Battle for the Planet of the Apes is exactly what you expect to happen when a movie franchise isn't allowed to come to an end with dignity, grace, and at the right time. The proverbial horse has been flogged, left to rot, picked at by vultures, lost to the sands of time, and now archaeologists have uncovered what's left of its fossilised remains. Not only is it a terrible movie, it's a horrible way for such a ground-breaking franchise to end. Granted there has been a gradual decline since the first movie, but it really feels like we fell off a cliff with this one. Although the opposite has to be said about the make-up effects, which were brilliant to begin with and have only gotten better with each subsequent movie.
Unsurprisingly, Roddy McDowall continues to be the shining light of the franchise - more so than ever in this rather sub-par entry. His performance as Caesar is excellent. Seeing the son of Zira and Cornelius struggle to protect his people - from each other as much as anyone else - whilst also fighting for equality between apes and humans is quite admirable. Not to mention relevant. Even today we could learn a thing or two from him. It's just a shame that this struggle within his own camp - which is better explored in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes - is a mere subplot to the inevitable battle between the apes and the humans from the ruined city. Who, I might add, are already starting to dress like the bomb worshipping mutants from Beneath - well, their hats look similar, anyway. Maybe the high levels of radiation have caused all the hats to degrade in the same way.
Speaking of tailoring, how is it that after only 20 years the apes are already dressing like their descendants that Taylor encounters thousands of years in the future? Undoubtedly this was a decision based more on budget than anything else. And lets not forget that all of the apes can (inexplicably) now speak fluent English, and have segregated into the societal roles seen in earlier movies. On that note; is it just me, or does someone involved in making this franchise have a problem with gorillas?
I will say that the look of the city ruins is pretty good, which helps to make Caesar's infiltration of the city quite intriguing. Especially when it comes to the anticipation of what he and his friends might find there. Obviously this is what causes the "Battle", which unfortunately looks rather cheap and ridiculous. Put it this way, I'm not sure how keen I'd be to drive a car - not an armoured military vehicle, a regular car - towards a bunch of people with guns, especially if they're shooting at me. However, I would be more than happy to drive in the opposite direction. There is a little twist that follows the humans' advance on Ape City, but you can see it coming a mile off. I could get past the ridiculousness if it was fun and exciting, but it's actually fairly dull. And all it really does is get in the way of the more interesting story of the in-fighting within Caesar's camp. Definitely not the end I wanted for such an incredible franchise!
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