*Disclaimer! This review contains spoilers towards the end. Proceed with caution*
War for the Planet of the Apes is the third movie in the new Apes trilogy. It is the continued story of an ape named Caesar who, after being spurned by human attacks, goes on a mission to hunt down the responsible party. He makes some new friends along the way as they traverse this post-apocalyptic world. Caesar is tested throughout his journey as he leads his people through the ape war with the humans in search of peace and freedom.
As usual, the motion capture work done in these films is fantastic. I feel this way whenever a new one comes out, but the apes truly feel real. The facial animations that result from the motion capture are very human and thus make the apes seem more intelligent, which is exactly what is intended. The CGI on the apes especially is done in a way that looks and feels real rather than coming across as cartoonish and over-the-top, something that many modern films struggle to do. Andy Serkis once again shows off his mastery of the craft in his movements and speech patterns as Caesar.
A big element of War for the Planet of the Apes that, from conversations had post film, is bound to be controversial is the manner of story-telling. I personally love the fact that director Matt Reeves managed to tell a completely comprehendible story with very little dialogue. The vast majority of the movie is either subtitled or just grunts from the various characters. Even then, there really weren’t that many subtitles. Caesar, the colonel, and a few other humans regularly talk (as well as a few barely-English lines from the various apes) but that’s it.
I personally didn’t think there even needed to be that much dialogue due to how good the cinematography was. Most of what you needed to know was shown to you rather than told to you. The way the camera focused on certain objects, the way the actors emoted to each other, etc. all accomplished this and still managed to be believable and understandable. This is very surprising considering how dialogue-heavy the last two Planet of the Apes films were, but considering this was a war film, it made sense.
*Spoilers start here*
There were several scenes of exposition dumps that completely countered the wonderful visual story-telling. Granted, they helped to explain some of the more confusing plot points, but I’m sure they could have found more visual ways to explain some of it. There’s one scene in particular between Caesar and the colonel that is literally 10 minutes of exposition dumping. It cleared up quite a bit about why certain humans were losing their ability to speak, why the Colonel is the way he is, and so on. However, there’s a scene later in the movie that further visually explains the colonel’s backstory and they could’ve easily done the same for the non-speaking humans. It made this particular exposition scene a lot worse in hindsight and hindered the otherwise fantastic world-building of the film.
One other major issue with the story-telling is that it relies way too heavily on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Yes, War is a direct sequel to Dawn, but it didn’t follow the story-telling precedent that this trilogy seemed to want to set. That precedent being that each individual film stands on its own, thus not relying too much on the story of the past. Of course, sequels need to reference past events otherwise, why even bother keeping them in the same story universe? However, every time Koba showed up in one of Caesar’s fever dreams, it just took me out of the movie. War for the Planet of the Apes also seems to struggle to decide whether it wants to be a sequel or its own thing. We consistently have scenes like this, and exposition scenes about the past, but, like with the last two films, the majority of characters are new ones with no relation to the previous cast.
Overall, War for the Planet of the Apes was a great movie. It told an excellent story and, for the most part, managed to tell it well. It didn’t manage to detach itself very well from Rise or Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and, as such, it isn’t as good as those two films. That being said, I still highly recommend you go see it because it is still a good time at the movies.
Trailer:
Well, this movie has certainly come together quickly, just like the automobiles the franchise is centered around. In truth, Gran Turismo adaptation directed by Neil Blomkamp has already wrapped up filming and is in post-production ahead of its global theatrical release on August 11, 2023. Do you want to see a brief teaser? To view the trailer, click above.
Orlando Bloom and David Harbour provide some comments in this 60-second clip, which also includes a few brief film snippets. In essence, this is based on the real-life experiences of Jann Mardenborough, who won the 2011 GT Academy competition and later found success as a racing car driver.
In the few photos that were displayed, the cinematography seemed amazing, therefore it is obvious that this would look stunning on a large screen. During Sony’s CES press conference, Blomkamp briefly discussed how he is employing the company’s cutting-edge cameras to not only get stunning close-ups from within the car’s cockpit but also to imitate some of the game’s angles, as shown in the trailer.
Geek Culture
“An imposing, spectacular, supersized movie,” according to the review of Avatar: The Way of Water
James Cameron was king of the bigger, better, and more contentious sequel blockbuster before he was crowned King of the World. Avatar: The Way of Water comes near enough to retain that reputation, even if his eagerly anticipated return to Pandora can’t rival Aliens or T2 for targeted tanker-weight efficiency. And it certainly knocks the flying fish off of Piranha II.
Will it become a $2 billion club member as Cameron suggests it must? We’ll see, but it’s undeniably flawed yet full of flavor (to paraphrase Guillermo del Toro(opens in new tab)). “MOVIE-MOVIE” is a sometimes strange, always magnificent sensory hit with a thematic thrust that is pleasingly genuine with an undercurrent of soft feeling. Untangling some of the story lines might require numerous viewings and three more movies. But Cameron is the best person to make the case for going to the movies again and again.
Cameron doesn’t spend much time setting the scene because the majority of people have already been to Pandora. The first scene quickly parachutes into Pandora’s rainforest, where Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), who have turned completely Na’vi, are now raising their growing family. They have three biological children: Tuktirey, Neteyam (Jamie Flatters), and Lo’ak (Trinity Bliss). Then there are the adoptees: Spider (Jack Champion), a feral human orphan orphaned by war, and Kiri (Sigourney Weaver), a type of offspring of Grace’s avatar (from the original Avatar).
Jake feels that defending his family gives him meaning. The Sully family seeks safety among Pandora’s sea clans when the evil Colonel Quaritch (Stephen Lang) reappears in (completely explained) “Recombinant” avatar form seeking “payback” for his demise. Jake hovers firmly over his tearaway brood in this instance. But how long can they evade Quaritch’s new blue marines? And isn’t knowing how to manage risk an important learning curve?
While Cameron’s bare-bones setup showcases his pulp punch as a writer, it also demonstrates his astounding skill as a world-builder. This time, Cameron doesn’t give much opportunity to pause and take in Pandora’s plant life. The lush jungle suddenly seems inhabited and alive. However, the RDA (Resources Development Administration) has grander plans for Pandora, even though life on Earth is hardly sustainable at this point. Their base of operations is a small metropolis with cutting-edge technology like robotic spider “swarm assemblers” that can create structures in a matter of days. Cameron makes sure you can sense the destruction left behind when humanity arrive on Pandora.
The Way of Water definitely has the WOW factor in terms of CG. Thirteen years later, Avatar’s spectacle-cinema upgrade has been surpassed. Hair and skin gleam; flames and dust particles transfix. The great revelation this time is the reef, which is home to the Metkayina clan, just as Avatar took time to introduce viewers to Pandora’s funky wonderland. The aquatic realm is vivid, sensual, and tranquil. The sense of weightlessness immersed in the waves reveals a new, sensitive grace in Cameron’s direction as the 3D visuals shimmer in time with Simon Franglen’s ringing score. He instills respect for the ocean in addition to entranced love because the waves are both seductive and hazardous. And the sensation of anguish is overwhelming when their residents are mistreated.
Cameron expertly balances thematic, narrative, emotional, and character strands while dazzles your eyes. Jake’s instinctive need to save his children creates danger as a thematic pattern; from the opening monologue on, Cameron treats the theme like a dorsal fin to cling to through stormy story waters. This is somewhat reminiscent of Finding Nemo.
Casting-wise, Saldana and Kate Winslet (as Ronal, the co-leader of the Metkayina tribe) are a little too much in the background, but Worthington shines as the former Na’vi trainee turned training-on-the-job father. Weaver bridges the age gap between actor and character by touchingly projecting Kiri’s feelings of exclusion and sulky eye-rolls through the mo-cap. Dalton, one of the fantastic young actors, gives bonding scenes with the whale-like Tulkun heart when they otherwise may have seemed a bit Free Willy. Additionally, Champion dispatches the Newt-like Spider, whose subplot expands on Cameron’s family-related ideas.
Although it’s unfortunate that his toxic spiel (“science pukes,” etc.) sounds familiar, the returning Lang adds explosive wrath. Cameron doesn’t spend any time brushing up on Avatar, but he occasionally uses well-known beats. The Sully clan’s water-training reworks Jake’s previous Na’vi training, while marine animals like the “ilus” are reimaginings of the “ikrans” from Avatar. When a character moans, “Can’t believe I’m tied up again,” you wonder if a little editing could have been advised. Cameron even repeats himself a little bit within the movie.
Another minor issue with the plot’s stop-start nature is how some characters’ difficulties seem to go away for long lengths of time. Cameron, though, harnesses prior career highs into a blast of full-bore, high-stakes extravaganza at the film’s climactic point to remind you who’s in charge. The Abyss’ strange wonder, Aliens’ kid danger, Titanic’s aquatic horror show, and T2’s technology are all there and have been enhanced for tension, action, and emotion. Some loose tale threads leave more questions than answers when the fire is out. However, there are three scheduled follow-ups. Even after three hours and more, Cameron’s return leaves you wanting more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUke5mdoac0&ab_channel=SkyTV
A brand-new trailer for HBO’s live-action take on The Last of Us from PlayStation has just been released.
The program, which will debut on HBO Max on January 15, 2023, and on Sky in the UK the following day, will star Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as its main characters.
The Last of Us is the first TV show produced by PlayStation Productions, a division of Sony Interactive Entertainment created to create film and television adaptations of its own game franchises.
The first game’s events will be covered, and there may even be The Last of Us Part 2-related material, according to Craig Mazin, the creator of Chernobyl, and Neil Druckmann, vice president of Naughty Dog.
The show’s main protagonists, Joel and Ellie, will be portrayed by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Sarah, Joel’s daughter, is portrayed by Thandie Newton’s daughter Nico Parker (Dumbo), while Tommy, Joel’s brother, is portrayed by Gabriel Luna (Agents of Shield).
The Last of Us’ debut trailer was released by HBO in September.
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