As the final trailer for War for the Planet of the Apes arrives, FANDOM is getting excited for what could be the film of the summer. From Woody Harrelson's performance to the competition it's up against, Kim and Chris share their thoughts on why this looks set to outstrip the rest.

Why War for the Planet of the Apes Looks Like the Best Summer Blockbuster

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The War for the Planet of the Apes trailer is here. In the third chapter of the critically acclaimed Apes franchise, starring Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. War for the Planet of the Apes hits theaters everywhere July 14, 2017.

War for the Planet of the Apes

In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the Apes franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.War for the Planet of the Apes opens on July 14, 2017.

'War for the Planet of the Apes' Trailer

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Clip from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

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Planet of the Apes is a franchise that has always had a surprising level of maturity and complexity to it, and that has been exceptionally displayed with the recent reboot films. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a great introduction to Caesar, the first ape to gain intelligence and rebel against humanity. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes opened the world up and showed us the beginnings of ape civilization and the downfall of humanity. Now, War for the Planet of the Apes concludes one part of the saga as Caesar must battle against a zealous Colonel and find a new home for his family. War for the Planet of the Apes is jaw-dropping. Its the first in the new series to be completely from the apes perspective and its about time. The only human characters - minus the mute child Nova who is basically one of the apes - are villains that offer the biggest and most personal threat to Caesar and his friends weve seen yet. It should be noted that War for the Planet of the Apes is dark. Not in a take me seriously way like other genre blockbusters, but in an emotional and textual way. This is a movie that gets to a core belief that stems all the way back to the original film: mankind is doomed and its their own damn fault. Its shocking to see a tentpole film deal with such a nihilistic concept, but its explored in such a fascinating way that it never feels maudlin or manipulative. So much of that is due to how compelling Caesar and the apes are. Their story is the one of hope and triumph. Director Matt Reeves and co-writer Mark Bomback blatantly draw from the biblical story of Moses and apply this classic character arc to Caesar in extraordinarily moving sequences. Andy Serkis has never been better in these films, and his performance (along with the other motion capture actors) nevers gets lost in the unbelievably real effects that bring the apes to life. And you will fall in love with Steve Zahns Bad Ape, the funniest and most touching character the series has ever produced. This is also a phenomenal blockbuster. The action is tense and exhilarating, but never showy or shallow. Every big moment is weighted by character motivations and personal conflict. Nothing feels beholden to some unseen plot thats moving things along simply to move things along. Its a true testament to the value of characters over story. War for the Planet of the Apes gets a 5 out of 5. Forget Star Wars and superheroes, this is the platinum standard for blockbuster filmmaking. Its the best entry in the rebooted series and might be the best film in the entire saga. Its a genuinely risky and powerfully adult tale told with the biggest canvas possible. If this is where this new series ends, its an incredible sendoff as well as the best summer tentpole film of 2017.

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War for the Planet of the Apes continues the popular film series that was rebooted back in 2011. Check out our Quick Guide to learn some facts you may not know!

A Quick Guide to 'War for the Planet of the Apes'

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A new trailer for 'War of the Planet of the Apes' lets us get a better understanding of the character of Nova. Nova is an important character to the Planet of the Apes mythology. Her inclusion could mean that this new series is starting to get very close to resembling the original films.War of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on July 14.

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 Andy Serkis is known as the master of motion capture, providing compelling performances for characters including Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films and the titular character in Peter Jacksons King Kong. He also, of course, performs as Caesar in the Planet of the Apes franchise. But mo-cap newcomer Steve Zahn is giving him a run for his money as new chimp in the Apes camp, Bad Ape. And while Serkis might have been able to provide performance capture tips on set to newbie Steve Zahn, its actor and movement coach Terry Notary who works closely with the actors to get them all moving and acting like primates. FANDOM asked Steve Zahn to show us how to act ape.  Terry works from a totally different spot, he begins. He works from right here [points to chest]. Internalizing this character, this being, this chimpanzee. For Zahn, its partly about shedding inhibitions. With Terry, the first thing is, like, we posture, he says. Everything we do, we hold ourselves, were consciously aware of our bodies. A chimpanzee doesnt. They hold their centre, they breathe out, their stomach hangs out. They dont care about that. But its not lazy, theres a lot of strength there. When we turn our head and look at something its totally different. Their whole body turns. Theres a different focus. The focus kind of follows. Its all connected, how they move.                                                               Zahn observed apes to better understand them: I was always fascinated with the ape that just kind of sat there. And I would think: How is that different to me sitting there being bored? Its totally different. And its just this kind of internal peace. In the film, Zahns Bad Ape character has taught himself to speak. Not quite as proficient as Caesar, he retains a lot of simian characteristics in his communication techniques. I remember I started, like, I would talk and when I talked and said Os I would always point to my mouth and go O. And I thought, Oh, thats [from] when I was taught [to speak].  His final words of advice? Dont overthink it, he says. If you just came on set, I would try not to move too much. I would just think strength but think peace. Peaceful strength. Watch Zahns monkeying around in the video above (yeah, we know theyre not monkeys). War For the Planet of the Apes is released in the UK on July 11 and in the US on July 14.

How To Be An Ape With War For the Planet of the Apes Actor Steve Zahn

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The final War for the Planet of the Apes trailer has arrived and it gives us our best glimpse yet of Woody Harrelson's merciless colonel, who delivers some powerful dialogue. He's not alone in that, of course. Chimpanzee Caesar has his fair share of moments that pack a punch. It's the third instalment of the rebooted franchise that began in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes and continued in 2014 with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. In War for the Planet of the Apes, the Colonel is looking to end the intelligent race humans created, while Caesar insists they fight only to survive.  Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

See Woody Harrelson's Ruthless Colonel Wage War in War for the Planet of the Apes Trailer

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Which summer movie was the best? Wonder Woman? Spider-Man? War for the Planet of the Apes?! We're debating it with you guys!

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