War for the Planet of the Apes

[Leisher]

That title doesn't really roll off the tongue does it?

[GORDON]

I haven't been enjoying these movies, too depressing. Too much of being downers.

But then there is crazy Woody Harrelson, and suddenly I am interested again.

[Vince]

I haven't been enjoying these movies, too depressing. Too much of being downers.

But then there is crazy Woody Harrelson, and suddenly I am interested again.

I;m not sure how to make a series of movies about the decline of the human race uplifting

[GORDON]

The Charlton Heston original managed to do it.... he rode off with a hot woman who couldn't nag and maybe there was a new understanding between man and ape.

These.... are just a downward spiral. I've never rewatched the first two.

[Vince]

But the original wasn't about the demise of the human race. Unless you knew the premise going in, you didn't know the human race had almost been wiped out. And at that point in the arc of the story, it was more about the possible resurrection of the human race. If you go back and watch the original Conquest of The Planet of The Apes. it's also rather dark. And low budget and poorly written as well, but that's another issue.

[GORDON]

Yep, not arguing. Still saying these movies are too downer for me. They are bereft of hope.

[Vince]

Yep, not arguing. Still saying these movies are too downer for me. They are bereft of hope.

I'd agree with that. They are dark indeed. But I've liked them. They have been well done.

[Malcolm]

As an aside, monkeys are physically capable of speaking.

The real issue is that monkeys' brains do not have direct connections down to the neurons that control the larynx and the tongue, he says. What's more, monkeys don't have critical connections within the brain itself, between the auditory cortex and motor cortex, which makes them incapable of imitating what they hear in the way that humans do.

[Vince]

Wife an I watched this. Had some good comic relief with a new ape introduced. I really like how the creators of this have been very respectful of the original series. Or at least the original first movie. Guessing they are going to end the series here. I think they should, anyway. There is a satisfying sense of symmetry in it for me. If you've seen the other two, you need to go ahead and (probably) close it out with this one.

[GORDON]

Is it bleak?

[Vince]

Is it bleak?

In some ways, yes. In other ways, hopeful I think.

[Leisher]

Finally saw this and my biggest question is "Where are they getting all these humans?"

A lot of things go unresolved by the end, but it is an end.

It's a nice drama that's very human despite the humans.

However, I'm with Gordon that the entire series was a spiral downward. Plus, if you look at the cracks you find some big logic holes.

Good series, but not a great series.

[Vince]

Bad Ape was hilarious, though.

My biggest praise is that they seemed to pay homage to the original throughout. They managed to bring the series out of the 60's-70's without shitting all over the originals.

[Leisher]

I'm confused about the setting though.

Did this take place all over the world or was it just California?

[Vince]

I'm confused about the setting though.

Did this take place all over the world or was it just California?

Well, the initial pandemic was all over the world. IIRC, the first movie ended with the audio from news reports of the "simian flu" hitting all over. Franco's neighbor was about to get on a flight to Atlanta and he said he thought he was coming down with something and then the pandemic news reports started.

[GORDON]

IIRC the first movie ended showing how that pilot spread it all over the world.

[Leisher]

But what about the apes? Was it just the ones in Cali?

The fact that Cali was so central to the movie made me wonder.

[Vince]

But what about the apes? Was it just the ones in Cali?

The fact that Cali was so central to the movie made me wonder.

Ah... I think it was just the ones in Cali. If I recall, it was (by the end of the first movie) a virally spread gene therapy that impacted both apes and humans. So there might have been smaller troops in other areas where humans spread the virus to them, but Ceasar was making an effort to create as many as possible in the first movie in SanFran.

[GORDON]

Yeah. After that, it's a matter of infected apes exposing other populations of apes that were both released before the humans all died, and survived the first winter? Or possibly it even takes the aerosoled version of the virus to infect an ape?

At any rate, it seems to me that even if 20 years went by between the first movie and the last, you'd have, like, 500 apes, tops, and they aren't going to replenish combat losses. No way tanks and gunships can't deal with that. You might end up with an unwinnable guerrilla war (get it?) if the apes scatter and hide and breed, but come on. Half a battalion in open combat and they don't have opposable thumbs.

[Leisher]

If these are stand alone, fine. However, like Gordon points out, the timeline and the numbers of the apes don't really add up well if these are the prequels to the originals.

Still good movies, although quite depressing.