A detailed recap of Caesar’s Planet of the Apes trilogy, along with a breakdown of the progression of both the world state and the characters.
If you’re interested in more Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes coverage, check out our review here.
Overview
In preparation for the latest Planet of the Apes installment, I revisited the trilogy following the tale of Caesar (Andy Serkis) and the development of a new world state. I have to say, I didn’t appreciate these films nearly enough when I watched them before. It probably helped this time to watch them so close together because the series does such a wonderful job with the throughline, and some things in the later films don’t carry the same weight without factoring in certain details from the first film.
I’m now convinced that this is one of the best trilogies out there, containing so many aspects worth exploring. In particular, there are some incredible character arcs, which I didn’t expect to find in a story centered around apes. The things they go through, their emotional journeys, everything about it is so unbelievably human, which is a key to the series.
I’m also including a detailed summary of the three films for those going into Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) and would like a refresher on the preceding films.
**Here the be spoilers**
World State
The progression of the world state throughout the trilogy is quite drastic. The first film is set in a completely normal world. Although the virus is clearly introduced, its effect on humans is such a minor part of the plot that it’s hardly on anyone’s radar. But by the second movie, the world as we know it has ended, and most of humanity has died off-screen. It’s rather ironic, actually, because Will (James Franco) is portrayed as a good man, but he inadvertently destroys the human race. Granted, he had good intentions, but still, the movies never really draw attention to the fact that he is the source of the apocalypse. It’s also never explicitly stated what happened to him, but the assumption is that the virus most likely also killed him. In any case, it’s strange viewing the final conflict of Rise knowing that all humans involved are probably about to die within the next few weeks/months, regardless of how this plays out, and none of them even have the slightest idea.
In Dawn, we see the start of a new world state. Only a small population of humans is left, and apes are gradually beginning to claim their stake in this new world. As humans begin to grow aware of this new species to contend with, it becomes a question of how far each species will go to protect themselves.
Then in War, humanity takes yet another blow as they realize not only have their populations diminished while the apes’ flourishes, but now the roles of humans and apes have swapped places, with apes becoming the most intelligent species on the planet and humans devolving into the primitive, animalistic state the apes used to be in prior to the virus. We also get confirmation that the apes from the initial outbreak are not the only ones in the world to be influenced by the virus, something that is technically implied but never outright stated until now. This means that the virus that spread throughout the entire world and killed most humans must also have spread to the apes around the world as well, turning Earth truly into a Planet of the Apes.
This progression is mirrored in the narratives of the films as well. Since Caesar is young for a good portion of Rise, Will is almost more of the main character than Caesar. In Dawn, Caesar shares a fairly equal role of protagonist with the main human. But in War, there is no human protagonist. The main humans are the villain and a young girl, who is part of the ape’s group but not the focus.
Also, the apes’ ability to speak progresses as well. Caesar only speaks a couple times in Rise, then in Dawn he speaks fairly regularly but still somewhat broken English. By War, he speaks full sentences often. And I just have to mention that there are multiple instances where humans hear apes speak for the very first time, and every single time, the reaction is wonderful. Even Will, who was told in advance that Caesar had spoken, looks like he’s about to poop his pants when he actually hears it for himself.
Installment Summaries
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
Desperate to develop a cure for Alzheimer’s for his father, Charles (John Lithgow), Dr. Will Rodman (Franco) produces a substance called ALZ-112, which is tested on the lab chimpanzees. He presents the substance to the lab’s board in hopes of getting more funding, but unfortunately, the chimp showing the most promise, Bright Eyes (Terry Notary), becomes unexpectedly feral and ruins Will’s chances by attacking the scientists. Dr. Jacobs (Davis Oyelowo) orders the chimp handler, Franklin (Tyler Labine), to put down the remaining experimental chimps. However, Franklin realizes that Bright Eyes had reacted so violently because she’d just given birth. He convinces Will to sneak the baby chimp away in order to save its life.
Will quickly realizes that the baby, who Charles dubs Caesar, is no ordinary ape. As it turns out, Bright Eyes passed the substance to her child, meaning Caesar was born with this unprecedented substance in his system. His cognitive skills increase rapidly, and Caesar learns sign language and many other skills. Blown away by the success of the substance, Will steals some samples from work and gives them to Charles, who shows immediate improvement to the point of complete recovery, and then some.
Will spends several years raising Caesar as a son, but keeps him hidden from the general public as best he can. In an effort to provide Caesar with a proper habitat, Will regularly brings Caesar to the nearby Redwood Forest to explore the woods freely. Eventually Caesar questions his place in the world, so Will explains where he came from and why he’s so much smarter than other animals.
After a nice reprieve for many years, Charles suddenly begins exhibiting renewed symptoms. This leads to a confrontation with a neighbor in which Caesar leaps to Charles’ defense and ends up hurting the neighbor. Will is forced to hand Caesar over to an ape “sanctuary,” unaware that the people running it are cruel to the apes in their care. Will also realizes that Charles’ body has developed antibodies that are now fighting the substance and reverting him back to his sickly state. With this in mind, Will moves to develop ALZ-113, a new form of the substance that is now in aerosol form. The new drug is tested on lab chimp Koba (Christopher Gordon), but in the process, Franklin is accidentally exposed to the gas. Koba swiftly shows signs of increased intelligence, but at the same time, Franklin grows sick and dies, leading to the realization that while ALZ-113 enhances the intelligence in apes, it is also highly deadly to humans.
Caesar, surrounded by apes for the first time in his life, quickly becomes endeared to them and upset by their treatment. He befriends a former circus orangutang named Maurice (Karin Konoval), who also knows sign language, as well as an ape named Rocket (Notary), and devises plans to help his fellow inmates. He sneaks out of the sanctuary and returns home to find samples of ALZ-113, which he then releases into the sanctuary, causing all of the apes to become intelligent. They then rebel, fighting back against their captors and breaking out of the sanctuary. They go to Will’s lab and wreak havoc, freeing the lab apes there, including Koba, and taking more ALZ-113 to continue spreading it. Though hunted by the humans, the apes are able to reach the Redwood Forest to establish it as a home base. Will goes there to find Caesar and tries to convince him to come home, but Caesar, who by now has begun to speak, tells him that this is his home now.
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
A decade after the first film, ALZ-113 has now killed off the majority of human life, but the apes, under Caesar’s leadership, have flourished in the forest. Believing humanity to be extinct, the apes are shocked to encounter a group of survivors who enter their territory. One of the humans feels threatened by the apes and shoots Rocket’s son, Ash (Larramie Doc Shaw), though not fatally. However, the other humans, particularly Malcolm (Jason Clarke), realize that the apes are intelligent and try to make peace with them. Caesar allows them to return home but sends apes to follow them and realizes there is a fairly large settlement led by Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), which is cause for concern. Many apes, especially Koba (recast as Tobey Kebbell), think they should attack the humans before they can become a threat, but Caesar has seen the good in some humans and wants to try to resolve this peacefully first. He brings a group of apes as a show of force to the city and warns them that they should stick to their own territory, stating that the apes don’t want to fight, but they will if provoked.
The humans, scared and confused by this unexpected potential threat to their home, want to attack the apes, specifically because there is a dam on ape territory that is crucial to maintaining power for their town, but Malcolm, like Caesar, also wants to try peace first. He convinces Dreyfus to allow him and a small group to return to the forest and try to broker a deal with Caesar before attacking, and Dreyfus gives him three days to resolve this, or else they will attack. Malcolm makes contact with Caesar and explains the issue, and Caesar reluctantly allows him to briefly come into their territory to fix the dam, but that’s as far as they will go.
Although the two groups are wary of each other, some of the apes, like Maurice, start to befriend the humans. Koba is upset by this and convinces Caesar’s son, Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston), to be on guard. Koba discovers the human’s cache of weapons and steals a rifle, which he secretly uses to shoot Caesar, then blames the attack on the humans. He’s able to stir up the apes’ panic and leads them to the city to take over.
Malcolm’s group flees for their lives but happen upon Caesar, who survived the bullet but is very weak. Malcolm’s girlfriend, Ellie (Keri Russell) is a doctor and wants to operate, but needs supplies from the town. Malcolm sneaks into town to retrieve them and finds Blue Eyes, who at first supported Koba but has begun to question him after Koba killed Ash in a show of force. Malcolm brings Blue Eyes back to Caesar, who tells him that Koba was the one who shot him, not the humans, and convinces him to start a rebellion against Koba with the help of Maurice, Rocket, and a few other loyal friends.
Caesar and his companions confront Koba, unaware that the tower Koba is using as his base has been rigged by Dreyfus to explode. The two opposing ape leaders fight while Malcolm tries to stop Dreyfus, but he triggers the explosion, causing chaos for the apes. Koba falls during the explosion and asks Caesar to save him, quoting Caesar’s first rule for the community, “Ape don’t kill ape,” but Caesar tells Koba he is not ape and drops him to his death.
Malcolm warns Caesar that Dreyfus’ people contacted a military group nearby and that they will be in danger now. Caesar acknowledges that apes started the war and that humans won’t let them be now, so they will do what they must to protect themselves. He tells Malcolm that he is a good man and sends him and his family away for their own safety.
War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
The apes have spent a few years since Dawn evading the military forces led by Colonel McCollough (Woody Harrelson). A handful of apes who once followed Koba have joined the Colonel’s squad and provide information and support. Caesar’s group fights a small group of the Colonel’s men but lets go of those who survive the fight in hopes that the Colonel will recognize it as a sign of peace. Unfortunately, this does not dissuade the Colonel, and he is able to discover the apes’ hideout. The Colonel kills Blue Eyes and Caesar’s wife, Cornelia (Judy Greer), though their young son Cornelius (Devyn Dalton) survives. Consumed with rage, Caesar takes it upon himself to track down the Colonel and have his revenge. Maurice, Rocket, and a gorilla named Luca (Michael Adamthwaite) insist on accompanying Caesar on this dangerous journey.
Caesar’s company gets word that more military forces are coming soon and that all apes will be killed. They also find a young human girl (Amiah Miller) who appears to be sickly and mute. Maurice refuses to leave her alone, so they bring the girl, who Maurice names Nova, with them. Soon after, they cross paths with a former zoo ape, Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), who has been alone for a long time, and Caesar’s apes realize that they are not the only apes in the world who have been influenced by the virus.
They convince the reluctant Bad Ape to take them to the military headquarters and are dismayed to find that the apes they left behind were all captured and imprisoned here, forced to build a wall, though without the aid of any food or water. Caesar is also captured and brought to the Colonel, where he learns of a new strain of virus that is causing humans to revert to a more primitive state. Caesar realizes this is why Nova is mute, though he doesn’t reveal her existence. The Colonel explains that the virus could be the end of all remaining humanity and that he’ll stop at nothing to prevent it from spreading, going as far as killing his own son when he was infected. Caesar deduces that the wall is to keep out the approaching forces, who do not agree with the Colonel on how to handle the threat of the virus. After a power struggle between the two leaders, Caesar is able to convince the Colonel to give the apes food and water, though Caesar is left without any.
Maurice and the others discover a tunnel running under the facility, which can be used to reach the surface. At night, Nova slips into the facility undetected and gives Caesar food and water, along with a doll gifted to her by Maurice. In order to help her get out without being seen, Rocket allows himself to be captured as a distraction, but this also gives him the means to communicate to Caesar about the tunnels. They make a plan to get the apes out through the tunnels and are able to secret them away just as the new forces arrive and attack the headquarters. Caesar uses the chaos to return to the Colonel with the intent of killing him once and for all but finds that the Colonel has been infected with the very virus he feared, passed to him when he found Nova’s doll in Caesar’s cell. The Colonel gestures to Caesar to kill him, but Caesar leaves a pistol for the Colonel to use on himself instead.
Caesar is able to trigger an explosion that destroys much of the base, causing an avalanche in its wake that wipes out the rest of both military forces. The apes manage to get away from the destruction and are now finally able to make a new home in peace. However, Caesar is fatally wounded in the final fight and passes away by Maurice’s side as he promises they will be able to carry on his legacy.
Characters
Caesar
Caesar is essentially the Moses of apes. Raised by his kind’s oppressors before joining the apes as their leader, he has seen both sides of the conflict. While the other apes either have had little encounter with humans, like Blue Eyes and Ash who are part of the next generation after the virus, or have had predominantly negative experiences with humans, like Koba who was experimented on for many years, Caesar spent the first 8 years of his life raised by a handful of kind humans, never knowing anything different until he was torn away from them. Because of this, Caesar is more willing than the other apes to give humans a chance, particularly in Dawn when he meets Malcolm and can tell he has a good heart. But over time, even Caesar turns more and more against humans. Watching Caesar’s entire life over the course of the three films and the ways in which he changes and grows is absolutely fascinating.
To start, Caesar is innocent. He knows nothing of the cruelty of humans, but neither is he familiar with the ape community. As a “teenager”, he begins to notice that he doesn’t fit into the world of humans and goes through a bit of a rebellious phase. Once he reaches the sanctuary, he at first doesn’t fit in with the apes either due to his unusual background and superior intelligence. So here we have a person of both worlds, with the intelligence of a human but the nature of an ape, who doesn’t really belong with either group. When he learns more about how other apes are abused and experiences some of this himself, he becomes severely loyal to the apes to the point that he even declines Will’s attempt to bring him home. In order to bring justice to his own kind, he finds a way to bring the other apes up to his level and frees them from captivity, but still, he never forgets his love for his human father figure.
All throughout Dawn, he does his best to ensure the humans and apes avoid conflict and even influences Maurice to be willing to trust humans. Maurice had been around humans for quite some time before coming to the habitat and although they had clearly taken the time to teach him sign language, he admits in Dawn that he’s never seen much good in the humans. By the end of the film, however, he has befriended Malcolm’s son, Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and protects the humans when Koba first attacks. Dawn, more than the others in the trilogy, really focuses on the similarities and differences between humans and apes. Caesar may be more willing to trust humans than the other apes, but he is almost blindly trusting of apes. As it turns out, some humans can be good – Malcolm and his family, who help the apes even against the wishes of their human leader – while some apes can be bad – Koba, who damages his own kind in his warpath on humans.
In War, Caesar still offers mercy to humans at the start of the film, despite everything they’ve done to his kind so far. But when a human murders most of his family, Caesar finally can’t take it anymore. He claims he is going after the Colonel to stop him, but he’s fooling no one – he really just wants revenge. Maurice calls him out on this, saying he is becoming like Koba. When they first come to Nova’s cabin, it’s Caesar who shoots her guardian (father?) without hesitation at the very first hint of trouble. He also fully intends to leave Nova behind, only convinced by Maurice to take her with them. And still, when the rest of the herd has escaped, and the new troops arrive, where they will most likely kill the Colonel anyway, Caesar can’t stop his revenge, finally admitting that Maurice was right to compare him to Koba. It’s heartbreaking to see such a change in him after the events of Dawn, where he went so far as to call Malcolm his friend. I can’t say I blame him after all that’s happened, but honestly, it might have come a bit too late – one of the men he releases at the start of War is ultimately the one who deals the killing blow to Caeser.
One last thing to say about Caesar is the spectacular performance by Andy Serkis. I feel like his work as Gollum/Smeagol paved the way for this role, and of course, he stood out there, but even that performance pales in comparison to the glory that is Caesar. There are several moments that gave me chills, and his presence carries such gravity that he is able to command his apes with a mere word or motion.
Other Notable Characters
Koba
Another standout performance is Tobey Kebbell, who takes over the role of Koba in Dawn. The recast was an excellent choice, as Kebbell’s acting is absolutely wonderful. In fact, he did such a great job doing the motion capture for an ape that this led to his casting as Kong in Kong: Skull Island (2017).
Koba himself makes for an amazing villain. There is a moment towards the end of Rise that, on the surface, seems pretty insignificant, but in hindsight, lays the groundwork for Koba’s opposition to Caesar. When Will reaches the forest, it’s Koba who spots him first and starts to attack him, but Caesar jumps to Will’s defense, sending Koba away. In that moment, Koba, who had only just met Caesar, quickly learns that Caesar is willing to side with a human over Koba.
Up until that day, Koba, unlike Caesar, had spent his entire life being tortured and experimented on at the hands of the humans, so it’s completely understandable why he would harbor such hatred, but it’s so intense that it blinds him from seeing the good in people like Will and Malcolm. In fact, he becomes so utterly consumed with his hatred that he goes so far as to attempt to murder Caesar, kill Ash in a public display, and lock up all of Caesar’s loyal friends. During the final battle, he lifts the debris off of a wounded ape only to grab the ape’s weapon and drop the debris back into place on top of his companion. He even tries to turn Caesar’s own son against him and very nearly succeeds – he probably would have, too, if he hadn’t shown such severity towards his own kind so quickly. The crazy thing is, after all of the damage he does, when he finds himself in danger and at the mercy of Caesar, he has the gall to turn Caesar’s own words back on him in an attempt to convince him not let to him die.
Koba leaves such an impact that his presence is still felt even after his death. Caesar is haunted by his memory, and it’s clear that Koba’s betrayal and death left Caesar forever changed.
Maurice
Maurice is a saint. He’s Caesar’s first ape friend, and the one by his side until his death. Interestingly, the way the pair sit in the final moments of War mirrors their first scene together. Maurice is the voice of reason, the mentor, and the guardian. Although he takes some time to warm up to humans, he’s the one to take compassion on Nova, essentially adopting her.
Bad Ape
I like to imagine the writers of War were like, “This movie is so much bleaker than the others, what can we do to ease the tone a little so it’s not just two full hours of depression? Oh! I know! Let’s add Steve Zahn as a kooky ape who wears a puffy vest and beanie!” Whatever the case, it was an inspired choice. One thing I find particularly interesting about him is that he doesn’t understand the sign language used by the rest of the apes, but speaks English more fluently than the apes besides Caesar. Although the other apes have the capacity to talk, Caesar is the only one to do so on a regular basis. Even Maurice, who is a prominent figure in all three films, only speaks aloud maybe four times, and half of those instances are only one or two words. So this makes for an interesting dynamic where Bad Ape is one of their kind, but can only really understand Caesar.
Colonel McCollough
One thing I noticed about the Colonel is that as much as he hates the apes, as much as he fears becoming like them, he consistently recognizes Caesar’s role as leader and engages with him in that capacity. He compares the dynamic between him and Caesar to famous opposing leaders throughout history and acknowledges that the apes will listen to him. Yes, he still treats Caesar harshly, but he also shows this odd sort of respect that none of the other bad humans display. His ending is incredibly poetic, as he succumbs to the thing he fears the most and would rather die than live with the effects of the new virus.
Nova
Although she’s not a major character, in some ways, Nova mirrors Caesar in reverse. She’s a human who is taken in by apes and finds she fits in better with them than with other humans. She doesn’t even know them for very long before showing fierce endearment to them, weeping over Luca’s death and helping Caesar when he needs it most, likely saving his life in the process (and inadvertently leading McCollough to his doom). The scene where she brings food and water to Caesar is almost angelic in nature and one of the sweetest moments in the series.
Closing Thoughts
This is honestly one of the best trilogies I’ve ever seen, and I feel like it’s been really overlooked. It’s never one of the series people talk about, but they should because there is so much to be said about it. Between the characters, the cast, and the plot that spans over a decade, everything about the series is top-tier. The filmmaking is also incredible, especially Dawn and War, which are both directed by Matt Reeves. These both have truly breathtaking battle sequences and a handful of particularly impactful scenes in which all the natural sound cuts out, and the music swells, amplifying the emotional intensity. All in all, this is a wonderful series that deserves all praise.
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