‘War’ is a dark affair for the right reasons

This summer, audiences seem to be suffering from franchise overload. “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Cars” and “Transformers” have all shown diminished returns so far in 2017. Part of the reason is perhaps that many of these films did not seem to have a definitive narrative arc that has carried them over several pictures; they merely spun along in episodic fashion held together by just the slightest of threads.

Not so with “Planet of the Apes.” Unwieldy, confusing titles aside (Why is ‘Rise’ before ‘Dawn’? How early do these damn apes get up?), the “Apes” series has marched forcefully and with gaining momentum to its conclusion, “War for the Planet of the Apes.”

When “Rise” rose in 2011, it was technologically groundbreaking in its motion-capture effects, but more importantly, it had an emotional core that resonated with audiences, anchored by the performance of Andy Serkis as the preternaturally intelligent chimp Caesar. “Dawn” followed three years later, giving audiences an expansion on its mythology, while tackling social ills and unafraid to head down darker avenues of its narrative.

With “War,” not only does the series manage to carry out Caesar’s odyssey with care and respect, but director Matt Reeves culminates the tale into a riveting (anti-) war film, filled with visual dazzle, technological leaps and a serious, satisfying conclusion to the entire series. After an opening skirmish between the apes (who are now holed up in a wooded compound) and human soldiers, Caesar is trying to maintain order so they can exist peacefully on their own, but he soon gets word that a deranged Colonel (played by Woody Harrelson) has broken ranks and wants to demolish the apes in order for humans to survive.

Caesar sets out to confront the Colonel on his own, but is soon joined by his simian counterparts - chimpanzee Rocket, gorilla Luca, and gentle orangutan Maurice - who don’t want Caesar to go it alone. In their travels, they befriend a solitary chimp who is also capable of speech and is only known as Bad Ape. The character is voiced by Steve Zahn, who offers welcome levity.

Harrelson, who really only shows up in the film’s third act, provides the story with a complex, conflicted antagonist, straight out of a Joseph Conrad novel, but it is Sirkis’ work as Caesar, and the team of technical geniuses who provide his primate face that are the true marvels here. Caesar is not merely a string of digital ones and zeros, but a soulful, compassionate character whose performance rivals those created with flesh, blood and muscle.

“War” is a dark affair, but for all the right reasons. It’s equal turns thrilling, heartbreaking, and ultimately, satisfying. It’s a fitting final note in a trilogy that managed to escalate for all the right reasons, but still kept its vision focused. It is a lesson to all those who carry successful films to multi-picture deals in how to cultivate a cinematic world that expands without becoming unwieldy and without sacrificing intelligence or heart.