by Billy Russell, Staff Writer

2011’s reboot of the Planet of the Apes movies represents everything that I should hate in movies, particularly in summer blockbuster releases laden with CGI. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the second remake of a classic film. After 2001’s Tim Burton-helmed disaster, I don’t believe there were very many people going into this thing with high hopes.

Against all odds, I remember seeing the movie at the time—and, hell, ten years ago, I think I rented it from Redbox—and being pleasantly surprised. Heck, more than that, I remember that it set itself up for a sequel, which ordinarily makes me roll my eyes, and being like, “Okay, let’s see what this series has got!”

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Rise is not the series at its best. It gets better. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes takes the basic premise set up by its predecessor, fleshes it out, adds considerable emotional depth and makes a damn good movie out of another situation that seemed unwinnable for a movie to be in: The sequel to a second remake of a classic film.

But I was surprised, damn surprised, that they seemed to have saved the best for last. War for the Planet of the Apes is shockingly good. In a trilogy that is known for exploring darker themes, from genocide, to slavery, to science run amok, War ramps up its seriousness, but never too far, and makes for incredible viewing. It has no reason to be as good as it is.

War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

The modern Planet of the Apes trilogy is one of the best things to come of the summer blockbuster, reboot, CGI-laden, PG-13 action fiascos. And no one talks about it. Maybe because it’s not as quotable or a memeable as Lord of the Rings? Because it takes itself a bit too seriously at times? Whatever the reason, I think it will be a lasting quality that ages well. I think viewers decades from now will see one of the movies on TV, pause to watch, and see that the movies are much better than they had any right to be, especially much better than they remember them to be.

Rise was kicked off by Rupert Wyatt, and the other two entries (Dawn and War) were both directed by Matt Reeves. Rise is not my favorite of the series, but Wyatt does a great job, given a difficult task. He had to take the idea of a Planet of the Apes prequel and make it not only not stupid, but engaging and entertaining. He succeeds wildly. He explains the origins that are, frankly, better left unexplained, taking the beauty of the enigma and does something fun with it. He creates the embodiment of the ape uprising in the character of Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, and makes him sympathetic. Andy Serkis is no stranger to playing motion capture characters, and he always does an amazing job, but especially so here. Caesar is thrust into a role he wants no part of and suffers tremendous loss along the way.

If watching Rise of the Planet of the Apes feels slight today, it’s important to keep in mind what will come after. And it’s important to keep in mind how many things were working against this movie. That it succeeds is a triumph in its own right, that it succeeds as well as it does, I would write off as a fluke, or lightning in a bottle, but the series gets progressively better with each new entry, capping off the trilogy as a high-water mark, not just for the series, but for summer blockbusters in general.

These are the kinds of movies you watch and lament, “They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” but then you remember, these are recent, and they never made ‘em like this. The Hollywood system churns out enough dreck each year that it’s bound to get something right—three times, even.

At the climax of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, there is a vast, expensive-looking action sequence atop the Golden Gate Bridge. Expensive blockbusters love these kinds of scenes. They pad the runtime and give the audience what they came to see. But usually, this is around the time my butt starts getting sore and I start eyeing the exit, knowing the movie is coming to a close. I’m already checked out. But when a movie gets it right, when you care about what happens, something wonderful happens. You’re being thrilled. You have an emotional investment and there are characters who get hurt or die that you want to see win.  Think of the climax of The Road Warrior or Mad Max: Fury Road, where characters we grew to know and love have so much to win and lose, and we can feel it.

It doesn’t happen often, but when something like the new Planet of the Apes trilogy comes along, it’s a cause for celebration. I can’t believe it’s already been 10 years.