Of all the films coming out this summer War For The Planet Of The Apes is the one that excites me most. Director Matt Reeve’s 2014 Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes stood out as one of the most interesting tentpoles in years and the trailers for the upcoming sequel have been great. Now we’re hearing back from the lucky few that have gotten to see the film early and the bees are buzzing. With near overwhelming gushing praise, this is looking to be the film of the summer. Most are calling it the best in the trilogy with some calling it one of the best trilogies of all time. Check out some of the standouts below.
It's OFFICIAL! #WarForThePlanetOfTheApes is AMAZING! Deep, dark, EPIC! RISE + DAWN + WAR = one of the BEST MOVIE TRILOGIES EVER! #HailCaesar pic.twitter.com/MEvaWumGUS
— Scott Mantz ? (@MovieMantz) June 16, 2017
The BEST movie of the summer is HERE! #WarForThePlanetOfTheApes is a LANDMARK TRIUMPH! Gripping, intense, powerful, moving, MAGNIFICENT! pic.twitter.com/bn3UnZTlGl
— Scott Mantz ? (@MovieMantz) June 16, 2017
#WarForThePlanetOfTheApes is magical. Apes on horseback in blowing snow, nuanced acting by Apes & Humans! @mattreevesLA rules!
— . (@headgeek666) June 16, 2017
It isn’t just the action that is getting praised like you often see in this early buzz. Critics are also noting the nuanced, tense plotting and character development. With one critic even comparing Reeve’s to Sergei Eisenstein, one of the greatest directors of the Silent film period.
Either you get it or you don't -- "War" is about character & emotion, almost a silent film, an apes movie directed by Sergei Eisenstein.
— Hollywood Elsewhere (@wellshwood) June 16, 2017
While there is always a level of excitement around these early screenings that tends to exaggerate the response, it’s impossible to deny that everyone who saw the film seems to be thrilled by it.
While the last film focused on two leaders, reluctant to go to war, being pushed closer and closer to it by misunderstandings and overzealous underlings, in this film the war between humans and apes rages. What I’ve loved about these movies is that both sides of the conflict feel justified and relatable. While the Apes’ side is definitely more sympathetic to the audience, the human species is near extinction and trying to survive.
It is easy to imagine the fear you’d feel if your entire species is about to be replaced by their own science experiment. To be honest, Woody Harrelson's character's fear of extinction is a lot more believable a motive for his fascist nature than the First Orders vague desire for…. Order? Or our own country’s growing right wing movements for that matter. Either way I’m very jealous of everyone who got to see it but even for us regular humans the wait isn’t going to last much longer War For The Planet Of The Apes premieres on July 14th.
