With Early Reviews gushing about the emotional impact and strength of the action scenes in the film and director Matt Reeves discussing his desire to ‘Make a David Lean Ape Movie,’ War For The Planet of the Apes is shaping up to be the blockbuster to see this summer. I’ve long championed the Planet of the Apes reboot films. The second of the reboots, Dawn of the Planet of the Ape , was stunning and the new one seems poised to surpass it. It’s impossible to talk about the films without discussing the technological achievement of creating the Ape protagonists. It is the seamless union of motion technicians and the actors portraying the Apes that makes the emotional experience of these non-human characters resonate with the audience.
20th Century Fox just released a new featurette showcasing the work by Weta Digital and actor Andy Serkis.
The video shows Andy Serkis performing an in-character monologue and slowly transforming into the Ape hero Caesar.
The text of the speech, which is reportedly not in the film, is:
“It is my hope that out of this solemn occasion, a better world will emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past. A world found upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice.”
Serkis first portrayed an ape character way back in 2005 in Peter Jackson’s King Kong , following his landmark performance as Smeagol in Lord of the Rings. In this film, like those, his acting is supplemented by Weta’s effect work.
While Serkis’ work has always been stunning, Weta has only been upping their game over the years, especially in each of these Ape movies. The footage from the new film represents such a leap that it is easy to forget these characters were built digitally. If this film lives up to the hype, it will be due, in no small part, to the actors playing Apes and Weta’s work. War for the Planet of the Apes opens on July 14th, you can read the official synopsis below:
“In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.”
