The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

In 2011, when the first of what was to become a trilogy reboot-prequel of Planet of the Apes hit cinemas, no one expected that, 6 years and $1.5 billion later, we’d be looking back at the series and hailing it. After all, Tim Burton’s straight 2001 reboot did little to inspire.

But alas, here we are with the release of War for the Planet of the Apes – a film that carried the pressure of living up to Rise and Dawn. But like its predecessors, chapter three is a surprisingly thrilling ride, as we see the struggle between the hyper-intelligent apes and the remaining human colonies reach boiling point.

Andy Serkis once again takes on the role of Caesar (who else could?) and Woody Harrelson is his opposing number in his role as an iron-fisted paramilitary leader who’s hell-bent on wiping out his hairy adversaries.

As a stand-alone film, it’s all pretty straightforward; as a natural continuation of the previous two films, the path from the very start of the film leads to a final confrontation of sorts – but it does this exceedingly well. Prequels, in theory, can be quite tricky; how do you maintain excitement and interest in a story whose end you already know?

Well, War does this in several ways, the most important of which is in the fact that it really ups the stakes at every turn. We know that a war is coming, but it plays on very human fears; this battle isn’t stuck in the physical act of war and manages to play with other related issues. There are attempts of diplomacy; it alludes to the idea that war is greed; it explores the notion of coexistence. 

This depth has been earned across all three films; this is not the kitschy affair that Tim Burton’s vision was – this is a very series drama and the fact that the series has managed to reach this with the basic concept of talking apes is remarkable. It’s also owed to the masterfully crafted journey of Caesar; we’ve seen him go from a ‘special’ ape who is scorned for following his animal instincts in protecting one of his keepers, to the leader of a revolution who is weathered by the human concepts that he’s been forced to consider.

There’s drama, there’s action, there’s death, there’s triumph, there’s regret, there’s betrayal – and there’s a yearning for more. Though the producers have been vague about the possibility of a fourth chapter, there is a demand. The film rarely gives you a solid idea of what’s happening outside of the physical space of its events, in the wider world. The original 1968 begins with a fully-functioning, dominant, complex ape society – something that would surely be worth exploring the beginnings of.