Following the Rise and the Dawn, we’re now well on course for the War For The Planet Of The Apes. Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his simian tribe may have survived their most recent battle, but their troubles are far from over, as evidenced by the film’s epic first trailer. The latest and most deadly threat to the evolving apes is the considerable military force of Woody Harrelson's Colonel. Stakes are high.
Dawn director Matt Reeves’ latest instalment picks up with Caesar on the road (and the beach, and the forest, and the mountains, and the military compound) as he searches for a new home for his clan. As you’ll have seen above, it won’t be an easy journey for Serkis’ troubled chimp, either physically or mentally. He’s just broken the core tenet of Ape culture (“ape shall not kill ape”), remember, by killing Koba. And judging by the new footage, that won’t be the last time he’s forced to take up arms. Can’t we all just get along? Apparently not.
It all looks as if we’re in for an action and FX spectacle on a scale we’ve not yet seen in the Apes movies. But you can be sure there’ll be weight to it: that downbeat philosophical, moral and metaphorical thread unique to the franchise remains very much in place. There will be other blockbusters next summer, but there won’t be another one quite like this.
As we said, Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson are front and centre, with support from Apes veterans Judy Greer, Karin Konoval and Terry Notary and newbie Steve Zahn. War For The Planet Of The Apes is out in July, 2017.
War For The Planet Of The Apes trailer breakdown interview with Matt Reeves.