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Thread: War of the Planet of the Apes (Spoiler-free)

  1. #1
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    War of the Planet of the Apes (Spoiler-free)

    The three year was well worth it.

    Saw this last night and, as a fanboy from the 70s and a fan of the new legacy, War more than met my expectations.

    From the opening rejig of the Fox fanfare into something more akin to the Apes music score, to the imaginative onscreen recap of the previous two movies, you could tell that a lot of thought and prep had gone into how this story was going to be told.

    We had to compromise to see the movie early - for some reason theaters were only showing it in 3D until today, but in fact the 3D conversion worked a lot better than I expected it to, and didn't detract in any way from the quality of the camerawork or the storytelling.

    If you've enjoyed the previous two movies, this one takes it to a new level, and if you're a fan of the 70s series you'll enjoy more of the little nods towards those movies, in the same way that they were present in the previous movies without being too self-referencing.

    There are some genuine surprises too - as with the previous trailers, you think you know what you're about to see, and by the end of the film you realise that you've seen something bigger and better.

    I saw a review earlier comparing it to the Dark Knight Trilogy in terms of development and scope, but suggesting that the Apes trilogy is even more satisfying. I'd agree.

    I'm still mulling over what I saw last night, and am gearing up to see it a second time tomorrow.

    So, if you're planning on seeing it, go now - before some loon takes it upon himself to reveal the surprises online.

  2. #2
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    I enjoyed the last one far more than I expected to. Thanks for the tip on this!
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    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    I've seen the others but wasn't that into them. Loved the original film series as a kid but rewatched them all a couple of years ago and felt they hadn't aged well, aside from the first.

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    Member nosebone's Avatar
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    No Heston, No Nosebone!
    no tunes, no dynamics, no nosebone

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    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    Okay, just saw it. Honestly, I think the previous one was quite superior. However, this was a fun summer blockbuster.
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  6. #6
    Just saw it today.

    I'd give it a B. Lots of technical successes, but the story was fairly cliched and they were just ridiculously out of control with symbols and allusions. The Colonel had less depth as a character than any of the ape characters.

    Good enough popcorn movie, if you enjoyed the other two. Probably too dour and long to satisfy audiences not already initiated.

  7. #7
    Marklar Jimmy Giant's Avatar
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    Good movie. 3D conversion wasn't bad. (I prefer watching anything in 3D). I highly recommend this to any fan.
    JG

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    Some interesting reactions above.

    I went back to see it again, this time in 2D in an Atmos theatre, and found it even more enjoyable and emotionally affecting. Knowing what was coming in each scene made it feel all the more tragic - struggled to keep my emotions in reign so as not to spoil it for the first-timers sitting around me.

    I had a lot of fun spotting the little homages to the original series, and spotted more second time around.

    I didn't think the story was clichéd - I certainly didn't see certain events coming - and if Fox pulls the plug, it brings a trilogy to a very satisfying conclusion and answers some interesting questions along the way.

    I also thought Harrelson's portrayal of the Colonel was good - he doesn't get a lot of screen time, and when he's on he doesn't overact and chew the scenery. I found his soliloquy scene much more moving this time. The writers made the conscious decision to focus most of the movie from the apes p.o.v. so the human element was never going to get a lot of traction, but there was enough to justify the events that unfold.

    I realise others won't share my sentiments, but that's cool. As a kid in the 70s I grew up with the original series and it became a touchstone for my imagination. I just feel privileged that a series that means so much to me has been given such a respectful reboot and been so well received by a new generation of cinema goers, when you look at other seventies movies and tv series that had less successful reboots.

  9. #9
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    *** OKAY - SPOILER ALERT - SPOILER ALERT ***



    I agree that they could end it here, on a strong note.

    The problem for me is coming across like I'm damning with faint praise. This isn't my intention. It is a fine film, and well acted, well directed, stunningly produced, but the things that elevated the second film simply weren't there in this third one. For instance: the development of both the human and ape point of view. The lack of this flattened out the Colonel, robbing him of a greater pathos. His monologue could have had more meaning if we had felt his sacrifices along with him. The crossbowman seemed underutilized too. He had a big set up, but no real character arc afterward.

    The biggest missed opportunity was making it all have consequence beyond Caesar and his troop. We are witnessing the transformation of the planet, and yet the plot of this film had no bearing on it. I could still believe that the fate of the planet hung in the balance in the second film. Here we find out that the planet is/will be transformed irrespective of our human characters winning, or our ape characters winning. So while there is a satisfying arc for Caesar (i.e. Father Ape-raham) and the ape colony, it ultimately doesn't matter, because the fate of the planet was actually decided in the first film. If they never made it to the promised land, the fate of the planet would still be the same. The opportunity of having this kind of greater consequence was passed by. As a consequence, the whole thing takes on a predetermined, mechanistic quality, which simply isn't as satisfying of a narrative.

    There were also a couple distracting plot holes and a some avoidable cliches. However, I don't want to go beyond reasonable expectations for a summer action blockbuster. But really, patriarchy much?
    Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.

  10. #10
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    ^^^ ^^^

    I went with my brother and my son and while we were entertained none of us left thinking it was very good.
    <sig out of order>

  11. #11
    Connoisseur of stuff. Obscured's Avatar
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    Huge fan of the Ape movies going back to the original with Heston/McDowell. Kinda disappointed in this one, worst of the recent 3. There were some great nods to the original and even to the short lived tv series especially with all the horseback riding. But, I felt everything went downhill with the introduction of the zoo ape. Felt like a nod to Star Wars and Jar Jar Binks. Kinda lame. Kinda ruined it for me. Also, the 3-D effect wasn't working for the first 45 minutes or so. When we left the theater, the manager said he noticed that problem and gave everyone comps for a future 3-D movie.
    That was easily the best part of the day.
    "Henry Cow always wanted to push itself, so sometimes we would write music that we couldn't actually play – I found that very encouraging." - Lindsay Cooper, 1998
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  12. #12
    Estimated Prophet notallwhowander's Avatar
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    I didn't mind Bad Ape, yes he was goofy comic relief in rather predictable way, but the film needed something considering the film's dark themes. However, in as much as Bad Ape revealed that Caesar and his troop weren't the only clever apes, it blew a hole in the importance of their survival.
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  13. #13
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Valen View Post
    If you've enjoyed the previous two movies, this one takes it to a new level
    I could be very wrong here, but haven't there been MORE THAN two POTA movies?
    • POTA (1968)
    • Beneath the POTA (1970)
    • Escape From the POTA (1971)
    • Conquest of the POTA (1972)
    • Battle for the POTA (1973)
    • POTA TV Series (1974)
    • Return to the POTA (1975)
    • POTA (2001)
    • Rise of the POTA (2011)
    • Dawn of the POTA (2014)
    • War for the POTA (2017)
    In my (admittedly limited) exposure to the series the films very quickly became parodies of themselves, which is never a good thing.

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