Post-Viewing: How the new Planet of the Apes sets the standard for doing reboots right

War of the Planet of the Apes recently released worldwide and it stands as the best film not only of its trilogy but also 2017 in general. When you put the three together; Rise, Dawn and War, you have a smashing success both critically and commercially, something rarely seen in a modern film scene chock full of sequels and remakes. Why does the new Apes series stand out? How is it able to stand alongside its older inspiration without being in its shadow? I’ll try to summarise things here, starting just after the turn of the millennium.

The 2001 Tim Burton re-imagining may have brought a lot of attention in the lead-up to release thanks to strong marketing, but it ended being too strange and too random to really make an impression. The ridiculous ending with apes dressed in modern day police outfits probably didn’t help either. Sometime after the 2001 version came and went, Rupert Wyatt came up with the idea to reintroduce people to the series the same way Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins in 2005; a film that would wash away the bad taste of a previous effort while also tying in to the original 1968 classic with a prequel story. From the offset, the right mindset was carried into the series; the understanding that the older film can never be topped.

Putting all three films back-to-back reveals how they fit together and complement each-other and this I think is done in several ways. Be warned as I''m spoiling quite a bit of the series here.

1. The gradual shift from humans to apes as the main protagonists

The transfer of roles is a massive contributor to the themes in the rebooted series and as it goes on, you see the overall perspective change. Rise is very much focused on humans and our mishandling of science and ethics with James Franco’s Dr Will Rodman at its centre. It feels relatable to our own society, with the intrusion of corporate businessmen who demand results and profits at the cost of careful consideration. Dawn mostly plays it half and half; you have Caesar’s tribe in the woods and the surviving humans still living in the city ruins, desperate to restore power but also teetering on the edge of full-blown anarchy. The glimpses of humanity are very brief here. By the time War released this year the series has completely switched to the other side of the spectrum, with Caesar and the apes as the protagonists. The film sees fit to create a huge disconnect with the humans of the film, representing them (and indeed our worst characteristics) with a grim, unflinching viewpoint; it piles on so thick that many will root against the humans. The way the series moves characters and their roles from one side of the narrative to the other not only reinforces the themes of race and human nature but it also fuels Caesar’s personal journey from lowly test subject to a powerful leader, immersing the audience even more.

2. The endings of each film tying into the next one while also having individual plots that stand on their own

Many franchises nowadays expect to be treated like franchises, laying down a fairly blatant teaser to bait audiences into seeing the next one without really offering a compelling narrative on their own; this holds true for the likes of The Mummy earlier this year and Fant4stic in 2015. But the rebooted Apes franchise not only delivers enticing threads to follow but also offers strong character bonds that really set each of the three films apart. Rise is the closest to our own reality, with a few bad apples among our species that end up exacerbating things for both sides of the struggle; the Apes breaking out from their captivity and causing chaos across San Francisco is a thrilling climax that sets the sequels in motion. On top of that, the film ends with what is easily one of the best cliff-hangers I’ve seen from a modern film; upon turning up for work, a commercial air pilot catches a symptom of the Simian flu, but instead of seeking help he dismisses it and goes on with his work. A darkly foreboding music track steals in as the flight paths chart out an infection vector that quickly spreads worldwide. It’s rather scary when you think about it; in our connected, globalised world, an untreatable disease could spread very quickly without proper quarantine measures. The way the film creates such a high anticipation for the next entry is very skilful, relying on visual and audio cues rather than shock value or graphic violence.

Dawn is based in the realm of unease and rising tension and as a middle chapter, it’s difficult to tell which way things will swing. Perspective is an incredibly important theme here, with the vengeful Koba filled with rage over what was done to him by the humans. All it takes is one spark to set off a chain of events and Koba does, rebelling against Caesar and allowing his hatred of humans to take control. Again like Rise it also lays the foundations for a sequel very well. After being forced to kill one of his own, Caesar faces up to the prospect that war is inevitably coming and there is nothing they can do to stop it, despite Koba’s demise. Much like its predecessor it’s a cynical ending but as I mentioned above, the series steps towards making Caesar and the Apes the main protagonists fluidly. The series ultimately obtains a flow from one film to the next that few of its contemporaries can claim to match.

3. Making use of modern tech to make a similar impact to the original

Planet of the Apes in 1968 was singled out for its great make-up effects; physical make-up artist John Chambers was nominated for an academy award in 1969 and even today the older film still stands as a major showcase. As Tom Burman, another artist who worked on the original put it: “Planet of the Apes was the turning point for make-up. The studios didn’t realize you could make a movie around wonderful characters, and put make-ups on big actors like this. It changed the telling of the stories.” When it came to producing the reboot series, again the filmmakers made the wise decision to not copy the original’s effects and instead make their own mark. To do this, they turned to WETA studios, known for their work on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings King Kong and Avatar in the 2000s. From 2010 onwards, the technology had improved tremendously and the studio was able to take full advantage of the motion capture suit. According to an article from TechRadar, 53 separate markers were used on each person to create and articulate every facial and body movement; these were then animated with multiple layers to create all the delicate details while also blending it with the live action performances. The results are on display everywhere in all three films, a masterful use of special effects that stands on its own while also channelling the same care and attention that went into the 1968 classic.

As you can tell, I can’t recommend the rebooted Apes series enough at this point; over the course of six years it has had a monumental amount of effort put into its production, thanks to great direction, thoughtful themes and pitch-perfect motion capture work make it one of the best modern blockbusters ever produced.

(Images used for the purposes of review and criticism under fair use)