With the release of a new Planet of the Apes movie, I decided to rewatch the reboot trilogy from 2011-2017 (Rise, Dawn, and War). I had only watched these movies once before and it had been years since then so I thought I could have some fun watching the rise of Apes and the collapse of Humans all thanks to a virus … that spreads around the globe … that humanity is utterly unprepared for … oh no.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) was a reboot of the franchise, acting as an origin story for Caesar, the ape leader played by Andy Serkis. The film shows Caesar’s upbringing as he becomes increasingly aware of his intellectual gifts. He is deemed “too dangerous” to coexist with humans and is sent to live with his own kind in a prison disguised as a shelter. Instead of being looked over by the caring presence of his adoptive father Will, Caesar is tormented by the hateful guard who abuses his power. It is here where Caesar does the impossible. After assuming leadership over other apes in the enclosure, he begins plotting an escape. He is interrupted by the guard and beaten down until he catches the bat and roars “NO”. What ensues is a chaotic journey to the Redwood Forest, the only place where Caesar has ever known freedom. The exodus results in human and ape deaths and Caesar is forced to recognize that freedom cannot come peacefully.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) portrays the struggles of maintaining a new society and the issues with compromise. Taking place a decade after RISE, the film highlights how the world has changed since humans were nearly wiped out by the virus that made apes intelligent. The apes have constructed a home deep in the forest, hunting deer and taking on roles like doctors and teachers. Caesar’s leadership has proven to be effective in providing for the rest of his troop. A group of humans travel into the forest with hopes of turning on a nearby dam to power their settlement. Their arrival reminds Caesar of the fondness he has for humans, thanks to his upbringing in the first film. However, Caesar’s right hand, Koba, is scarred by his past with humans. Used as a test subject, Koba believes humans are nothing but threats to the apes’ way of living. While fixing the dam, Caesar is reminded of the good that humanity can bring, specifically the lights of the cityscape that have disappeared for years. His cooperation with the humans sparks distrust from Koba who betrays Caesar, seizes power, and leads an attack against the human settlement. Caesar is ultimately forced to choose between saving Koba (maintaining his law of “ape no kill ape”) and saving others from Koba’s violent way of thinking.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) analyzes the meaning of mercy and how evolution causes a shifting of natural power. Two years after DAWN, the Simian Flu has completely ravaged the known world with its ability to revert humans to a primitive, nonverbal state. After his clan is captured by “The Colonel” played by Woody Harrelson, Caesar sets off on a journey to bring them to a new home. A departure from the previous film, WAR focuses on the relationships Caesar has with his closest friends Maurice and Rocket, an orangutan and bonobo who have been by his side since the first film. On their way to the prison camp where the other apes are being held, the group adopts a young girl who has succumbed to the virus as well as another ape, known as “Bad Ape”, who has survived alone since Caesar’s rebellion in RISE. The evolved status of the virus presents us with a visualization of the human race’s fear of the apes. Instead of living in a settlement trying to survive the virus, the humans reside in a military bunker, awaiting an attack from a rival military force that hopes to extinguish the Colonel’s near barbaric tendencies. In this film, Caesar is faced with the brutality that humans have gone through and, while not forgiving them for what they have done, must recognize how disaster leads individuals to make decisions they deem best for their people.
This trilogy has been praised for its use of motion capture to create scenes that seamlessly integrate the apes with their real-world surroundings. The incredible visuals reach a new level in DAWN and WAR with Matt Reeves’s directorial skill. The dewy woodlands of DAWN feel like they’ve been taken over by the apes and their firey battle with the human settlement packs a real punch. Emotions like rage, loss, and determination can be seen clearly on the faces of the primates. Koba’s wrath is painted across his face as he dual-wields machine guns while riding a horse toward the settlement. Caesar’s defiance of the Colonel is exhibited as he rises, glaring down the barrel of a pistol, to defend those he leads.
Visually and narratively rich, the Planet of the Apes reboot trilogy cements itself in history as proof of a successful set of legacy films, growing the story that started with the original 1968 film. Andy Serkis’s Caesar is one of the most impressive feats in visual affects, rivaling Serkis’s other motion capture performance: Gollum. Watching Caesar learn how to lead, protect, and cooperate effectively without ever doubting the legitimacy of the apes onscreen takes unreal skill regarding the creation of this world. During the final moments of the trilogy we see Caesar staring out at his clan before he dies, satisfied that he has fulfilled his promise to provide for his kind.