War for the Planet of the Apes: Hail Caesar!
You are here: Home / DVD / War for the Planet of the Apes: Hail Caesar!
Directed again by Matt Reeves, War for the Planet of the Apes picking up 2 years after the events of Dawn and shows that the battle between humans and apes has escalated tremendously. With multiple casualties on both sides, Caesar (Andy Serkis) is determined to free ape-kind from the attacks of the humans’ relentless military leader Colonel McCullough (Woody Harrelson). After a human raid on the ape compound ends in tragedy, an enraged Caesar sends his colony away and opts to seek revenge on the Colonel himself.
What has made these most recent entries into the Apes franchise so special has been their heavy emphasis on character. Through his portrayal of Caesar, Andy Serkis isn’t just compelling as the Ape leader, he practically leaps off the screen as one of the more complex and, yes, ‘human’ characters in a franchise in the last two decades. More than a mere sympathetic character, director Reeves portrays Caesar as broken leader, torn between two worlds. Despite the fact that he was raised by humans, he isn’t one. What’s more, he doesn’t fit in with his fellow apes due to his human upbringing. There is a tension within Caesar that seems to bring conflict into every decision he makes. Will he succumb to his baser instincts? Will he seek a path that will cause tension with his own kind?
War puts the conflict within Caesar on full display, as he wrestles with obsession and revenge. Having endured incredible personal losses, Caesar’s battle with his inner demons takes on a visceral edge as he slowly slides into potential savagery. Anchored by his visions of Koba, the treacherous ape who led a rebellion in Dawn, Caesar’s desire for peace gradually gives way to his desire to kill. (In fact, there is even one particular dream sequence that plays out similar to Christ’s experience in the wilderness, with Koba’s voice inviting Caesar to give in to temptation and unleash his hatred.) While Caesar’s life has been touched by grace through his human friends, the scars of war, hurt and hatred left by others prevents him from fully living.
In the end, the power of this latest batch of Apes films lies in the audience’s relationship with Caesar. Each film leaves with the question of whether we need a Caesar or whether or not we are Caesar. His courage and love remain Christ-like at times, yet his brokenness and angst mirrors so much of our own. With War wrapping up Caesar’s journey, Reeves believes that there are many more stories to tell about this iteration of Apes moving forward. Still, regardless of where this franchise goes, the impact of Serkis’ Caesar will undoubtedly echo throughout the future.
After all, the life of any good ‘Moses’ would do the same.