War for the Planet of the Apes

Caesar is back, and trying to show his humanity. He wants to end the war with the humans and just be left alone. He emphasizes this in the opening scene by letting a few soldiers go, asking for truce. Obviously this doesn't work. The apes are hunted down while they are trying to escape to the desert and held prisoner by Woody Harrelson. So Caesar and his crew need to figure out a way to escape and protect the apes. What I found most disturbing: the slaughter of apes during warfare. Strange that I had a visceral reaction to this, but felt nothing about the same depiction of human soldiers dying in battle. What I found most annoying: obviously bad military tactics by supposed military tacticians. An entire convoy being followed by "the enemy" by only 100 yards, but not being spotted, or standing tall in a backlit area to "spy" on enemy encampments. Seems not too difficult to fix in script. What I found most enjoyable: Bad Ape. My first reaction was Jar-Jar Binks, but his was a good implementation of silly/clever humor. Excellent finish to the trilogy.

4 stars (out of 5)