This is the third chapter of the acclaimed Planet of the Apes franchise. Matt Reeves directs and this episode that is nice on the eyes to watch. Enough activity to keep your interest and story line that moves along at a good pace for a two hour twenty minute movie.

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his apes are goaded into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a devious, head-strong Colonel (Woody Harrelson). Caesar tangles with his inner, dark instincts and comes to grips with his own mythical stature avenging his own kind. He comes face to face with the Colonel as bitter challengers in a battle that will determine the fate of both species. Ape versus Man and the future of the planet.

Really impressive is Steve Zahn playing Bad Ape. Also in the cast are: Amiah Miller, Judy Greer, Aleks Paunovic, Karin Konoval, Toby Kebbell and Michael Adamthwaite.

First thing off the bat, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' and 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes' were thoroughly enjoyable films, more so than expected them to be, though they were not quite masterpieces. 'Rise' was exceptionally well made and very entertaining, provoked thought and had heart. 'Dawn' had a bigger and bolder approach and delivered just as much, if not more so, on the brains and heart.

So naturally, expectations for 'War for the Planet of the Apes' were quite large. Unfortunately, despite really wanting to like it (have never watched a panned film expecting to hate it or an acclaimed expecting to love it, regardless of the general consensus, always thinking for myself and always try to be respectful and perceptive), 'War for the Planet of the Apes' was a disappointment. It is a long way from a terrible film, and is not deserving of the 1/10 ratings it's garnered (it's a 4 at least), that implies that there are no redeeming qualities at all that coming from a subjective person that is further from the truth, but out of the 2010's rebooted 'Planet of the Apes' trilogy it's the weakest by quite some way.

There are a number of things to admire about 'War for the Planet of the Apes'. The best things about it are the production values and the design and characterisation of the apes. Simply put, the production values all round are exceptional. Once again the cinematography and lighting are of great beauty and the scenery is strikingly atmospheric. It's the special effects and make-up that deserve the most praise, that the apes look so real and that it is hard to believe they were made with a mix of motion-capture and CGI key frame is once again testament to how good they look. Characterisation for them is every bit as incredible. When they communicate they don't need to say much and it is the most nuanced the film gets, when saying or doing little (as little as a glance or a gesture) it still feels like they're saying a lot.

Just as good is the character and performance of Caesar. He has always been a hugely relatable and complex character and is much more compelling than any of the human characters here. One really roots for him, he is impeccably designed and remarkably nuanced in how he moves and communicates and he actually feels like a real character. One cannot talk about the film and not mention Andy Serkis, the man very rarely fails to amaze me and he gives an intensely moving portrayal of Caesar, definitely deserving of award recognition.

A few of the action sequences are thrilling with much visceral tension in the best moments. The first 15-20 minutes are remarkably promising and highly suggestive of it being a good film. Although very closely indebted seemingly to Colonel Kurtz from 'Apocalypse Now', Woody Harrelson gives it his all and fares well compared to the rest of the human cast.

On the other hand, the human characters are nowhere near as well-written or compelling as the apes. Many are underwritten to the point of banality, underused and some add little to nothing to the story (especially the little girl). Harrelson aside, the acting from the humans isn't so hot either, the little girl is really annoying and very overwrought.

The script is also very messy, lacking the intelligent simplicity and nuance of the previous two films, and instead resorting to awkwardness and cheesiness. The story started off promisingly but went down the plug fast. The pacing became incredibly dull and stayed that way for most of the film, seriously struggling to sustain the overlong running time, and is filled with crass and gratuitous graphic violence, cartoonish villainy that has more cheese than threat, a strong lack of emotional core and tension, nothing to drive the story forward and a general lack of cohesion. Things feel very rushed, leaden and confused in the final act.

Matt Reeves did a great job directing 'Dawn...'. Here one really questions what happened and whether it really is the same guy. His direction here is overblown and lethargic, things that he very cleverly avoided previously. 'War...' is big on the spectacle and looks mighty impressive, but is one of those big and noisy films that forgets to properly tell a story or do anything with most of the characters. It also feels heavy-handed in its portrayal of fascism and slavery. One gets what the war of the title is referring to, but with only the characterisation of the apes working the tension and conflict just doesn't work.

All in all, looks amazing but not the sort of film that makes one think or treat its audience with respect and it is severely lacking in heart and soul. 5/10 Bethany Cox

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES is the third of this lacklustre trilogy of revamps and hopefully the last. You're better off sticking with the originals, because the only thing good about these films is the calibre of the special effects; unsurprisingly they're better than ever this time around, and you don't question any of the simians for a moment. Sadly, the trade-off comes in the sloppy writing and random focusing on silly sentimentality, with the momentum often grinding to a halt to deliver one excruciating tear-jerking moment after another. It's silly and embarrassing, sitting ill at ease with the pantomime action found elsewhere in the movie.