50 years after the first glimpse into the world and times of apes and the Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Matt Reeves is back with the third and final installment of the Planet of The Apes reboot series. The film draws from the first two parts, but doesn’t see you at a loss even if you haven’t watched the previous films. In fact, it only makes you more curious to actually trace the rise, dawn and of course, the survival of apes.
The film begins with a shot of human army raiding into what looks like an alienated land and soon one sees the apes in action, with guards high, to protect their land and their tribe. Led by Caeser (Andy Serkis), the creatively carved-out tribe is full of members who can be identified with peculiar characteristic traits. Each of them is well equipped to hold their own and dedicated to serve and save their tribe against the rule of ‘deadly’ humans. But “Apes, together strong" or perhaps, strongest, as you’d realise by the end of the film, makes this one a compelling watch.
As the title suggests, the film picks up after a few years from where the second installment left and sees Caeser and his close aides planning a mission to guard their species against the humankind. However, the irony that the humans are defending their throne against the very species, which was created by their own experiment gone wrong, is inescapable.
To begin with, there’s an elaborate computer-generated imagery, a fine VFC and an amalgamation of explosive sets to tuck in the viewers’ attention much before the well-timed and finely tuned emotional playoffs appeal to the collective conscience. The apes who’re now fully evolved – to stand upright and some to even have the human verbal abilities - carry the film on their shoulders and never for once, let it down. Serkis and other primates lead a well-woven war with their efforts and antics against the struggling race of mankind.
Woody Harrelson, who plays the Colonel heading the human battalion, delivers a power-packed performance. While most scenes make you loathe him, the ones wherein his vulnerability lays bare, make you see his point of view.
The ongoing battle between humans and apes lies more on the marked cards of conflict than physical strength and that works in the favor of the franchise. The conflicts of right and wrong, morality and survival, mercy and extinction, family ties and duties, and emotional and rational choices take the lead when the action takes a back seat. In fact, the core essence of a never-ending battle between the fluid instincts of good and evil – both in humankind and in apes’ tribe – has been captured well.
In the era of superheroes and inter-galaxy battles, one might not have expected this post-apocalyptic tale to feel relevant but the makers have played well on several fronts to make this one a fitting end. The plot is intriguing enough to keep one hooked and arousing enough to evoke a gamut of emotions.
Rating: 4/5
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