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Declaration of war: Third film in ‘Apes’ trilogy arrives in theaters

By Tara Rack-Amber trackamber@heraldstandard.Com 3 min read
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The apes are back and this time it means war.

The latest installment of the “Planet of the Apes” franchise, “War for the Planet of the Apes” hits theaters this weekend.

After suffering immeasurable losses, Caesar (voiced by Andy Serkis, “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Prestige”) starts to battle his inner demons and picks up his own quest to avenge his brothers and sisters.

He and his group come up against an army of humans lead by the relentless Colonel (Woody Harrelson, “No Country for Old Men” and “Zombieland”). Now, the battle will wage on to determine the fate of not only both species but the world.

Early critical reviews of the film have been pretty mixed given that this film will be the third in the newly re-booted trilogy.

Tony Libera, a reviewer for CityPages.com, said that after Caesar breaks, the movie takes a turn.

“From here, ‘War’ plays out like a combination of road movie, ‘Spartacus,’ and a Shakespearean tragedy, with another layer of complexity wrapped around Caesar, a character whose arc over the course of these three movies solidifies him as one of the great movie heroes,” he wrote.

According to Variety’s Chief Film Critic, Peter Debruge even though the film is composed beautifully, it does fall short in one aspect.

“As in episodes one through three of the ‘Star Wars’ franchise, Reeves is operating in revisionist-prequel mode, filling in the calamitous backstory that leads to a depressing present reality – except that in this case, he’s less concerned with mythology, approaching this chapter as an elaborate homage to such manly classics as “The Great Escape,” “The Bridge on the River Kwai” and “Apocalypse Now,” starring Monkeys.

For better or worse, the result is the most impressive andromorphic-animal adventure since “Chicken Run” — although impressiveness alone does not a good movie make,” he wrote.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” is rated PG-13.

Other films arriving in theaters this weekend include:

n “Wish Upon” starring Sherilyn Fenn, Joey King and Elisabeth Rohm and directed by John R. Leonetti in this horror film about a teen girl who finds a magical box that has the powers to grant her wishes. The only catch is there is a deadly price that must be paid with each wish.

The film is rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic elements and language.

n ” The Midwife” starring Catherine Deneuve, Catherine Frot and Oliver Gourmet and directed by Martin Provost in this dramatic film about a midwife who receives news from her father’s old mistress.

The film is currently unrated.

N “Swallows & Amazons” starring Kelly Macdonald, Andrew Scott and Rafe Spall and directed by Philippa Lowthrope in this family adventure about a group of children on vacation who sail to their own island where they begin a war with other children.

The film is not currently rated.

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