Planet of the Apes Trilogy

Release Dates: 2011-2017 Length: 104-140 min

“There are times when it is necessary to abandon our humanity to save humanity.” –The Colonel.

Directors: Rupert Wyatt [Rise of the Planet of the Apes] (Known for The Gambler and Captive State) Matt Reeves [Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes] (Known for Cloverfield and Let Me In) Writers: Matt Reeves Rick Jafa (Known for Jurassic Park and In the Heart of the Sea) Amanda Silver (Known for Jurassic Park and In the Heart of the Sea) Mark Bomback (Known for The Wolverine, Live Free or Die Hard, and Total Recall) Actors: Andy Serkis (Known for Black Panther, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings) Toby Kebbell (Known for Ben-Hur, Kong: Skull Island, and Warcraft) Karin Konoval (Known for X-Files and Bates Motel)

Summary: The three movies revolve around the events that led to the planet Earth in the original movie, Planet of the Apes, made in 1968 with Charlton Heston. The first movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, is about a doctor who raises an ape named Caesar (Andy Serkis) who has heightened abilities due to experiments for a cure to Alzheimer’s disease. Caesar never felt like he belonged with his human family, and after several incidents, Caesar is put in a facility with other apes. After witnessing the terrible treatment of the apes in the facility, Caesar eventually decides to save the apes. This therefore creates a huge resistance of apes against humans led by Caesar. The second movie, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, begins with what remains of Earth after a deadly virus, unintentionally created by apes, kills most of humanity. The apes find themselves on the brink of war with the remaining humans for the resources that are left. The third and final movie, War for the Planet of the Apes, continues with the battle between the humans and apes as they continue to fight for their lives, and the conditions on Earth become closer and closer to how they were in the original 1968 movie.

Overall Thoughts: The entire series is heart-wrenching from beginning to end. Each little detail of the story is carefully calculated and crucial to the plot. The special effects of the movie are so great that I almost forget that the apes I’m watching are people acting and not actual apes. I also am thankful that the apes are played by actual people and green-screen technology and not just voice acting because it makes everything so much more realistic and authentic. The way that the movie demonstrates the horrors of dehumanization, war, and oppression is what most people mistake for just a simple action movie. These hidden themes are so beautiful because that way, people who go in wanting an entertaining sci-fi movie come out with a new understanding of important topics. I love the way the roles of the humans and the apes are switched. For example, the apes are animals, yet they show morality and responsibility, while the humans are primitive and savage. I am extremely impressed with how the actors are able to portray apes in the movies. It is one thing to say that an actor is great at transitioning from one character to a completely different character altogether. Still, it’s another thing to say an actor is awesome at transitioning from human to ape. The preparation to play each individual role must have been very extensive, which makes me appreciate the movie even more. I am especially impacted by the way Andy Serkis plays Caesar because I always feel like a new layer of the character’s personality is revealed in each new movie. Whenever there is a movie that requires a ton of special effects, there is also a lot of direction that is needed to make everything work. The director was great at transforming a beloved story into something more modern and enjoyable for today’s audience. I love how the movies fit together because sometimes when there are movie series, they don’t always make sense when they are put together. This definitely was not the case for this trilogy.

Rating: Rotten Tomatoes Rating (Rise of the Planet of the Apes): 82% My Rating (Rise of the Planet of the Apes): 89% Rotten Tomatoes Rating (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes): 91% My Rating (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes): 92% Rotten Tomatoes Rating (War for the Planet of the Apes): 94% My Rating (War for the Planet of the Apes): 94%