War for the Planet of the Apes

There's never a moment when the humans are seen as the good guys here, and that's probably as much as anything else an emblem of the quality of this work. This franchise really is on a winning streak; it may be the best reboot out there, and here it delivers yet another entry that's not just an action extravaganza loaded with special effects, but also a drama that is at times as thoughtful as any Oscar-bait costume piece. And then again, the film is also admirably devoted to injecting a certain amount of comic relief throughout, too. And on top of that, there's the hoot of watching Woody Harrelson channeling Brando in a big way. (This movie wears its antecedents on its sleeve--not just the series' previous entries, but inspirations such as Apocalypse Now and even the Bible.) Plus the direction, art direction, and overarching imagination are terrific. Add to all that the continuing wonder that is Andy Serkis as a motion-capture actor, and you wind up with an excellent movie-watching experience. It's 'see good, hear good, speak good' with these monkeys.