War is coming to the Planet of the Apes franchise this coming summer – quite literally – as 20th Century Fox unleashes the third instalment of its rebooted series, War for the Planet of the Apes. The film sees Andy Serkis reprising the role of Caesar as he leads the apes into an all-out battle for survival against the humans, led by Woody Harrelson’s The Colonel.
Fox released the first trailer for the threequel on Friday [watch it here, if you haven’t seen it], and here’s the initial thoughts from our writing team…
Matt Spencer-Skeen: After a week of teasers and trailers from all over the place you’d think we’d be sick by now but this has got me far more excited than anything else we’ve seen. Serkis has been great across this entire trilogy and Woody Harrelson might be able to deliver what Gary Oldman couldn’t quite do in the last film as a proper human foil to Caesar for us to properly root against.
Tai Freligh: Um, meh? Maybe it’s just been too long since the last movie came out, but I’m not very excited. Did this franchise really need to be rebooted? And are they really going to redo all, what, 9 or 12 movies? I’ll watch this on home video.
Martin Carr: Serkis remains the reason to watch this after his nuanced turn in the last film. Harrelson is always worth the admission for any film he features in and remains under rated in my opinion. However whether another Apes movie was necessary remains up for debate.
Ben Robins: Looks a little too similar to Dawn and that final line is atrocious (echoes of “what are we, some kind of Suicide Squad?”), but otherwise still very exciting stuff! Can’t help but feel they needed a bigger jump in between sequels though, considering the gap from Rise to Dawn and how effective it was.
Villordsutch: I’m with Martin here. If I didn’t see Harrelson this entire trailer would have been devoid of anything interesting. This already looks like the sort of film I’d probably catch, midway through, during a cold Sunday Afternoon. The first Apes was just bordering on okay, the second Apes film was empty and pointless and I can’t understand why this one has even been given the go ahead. The trailer did not entertain me at all.
James Garcia: I’m a huge fan of this new franchise, I think it has exceeded expectations on every turn and is FAR better than we ever expected a Planet of the Apes reboot to be. This being the third film has me a bit apprehensive, but I’m glad Matt Reeves is back in the director’s chair, and this looks like a solid follow-up to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. I’m not yet sold on Woody Harrelson in the Colonel role, and agree that that last line is a bit too on the nose. But everything else I’m seeing has me VERY excited.
Anghus Houvouras: Feels like a Copy/Paste of Dawn. Almost zero reaction to anything in the trailer. I suppose we should give it an ounce of credit for delivering on the title’s promise of “War” and “Apes”. Other than that zzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzz.
Andrew Newton: I’m not convinced. It seems no different than Dawn. Also, I’ve never understood why it’s called Planet of the Apes just because the apes have taken America. No mention is made of Britain or Australia of the hundreds of other places where apes couldn’t necessarily get to in large quantities.
Ricky Church: I think it was an OK trailer. Andy Serkis continues to be the main draw of this new series and the motion capture images look great, even better than in Rise and Dawn. I do agree though that it doesn’t seem much different in look and feel than Dawn, but I’m looking forward to how Woody Harrelson does as the antagonist. It’s got my interest, but hopefully it will actually deliver a good film that differentiates itself from its predecessors.
Mark Bartlett: This is probably the most underrated franchise out there. Serkis gives Caesar so much soul. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was the intelligent blockbuster we deserve, and while this doesn’t look like a radical departure; I think we owe Matt Reeves the benefit of the doubt.
Jake Peffer: First trailer for this is excellent. Shows just enough to make you want to see it but it doesn’t spoil much of the plot or all the best parts. Exactly how a trailer should be.
So, some mixed reactions from our writers to this trailer; be sure to let us know your own thoughts on our first look at War for the Planet of the Apes 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.
War for the Planet of the Apes is directed by Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and features a cast that includes Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Michael Adamthwaite, Gabriel Chavarria, Max Lloyd-Jones, Sara Canning, Amiah Miller, Aleks Paunovic and Chad Rook. It is set for release on July 14th 2017.
Originally published December 10, 2016. Updated November 30, 2022.
