War For Planet of the Apes

I went into this movie assuming I wasn’t going to like it.  I grew up with the original movies from the sixties, which featured older technology and unrealistic looking apes; but were naively entertaining.  My idea of a talking ape is the famous Koko, the gentle giant who uses sign language to communicate.  Boy was I wrong!  This is one engrossing movie!  Andy Serkis deserves an academy award, if not for this performance, than for his body of work as a whole.  From “Lord of the Rings” to “King Kong” to the “Planet of the Apes” movies, Andy Serkis and his motion capture acting make these creations seem so real and life-like.  Not only does Andy Serkis give a great performance, but this movie in a not so subtle way touches on issues of slavery, forced labor, civil rights and what constitutes humanity.  This movie definitely won’t be for everyone.  There was too much killing and war effects for my taste, for instance.  The first half of the movie is rather slow, but the second half is definitely worth it and packs an emotional punch.  Also, this not a happy, fun movie.  I would say if you saw the previous two movies, you would definitely want to see it, and won’t be disappointed.