Two years on from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the relationship between man and ape is in a state of disrepair. Caesar, the formidable Ape King played by Andy Serkis, is struggling to hold his simian clan together while Woody Harrelson’s straight-laced Colonel has assembled a human army to wipe out the apes once and for all and, by effect, re-establish humanity’s status as Earth’s dominant species.
There’s a storm brewing, then, and after piquing our collective curiosity with yesterday’s all-too-brief teaser, we now have the full War For The Planet Of The Apes trailer for you to enjoy. Dialing the blockbuster action up to 11, this is arguably our best look at the Matt Reeves-directed sequel to date, as we see Caesar gearing up to avenge his fallen allies. For all of the spectacle on display here, we’re more intrigued to learn about the ways in which the sequel handles the big, philosophical questions about the world and humanity’s place in it. It’s these moments – coupled with Andy Serkis’ mesmerizing turn in the mocap suit – that helped fire Rise and Dawn to box office stardom, and Fox will be holding out hope that War can do the same in a few months’ time.
Also starring Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, and Terry Notary, as previously reported, War For the Planet of the Apes will harken back to the original classics. One of the more overt reference points is Amiah Miller’s Nova, a character played by Linda Harrison across the original Planet of the Apes films. Bearing in mind that Fox’s lucrative Apes franchise is angled as a prequel, it’ll be interesting to see how Reeves and Co. dovetail their narrative with the overarching series when Caesar and the Colonel wage war this summer.
For freedom. For family. For the planet. War For the Planet of the Apes roars to life on July 14th.
