the plot is astonishing, the pulsing pathos will keep any viewer - even those who are not fan of the franchise - on the edge of their seat, and the special effects are amazing and not exaggerated - considering apes are CGI. 

Unlike in the previous film, director Matt Reeves gives equal space to humans and chimps, but most of all he provides the latter of a complexity usually reserved to humans.

Andy Serkis, who plays Caesar, is still the star of the film, and still does an amazing job. Toby Kebbell, who plays Koba, does a great job. Gary Oldman, once again, is confined to a one dimensional role. The rest of the cast is so-so: humans are not great, but on the other hand chimps are better.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Genre

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi

Director

Rupert Wyatt

Country

United States

Cast

James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Brian Cox, Tom Felton, David Oyelowo, Tyler Labine, Jamie Harris, David Hewlett, Chelah Horsdal, Andy Serkis, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Richard Ridings, Devyn Dalton, Jay Caputo, Christopher Gordon

Plot

Scientist Will Rodman (James Franco) work at a pharmaceutical firm trying to find a cure for brain ailments. Tested on a chimp, Bright Eyes, the drug increases her intelligence, but she goes crazy on the same day Will is presenting the substance to his boss, and the animal is put down.
Only after the incident Will realizes that the chimp had given birth and was trying to protect her newborn. Will takes the animal home as a pet, and soon realizes Caesar (Andy Serkis) is extremely intelligent.

Opinion

I wasn't expecting much from this film, but I gotta say Rise of the Planet of the Apes is actually a very good film. Well directed by Rupert Wyatt, this film is audacious and disquieting.
The chimps, digitally created, look real: their eyes have depth and personality, their body language and their facial expression are amazing.
Andy Serkis, who portrays Caesar, delivers a great performance and he is the star of the film. James Franco does a great job with his character; Freida Pinto does good although his character is superficial and pretty much useless; Tom Felton plays Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter saga) again, using his grin constantly. 

Why Did My Source Think THE HOBBIT Was Greenlit? And A Brief RISE OF THE APES Update!!

In light of Guillermo del Toro stepping down from directing THE HOBBIT (which was a complete surprise to everyone), I thought I should address the reasons why I posted the movie was greenlit back on Thursday.

The bottom line is this: My source (one of the best I have ever had) told me flat out that the movie was greenlit. And now I know why. Simply said, EVERY DEPARTMENT WAS GIVEN THEIR BUDGET AND THE CASH TO RAMP UP.

In my books, that IS a greenlight whether it is from a studio head or production company. This particular source is on the inside - not an executive at the top either. When budgets are set and operating cash is distributed that means a greenlight for pre-production.

So now you know where we stand on this. There was clear and deliberate action to ramp up the movie and it did in fact happen. The status as of today is murky with no director and I am still digging for the inside story. The resignation came out of the blue. What I want to know is what will Weta be doing on the project in the short term now that GDT is gone? Obviously this whole thing is Peter Jackson's baby so there will always be leadership present, but what is going on right now?

Weta is in a bit of a pickle too as production for the PLANET OF THE APES prequel is set to pick up soon. In fact they are already creating some CG models and the pipeline for the rigging and such for them. The CG models are looking VERY COOL according to my source.

Movie is set for a June 24, 2011 release.

With James Franco already cast, I have very high hopes for the movie. I have a feeling RISE OF THE APES is going to forever change the franchise. More when I get it!!

James Franco Going Ape In 3D!!

Love this bit of casting. James Franco has confirmed he is in RISE OF THE APES which is the prequel to PLANET OF THE APES.

Apparently many A list actors were vying for the role of a "young, driven scientist who becomes a crucial figure in the war between humans and apes".

RISE OF THE APES starts shooting July 5.

Can't wait for this one! I think the franchise needs a prequel and so far all signs are positive for this effort. Franco is a quality and proven talent.

Source: Variety

PLANET OF THE APES Prequel Perhaps Coming In 3D!!

Jim here. Wow. Big news here: Fox is investing in their PLANET OF THE APES franchise with a prequel entitled RISE OF THE APES (tentative title). Variety reports that 20th Century Fox will release the scifi thriller June 24, 2011.

Here is the kicker! Peter Jackson's Weta has partnered with Fox to deliver the effects for the movie which promise photo real apes for the first time ever.

From Variety: RISE OF THE APES is an origins story set in present-day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale, where man's own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of war for supremacy.

Rupert Wyatt is directing, Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa writing with Peter Chermin and Dylan Clark producing.

Stunning isn't it? Many of Fox's tentpoles are going to be 3D in the coming years and, coupled with Weta's involvement, this points rather hopefully toward three dimensions for RISE OF THE APES. Sounds completely up my alley and with the Weta team behind the ape project, I am totally stoked. Who is with me? :-)