War for the Planet of the Apes
In retrospect, maybe we shouldn’t be surprised that Planet of the Apes evolved into Hollywood’s most thought-provoking franchise. Sure, it features apes that ride horses and shoot machine guns, sometimes simultaneously. But the 1968 original turned its fantastical concept into a lightly satirical allegory about racism, nuclear conflict and the (then still-hot) creation-evolution debate. Political commentary is a fundamental component of the series.
Miraculously, 20th Century Fox’s reboot — at first glance, an obvious and unnecessary cash grab — kept that spirit intact. 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes buried a cautionary message about animal rights and scientific hubris in its origin story. Dawn explored the difficulty of maintaining peace between competing groups (interpreted by some as a reference to Israel and Palestine) and presented a case for gun control that even extended to the promotional material.
Last but far from least is War for the Planet of the Apes. Matt Reeves’s 140-minute epic isn’t the only 2017 tale revolving around simians that alludes to Apocalypse Now (this year also gave us Kong: Skull Island and Legends of Tomorrow’s “Welcome to the Jungle” episode). But it is the only one that also alludes copiously to the Bible, and it’s the best.
Instead of creating a veneer of seriousness, the references illuminate the film’s underlying concerns, which are timeless yet feel current. How can sentient beings survive? Why do we survive? What are we willing to sacrifice? Not long ago, these questions might have made for a heated theoretical debate. Now, as nations increasingly seclude themselves in the name of survival, they hold the key to our future.
Plus, War has an ironic use of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a flag-burning, because subtlety is overrated.