Gradebook: War for the Planet of the Apes
War for the Planet of the Apes: The Gradebook is the ratings of newly released films by the contributors and fans of We Live Film, and We Live Entertainment. If you are interested in participating, join the We Live Film Fan Chat Page on Facebook and look for the weekly posts of new releases.
Scott Menzel: War for the Planet of the Apes (10/10)
War for the Planet of the Apes is not only the best film of the summer but possibly of the year. I was BLOWN away by this film and is the perfect example of what makes a great studio film. This is not the type of blockbuster that you will forget about but one that will stick with you for weeks after seeing. War for the Planet of the Apes is the perfect emotional ending to one of the best movie trilogies of all time. It is without question the must-see movie of the 2017 summer movie season. See it as soon as you can. Full review here.
Austin Putnam: War for the Planet of the Apes (10/10)
This is bleak and brutal yet an epic, emotional spectacle. Matt Reeves has created a powerful final film in a trilogy that will go down as one of the best film trilogies of all time. A masterpiece.
Zachary Marsh: War for the Planet of the Apes (10/10)
You know how “Return of the King” is widely considered to be the best of the “Lord of the Rings” movies, to the point where it won Best Picture at the Oscars? Yeah, that’s how I feel about War for the Planet of the Apes. Seriously, this is Best Picture material. There are tiny little problems I had with the movie, but they’re so tiny that I can barely remember them. There are cliched moments present in “War,” but unlike “Dawn,” the predictability of this movie wasn’t as prominent or irritating and was only in small aspects of the plot. Andy Serkis delivers his best portrayal of Caesar, and Woody Harrelson makes for a menacing villain with an understandable vendetta. The show-stealer of the movie, hands down, is Steve Zahn’s comedic yet heartbreaking portrayal of Bad Ape. I could get into further detail of everything I loved about this film, but I don’t want to oversell it any more than I have. War for the Planet of the Apes is the best movie of the summer thus far, as well as one of 2017’s best films, period.
Ashley Menzel: War for the Planet of the Apes (9/10)
While the Planet of the Apes films have been some of my favorites in the past years, this one didn’t entice me enough. It could’ve easily been the viewing environment where I had people talking near me in the theater and was distracted. The film itself is beautiful and the performance by Andy Serkis is beyond compare, and it is definitely one of the most touching of the Ape films. While the character of Bad Ape may have seemed out of place, he was the extremely important comedic relief for a very very heavy film. Not an easy film to watch by any means, but beautifully crafted with great performances and storylines.
Nick Casaletto: War for the Planet of the Apes (10/10)
War for the Planet of the Apes takes every aspect of the films preceding it and improves on it in every way possible. The characters are fully realized, with a protagonist that you’ve been following from birth to death. How often does something like this happen in “action movies,” especially in this day and age where as soon as a film doesn’t make its box office numbers back, it’s tossed to the side like a broken down car? The story was never about the rise, dawn, or war of the apes; it was about Caesar. Full review here.
Daniel Rester: War for the Planet of the Apes (8.8/10)
The third prequel “Apes” film is an epic and emotional ending to the new trilogy, with excellent performances by Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson. The visual effects are seamless and marvelous at once, and the action scenes are gritty and thrilling. The film drags in moments of the third act, but overall it’s an outstanding summer blockbuster made with care.
Nile Fortner: War of the Planet of the Apes (10/10)
This is one of the best prequels of all time, and I absolutely love this trilogy from start to finish! We’ve grown with Cesar, each movie continues the story in the right direction, and each film got better. This movie is honestly one of the best I’ve seen in years! Right up there with The Dark Knight trilogy and the original Star Wars! Matt Reeves directing The Batman, that movies in good hands. War For the Planet of the Apes earns a 10/10! I can’t wait to go ape sh*t and see it again.
Kevin Falk: War for the Planet Apes (10/10)
I can’t think of another trilogy that has ever had as much progress as the prequel series for “Planet of the Apes” has. Especially when taking a look at each film and how they have each gotten subsequently better. War by far is the best of the 3 and is the perfect capper to the series as a whole. While the title may be misleading to some, it’s more about the internal war going on with both groups than an actual physical battle. It’s this choice however that makes the film that much better it’s the most character heavy of the three mainly because of how little of characters are in the overall film. While I can’t divulge much into details about the film considering how spoiler heavy it is, I will say it is one of the best final installments these eyes have seen in quite a while. The film ends things to a powerful emotional bleak but inevitable conclusion with a final scene that I don’t think left a dry eye in the 20 person audience. It’s a series I will dearly miss but one I am deeply satisfied with and am delighted to have the pleasure in re watching over these last few days and .will remember for years to come!
Tony Estrada: War for the Planet of the Apes (9/10)
War for the Planet of the Apes should’ve been titled something different as it really isn’t much of a war movie but it does tell a very compelling story with highly engaging characters and superb performances. Andy Serkis is truly a master of motion-capture as he continues to not only pour every single ounce of emotion he brings to the character but captures the movements of our lead protagonist Caesar who is one of the best characters in movie history. Woody Harrelson gives a very dark performance as the colonel who could’ve come off as one-dimensional but it luckily didn’t come off that way since his character gives us a huge reason for why he acts so ugly towards the apes. It’s also truly amazing how far special effects have advanced with each of these movies because the apes look so real that you forget you are watching actors doing motion-capture work. War for the Planet of the Apes is dark, exciting, funny (at times), and emotional — all of the ingredients you need to deliver the ultimate conclusion to such a beautifully-crafted trilogy.
Average We Live Film Gradebook Score for War for the Planet of the Apes: 9.7/10
*Keep checking back as more We Live Film fans see and review this film, we will be updating.
