War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) is the final tale of the new trilogy. If you haven't had to chance to watch Rise or Dawn, this would be the time to do it and then go see War for the Planet of the Apes.

Cesar (Andy Serkis) and his kind are in the forest after the aftermath of the last film and just want to be left alone. A military group keeps invading the forest trying to find and kill Cesar. When one final raid by humans results in more deaths, Cesar decides to send all the apes to a safe place and he will deal with the military and the Colonel (Woody Harrelson).

I can't go much further in the description without spoilers. I don't want to spoil anyone with this movie. It should be experienced as a fresh new adaptation. I may do a spoiler review in about a week so we can discuss how this parallels to another story that is very similar.

I have to say that this is probably the best out of the three Ape films so far. Each movie was good on its own and then improved with the next one. By the third film we all know Cesar and what he can do...not just speak, but be wise, be empathetic and try to do the right thing. When all that goes out the window, Cesar is driven by vengeance. It is a testament to director and writer Matt Reeves to be able to produce such great story telling to the point where you care more about these apes then their human counter parts.

Beyond the story, the special effects are tremendous. At no time are you looking at the screen thinking these are CGI characters. You can see each individual hair, wrinkle and emotion from the apes. Each ape has their own characteristic that makes them unique and that goes a long way for us, the audience, to feel and route for them in the end. Not only should Andy Serkis be nominated for an Academy Award (like he should have been the last movie), but if this movie doesn't win for best special effects, there is something seriously wrong with the academy.

This is a great wrap up to the trilogy but there is now talk about moving this forward. I'm not sure where they could go with this but there is an entire planet of apes that could make for good story telling...especially if they go back to the original story with Charlton Heston. That would be for another article...maybe the spoiler review can go over some of the options for a follow up movie.

If you liked the first two movies, this one is a must see! This one is PG-13 for lots of explosions and violence...'War' is in the title, so go figure. There is some language so probably not great for kids under 12. In an age of all Super Hero movies (which I love) it is great to get something different within the sci-fi realm. Go see War for the Planet of the Apes!