War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

There’s barely a war in War for the Planet of the Apes. Much of its 140 minutes is a grim prison camp movie, and that middle stretch drags, scene after scene of apes doing forced labor while you wait for the breakout. Steve Zahn’s Bad Ape is funny and sweet, but his jokes sometimes feel borrowed from a lighter sequel. Woody Harrelson’s Colonel is basically a shaved-head tribute to Apocalypse Now, and the movie is in on it. And then there’s Caesar. Andy Serkis gives a performance so full of grief and anger that you stop seeing the effects entirely. Matt Reeves shoots snowy forests and beaches like an old Western, and the silent little girl the apes take in gives Maurice the gentlest scenes in the whole trilogy. It made $490.7 million worldwide on a reported $150M to $190M. An 8.4 because it’s slow and heavy and still lands one of the most moving endings any blockbuster has tried. $232.33 says you get to the last shot and pretend there’s just something in your eye.

What works: Andy Serkis gives Caesar real grief and fury, and Matt Reeves stages the whole thing like a sweeping, quiet Western.

What doesn’t: The long prison camp section drags, the title promises a war it barely delivers, and Bad Ape’s comedy sometimes undercuts the mood.

Who it’s for: Anyone who followed Caesar from the first film, and people who like their blockbusters slow, sad and serious.