War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

... or when, paraphrasing a Romanian saying, starts to feel normal to take the side of the bear :) (well, in this case the ape). In the third part of the re-reboot of the story based on Pierre Boule's writings, the humans seem to have gained again the dominance on Earth. The apes are seen as a danger and the simple goal of Caesar, still leading them, is just keeping his folk alive. The best option seems to be crossing a desert that'll put enough distance between what's left of the apes and what's left of US Army. Unfortunately, just before leaving, Caesar's eldest son is killed by a fanatic colonel (excellent acting by Woody Harrelson), which makes Caesar experience a human feeling = the need for revenge. So, he sends his group to the chosen destination, while he picks the opposite direction in a guerilla operation with a sole precise purpose: kill the evil colonel. And that's how we slowly get to the part where Caesar can compete with John McClane, being clearly the most "Die Hard" ape ever to star in a movie.

Leaving the joke aside, despite some exaggerations, the movie is ok overall. We have some context elements that unfold along the main story, gaining enough importance to the end, and which I believe might be inspired from the original writings = on one side we have apes decided to work as "donkeys" = servants for humans, and on the other side humans are getting affected by a virus seemingly cutting off cognitive capacities, starting with the ability to form words in speech. I won't spoil more... Already said enough.

At a quick round-up, I think the second part - the former one still remains better as story, development and even technical level. Besides that, if you ignore the feeling of the moment and take a couple days from the date you've watched the movie, the current story really seems giving the sensation of taking the bear side :) Maybe this is valid also for the previous movies, but there is kept at a normal level, here I think it's pushed a bit too far = all humans are evil, all apes are good (light spoiler: even evil ones turn good). Might be true or not, feels strange :) ...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)

I'm sorry that I didn't write about "DotPotA" ( that's a strange acronym :) ) two weeks ago when I've seen it. But I really didn't have the time. I still don't, but if I wait longer it'll fly away completely from my head. So, better a short entry, than nothing ;) ...

From the first movie I remember the VFX, which were outstanding at the time. As story was ok, but nothing unexpected or very impressive. The second movie resumes the action at some years after the first ended, when humanity was decimated by an ape flu. Caesar (the "alpha" chimp in the first part) established his own kingdom, ruling with a semi-democracy, having as one base rule "apes don't kill apes". The problems start when the extinct humanity is apparently not that extinct ... More precisely, a small group of survivors enters the ape territory with the intention to fix a hydraulic plant. Without this the future seems dark & gloomy (non-figuratively), despite the flu immunity that the larger community who sent the small group seems to possess. What's next, you'll see ...

I said I'm gonna be short. I will give only one "spoiler". For quite some time in the movie you have the impression that ... ok, what I see is a decent story, but I know how's gonna develop and what will be the end. At some point I've even got to making connections with "Lion King" = you see it coming from far for the main evil character. However, what the trailer below doesn't give (and I'm not gonna say) is how the conflict actually starts, how it evolves, and how the rest of characters split between good and evil ... If you can define good/evil, because at some point, the movie has the merit to leave aside the commercial aspect of taking sides, and to notice something valid for any conflict - there's not much place left for good ...

Rating: 4 out of 5 ( because overall was nice, better than the first, and I'm in a good mood ;) )