It doesn't really feel like it was that long ago, but it's been quite a few years since the first entry in this new trilogy, and now here we are at the conclusion. Not a sequel baiting, cinematic universe expanding semi-conclusion, but a real final note that wraps all of this up. Of course there's always room for more, I would be surprised if it didn't happen. But for now it's a trilogy in three parts. As I mentioned at the time with the Dawn review it was a surprise that not only did the first instalment overcome the problems of a re-imagining, but part two was more complex and more interesting. But that leads us to the third episode, something which traditionally is where things go to pieces and our good will is sapped away. It's often the case that best ideas have all been used up, and while the visual effects reach an all new high things are not quite as good on paper. So how do things a fare in the case of Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his followers?
Like it's predecessor, this is a dark and often brutal character piece. And like the film which came before the marketing team wants to show us an action movie we will never get. Nobody blew up the Golden Gate Bridge the last time around, and here there is no climactic face-off with apes fighting a human army. The posters are still just a big advertising scheme. So what of the war? Is this Battle For the Planet of the Apes all over again, where the grand finale was just... a handful of extras and someone driving a school bus to attack a few tree-houses? Is this just as poorly thought out despite the mega-budget they have on hand? Well let's say it's certainly a struggle. Sometimes a physical one for the characters, and in some cases internally. The war itself is more of a conflict, at least until the third act.... and even then it's debatable.
The apes are put through a lot this time around, and of course it's when the human soldiers hinted at in the last movie begin to make their appearance that things go sour. The opening salvo is one of the most intense battle scenes included, and generally the film is eager to mimic a host of Vietnam War pictures such as Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. Later it diverges from this atmosphere, turning into both a kind of revenge Western tale and also an exodus story. They struggle against capture, they're frozen by the elements, and they have to fight their own hubris to maintain their peaceful ideals. However in terms of the overall structure they still spend a lot of time telling another prison break story and retreading themes that have come before.
Caesar himself faces personal tragedy, and becomes concerned that the feelings that overcame his old ally Koba will consume him in the same way. There's no longer a disconnect between performance and animation, the effects are now completely flawless. His recurring friends Maurice and Rocket are just as believable, those minor visual gaps have been closed and the drama and pathos offered is completely compelling. There are plenty of others but newcomer Bad Ape (Steve Zahn) is the most memorable, offering a kind of broken, isolated outsider to the cast who also adds the only brief moments of levity in the film. Elsewhere there are interesting new ideas offered as Koba's past comrades join with oppressive human masters in an effort to avoid retribution for their past actions. But there's no overall theme and it lacks the kind of focus found in the previous films.
This lack of a core to the story is most apparent in the human characters. Nova, (Amiah Miller) a mute girl found early on in the story appears to serve as a kind of innocent ideal of what mankind has long during their years of post apocalyptic misery. But her behaviour during the event that leads her to join Caesar and friends is puzzling to say the least. When they have so many convincing performance capture actors, it's odd they felt it necessary to add a child-in-peril cliché to try and gain extra sympathy. The new threat that has caused her condition is also lacking defined symptoms, and sometimes feels more like a plot convenience. Serving as the antagonist we have The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) who also feels underdeveloped, as either a fully realised villain or as a complex figurehead with his own set of problems. Perhaps some of his scenes, and those developing his soldiers have been left on the cutting room floor. The result is just a crazy cult like leader with a bunch of blindly loyal followers, instead of any deeper characters.
Maybe this is a script problem. The team of Jaffe and Silver who worked on Rise and Dawn both departed, leaving only Mark Bomback who joined them on part two at the writer's table. It's the only explanation I can see for such a muddled story without a strong centre. It doesn't feel like a fully fledged leadership drama, religious allegory, slavery narrative, or just a simple escape plot. The latter is segment is full of hardened military personnel acting dumb so the apes can gain the upper hand, and there are a lot of odd choices elsewhere. The ending in particular is incredibly brisk considering the measured pacing up until the last few minutes, and the way it all finishes so simplistically feels contrived and unsatisfying. We spent a a lot of hours both here and in the other films building up the conflict, and building up the characters. I'm all for a solid finale clearing up the loose ends but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
This is ultimately a decent effort, but the distance between story quality and visual effects advancement is noticeable. Nobody was going to show apes using military vehicles or turn the whole thing into total schlock, but it often feels small and rushed. We get a few abandoned houses and one ruined Coca-cola truck instead of seeing a wider picture of the world, and there was a chance to expand the scope while maintaining a Caesar's personal perspective. It is still a Planet after all. It's not a big let down, and it delivers a lot of the same strong story elements we've seen before. It also still looks beautiful, from the water soaked ape homes to the snow covered ski slopes. It's still harrowing and spectacular where necessary. But I can't shake the feeling this could have been something stronger with a few tweaks.
3/5
