We have come a long way since the 1968 original which has created one of the longest running & most successful film franchises in history.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

The latest offering from director Matt Reeves is a stunning evolution in film making. These apes appear so human-like now, every hair on their CGI bodies moves with the wind as does ours and every facial expression so believable, every tear filled eye so full of emotion and energy.

To take my mind off all the volcano evacuee fundraising I have been focused on recently, I decided to watch this film tonight.

I was seriously blown away by the scale and beauty of this production.

The attention to detail is flawless.

The story is genuinely touching and the cinematography by Michael Seresin is out of this world. Set in the cold arena of winter snow these black apes are both visually & metaphorically out of place in this human made apocalyptic vision of the future.

The music by Michael Giacchino carries us delightfully through a twirl of light classical feelings, enhancing the connection we simply cannot avoid feeling with the main character apes in this film. Namely Caesar.

And Woody Harrelson as the main (human) protagonist is stronger than ever. Though I personally felt like he was looking a little chubby.

Didn't seem to fit his role as super fit military god capable of killing Caesar's family. Have you been eating all the pies Woody?

Perhaps you should take some lessons from Christian Bale's total dedication to his role in The Machinist?

Anyway... back to apes!

I have been so impressed with these last two films from this franchise because the main characters are no longer human.

Of course, they are modelled on human expression, but the images themselves we are looking at are NOT REAL.

Yet they feel so real!

And it doesn't take long before you are completely immersed in the story without any memory of once questioning how you would feel about watching talking monkeys taking over the world.

There is an unavoidable empathy for Caesar and even when he is tied to a cross like Jesus, enabling his people to have food and water... there is nothing contrived about the obvious and potentially laughable parallel.

It is a story well told.

And Caesar is really a great character whom we are rooting for all the way!

The Main Metaphor

Behind bars are those who seek to challenge the status quo which has been in existence for a long time. And as the last few films have so poignantly pointed out, "TOGETHER APES STRONGER!"

How do they create this awesome CGI?

Andy Serkis has been the go-to man for roles such as this ever since his amazing portrayal of Golem in Lord of the Rings.

And let's be fair, he does it very well. It doesn't seem to matter any more that it is his face. For it is only his expressions which are being recorded.

Source

This film gives you a clear idea of what the actors had to do in order for the CGI to be created in post production.

In Conclusion

I don't want to give too much away but in short the film was pure magic and really took my mind off smoking volcanos & hungry evacuees.

And as a fan of the entire series of films, I love how this one explains the 1968 plot line in which humans cannot speak.

I wonder what we have in store for the next one?

A film with silent humans perhaps?

It won't be long before we don't need the actors at all!

All screen grabs from the motion picture 'War for the Planet of the Apes' owned by 20th Century Fox

@samstonehill used to make films in London until he sold everything and set out on a journey around the world.

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