Everything That Dies, Some Day Comes Back

Anyone coming to this film expecting to see a full out war between apes and humans might well come away disappointed given that the  climactic battle is between two human armies, with the apes as mere bystanders. We do though get some ape versus human conflict to kick things off, culminating in Cornelia and Blue Eyes both being killed.  With the heat on, Caesar sends his tribe  off to establish a  new home, whilst with Maurice, Rocket and Luca he embarks on a mission to learn more about the paramilitaries who killed his wife and son, and maybe to exact revenge. Some adventures ensue, and while it’s nice to spend time with Caesar in this way the film’s pace in this middle section i s too leisurely - a running time of 140 minutes is quite absurd for a film which has a pretty simple plot and a small cast of characters. The man Caesar is after is known simply as the  Colonel (played by a somewhat miscast Woody Harrelson) who has what might be called an uncompromisin...

This is the second of the rebooted series, featuring Andy Serkis as Caesar the leader of the evolved apes, being the sequel to ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’. (I hate to be a nit-picker but surely dawn comes before the sunrise, not after?) We quickly learn that the pandemic that ends the first film has wiped out most humans. Meanwhile Caesar has established a peaceful home for the apes in the woods outside San Francisco. But once the surviving humans from the city make accidental contact with the apes the only question is whether war between the two species can be averted. Despite the best efforts of Caesar and one of the humans, Malcolm, the answer inevitably is ‘no’, which could make for a downbeat viewing experience were it not for the skilful way the story unfolds, always keeping the viewer interested.   The credit for this lies in part with the quality of the writing and the outstanding visual effects.  But essentially it is Serkis who carries the film. In contrast...