Planet of the Apes: The War Marked by Caesar's Death

Synopsis: Humans and apes cross paths again. Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his group are forced into a war against an army of soldiers led by a ruthless colonel (Woody Harrelson). After several apes lose their lives in the conflict and others are captured, Caesar fights his instincts and sets out to seek revenge. In this journey, the future of the planet may be at stake.

After the confrontation that took place in the previous film, Caesar and his group of monkeys live in a community in the forest. They are under constant attack by the military – commanded by the Colonel – who were called by radio also in the previous film. The first scene of the film introduces us to this climate of constant tension, with a fierce clash in the forest, resulting in casualties on both sides. The monkeys intend to leave for a remote location, in order to escape this incessant war, but the Colonel appears to prevent these plans. In an extremely tense sequence – with several cuts, many shadows and a distressing soundtrack – a tragedy occurs, putting César on a path of hatred and revenge. In order to finish off the Colonel once and for all, César sets off with three other faithful companions (Maurice, Rocket and Luca) in search of the human military base.

The film raises several important questions, such as the issue of empathy and what it really means to be “human” or “rational”. The entire story is told from Caesar's perspective, so we follow the character's internal conflicts – who was once raised and loved by humans, but has long since faced the worst of them – as well as the pain and struggle to keep his community safe. On the other hand, on the human side of the narrative (which never takes over the main plot thread) we have terrible examples, incapable of dialogue and trying to do things in a new way. Once again, humans make the same mistakes of the past, causing segregation, extermination and intolerance. You can already see that the film is an incredible allegory about what is happening in world politics today, right? The construction of a wall to separate enemies is shown in the film, which could not be more current, while at the same time making references to the Holocaust in a kind of “simian concentration camp”.

Andy Serkis' performance using motion capture technology is sensational, and it became increasingly deeper as the films went on, following the protagonist's evolution (there is a specific scene in which all the character's pain and suffering shine through, and I was left speechless by the actor's competence and the evolution of this technology). César is an extremely believable character, full of nuances and conflicting feelings. After experiencing a terrible loss in The War, the character becomes increasingly darker and more similar to his former friend and traitor, Koba, the antagonist of The Confrontation. At the same time, the viewer never fails to understand his motivations, precisely because we see the complexity of the character being built throughout the trilogy. Another important performance is that of Woody Harrelson in the role of Colonel. Cruel, the character is at the same time insane and believable, because the plot builds him in a way that explains (but never justifies) his actions.

Spectacular scenery, an impeccable soundtrack and an immersive lighting scheme are some of the elements that caught my attention the most in the film, as they perfectly create the atmosphere. There is also no shortage of emotional scenes that brought me to tears more than once. The Big Bad Monkey is a new character who brings comic relief to the film, and is captivating.

Even though Caesar was seriously injured in the battle, he still managed to march with his family to the new “promised land” and only died when he got there. It was a scene that I couldn’t get out of my head, and when we talk about the movie War for the Planet of the Apes, it’s impossible not to think of this scene.

Although War for the Planet of the Apes is not my favorite film in the trilogy, it does end Caesar's journey in a dignified, competent and exciting way. Despite some flaws in relation to the previous films, the film was able to move me and leave me satisfied with the direction taken by this saga that completely won me over.