The re-rebooting of the Planet of the Apes series is the best thing to happen to sci-fi dorks since Christopher Nolan rescued Batman or J.J. Abrams got into the Star Trek and Star Wars salvage business. However edifying those films were, they were essentially there to restore first principles, and reclaim the titles in question from irresponsible minders (and/or creators).
The same could be said of the Apes franchise. And not just because of Tim Burton’s baffling 2001 Planet of the Apes reboot (the bemused semi-enjoyment of which remains one of the loneliest experiences of my moviegoing life). Long before that, Planet of the Apes v.1 was defiled by four increasingly schlocky sequels. The first two new-new Ape-scapes—Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)—were allowed to reimagine the prehistory of the original, and to repurpose the central metaphorical engine of the entire project to better correspond to the ongoing, real-life nightmare that is the decline of the human race. The latest installment, War for the Planet of the Apes, doubles down on the “Hey, stupid, this might look like the future, but it’s really about the present” vibe, for an effect that is exactly equal parts engaging and disappointing.