The current Apes incarnation is one of the smartest, savviest major franchises going right now. Consequently, considering the modern moviegoing public - it is also one of the least commercially successful of said franchises. WAR has gotten superb reviews and largely favorable reaction from fans. And, of course, fell relatively flat with the larger moviegoing public with the lowest opening weekend of any Apes entry since BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES in 1973!! (inflation adjusted)

Be that as it may, WAR is a fine solid finale to this intended trilogy (but will Fox let it go?). Director Matt Reeves (DAWN OF POTA) again shows his abiltiy to navigate between large spectacle and intimate moments. The special effects are again quite convincing (the only little niggle is the movement of the apes on horseback, still something a bit jerky), and all of the tech elements are solid. I have not been the biggest fan of Michael Giacchino's music outside Pixar, but, this is a terrific score.

Andy Serkis and his fellow motion capture actors and techs do great work. Indeed, one of the biggest achievements in this series (particularly DAWN & WAR), is that the story focus is squarely with the Apes and not the humans. Certainly, the original POTA series also became increasingly Ape-centric, but, the modern SFX give an extra level of verisimilitude over the original entries. You truly believe they are organic beings. Steve Zahn's Bad Ape is an amusing addition, even if the monkey shines got a bit much at times. Other than the mute little girl (Nova - cute touch; especially for me - a former driver of two Chevy Novas!), the only other real human character is Woody Harrelson's The Colonel. Harrelson again displays why he is one of the most underutilized actors in American cinema. Yes, we know he is considered a bit flaky, but, he deserves many more prominent leading parts. The Apocalypse Now symbolism was welcome if overplayed (did we really need to see the words graffitied on a wall - and, repeatedly shown? You either get the references or you don't), and Harrelson gives his own unique spin to his Kurtz.

My only major critique of WAR is that it plays more as a continuation of DAWN than it does as a stand-alone sequel (somewhat akin to the two-part Potter and Hunger Games finales). While there certainly are unique events and sequences, there isn't enough of an arc to make this a great film in and of itself - certainly not enough to justify a 140 minute running time. One could argue that more ground was covered in RISE than the two sequels combined (and it ran only 105 minutes). It's a relatively minor critique, but, there were some dull moments and a feeling of drawing things out as if to make it an epic by virtue of length alone.

Quibbles aside, WAR is a worthy ending to the modern Apes saga. Definitely enough to vanquish the few remaining memories of the Marky Mark/Tim Burton atrocity. I hope Reeves and his other collaborators hold firm on their belief that this chapter is over. Why not go out on top?