War for the Planet of the Apes

The rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise continues with War for the Planet of the Apes, a fitting final wedge in the trilogy, although there are apparently already plans for a sequel. Like the previous entry Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War was directed by Matt Reeves, who delivers a technically immaculate but ultimately grim and heartless entertainment. The action picks up two years after Dawn, with the increasingly humanlike apes keeping a tenuous peace, while the infected remains of humanity struggle for survival. A mysterious mercenary named Colonel McCullough (Woody Harrelson) accidentally assassinates the son of ape leader Caesar (motion-captured Andy Serkis), sending the simmering simian on a quest for revenge. The special effects are amazing, and the long takes and measured pace give War the flavor of an old-school impossible-mission epic, but there’s something sociopathic about the way the film portrays the eradication of humanity as heroic. D.B.