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W ar for the Planet of the Apes
(War) had its theatrical release in July 2017, and is the third and possibly final installment of the Planet of the Apes reboot series. Originally inspired by Pierre Boulle’s eponymous 1963 novel, the film’s storyline has significant departures; it is preceded by Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rise) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (Dawn), released 2011 and 2014, respectively. The background story, as chronicled in Rise and expanded upon in Dawn and War, is fascinating yet conceivable. Rooted fundamentally in microbiological drama, the story is reminiscent of the zombie virus (e.g., World War Z (2013) and I am Legend (2007)) and the gene mutation story from the X-Men series. In the Planet of the Apes, the Simian Flu is a virus developed in a pharmaceutical firm by Will, a researcher, and released prematurely by the overzealous executive named Jacobs, who is one of the antagonists in Rise. Originally intended not only to treat Alzheimer’s disease but to increase cognitive function and intelligence in its recipients, it turned out, unfortunately, to be fatal to many humans. At the same time, it is explained that due to differences in the ape’s immune system, the virus is harmless and, in fact, augments brain functioning in apes. Being contagious, it quickly spread across the world, affecting humans and apes on a global scale.
MOVIE REVIEW By
David D. Chen-Zhang
After watching the movie, the first thing that came to mind was that the scene in one prominent poster (below) never really happened. Source: http://www.impawards.com/2017/ war_for_the_planet_of_the_apes_ver3_ xxlg.html, http://www.imdb.com/title/ tt3450958/mediaviewer/rm1755916800or https://www.foxmovies.com/movies/war-
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