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Review: ‘War for the Planet of the Apes

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VIDEO:  Watch Tim’s review of “War for the Planet of the Apes” on KARE 11 (NBC).

“War for the Planet of the Apes” (PG-13)

Director Matt Reeves and Caesar motion capture artist Andy Serkis team together once again for “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the third and perhaps best film in the new “Apes” trilogy that began with the 2011 prequel “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”

“War for the Planet of the Apes” picks up a few years after the events of the second film “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” where at the conclusion, the rogue ape Koba (Toby Kebbell) tricks his fellow simians into a conflict with the surviving humans of a worldwide plague. While the humans and evolving ape society managed to live apart with nothing more than a tense atmosphere between them, Koba’s deadly meddling was enough to ensure that apes and humans would never live in harmony.

With the ape population growing and the human population decimated, a bloodthirsty military heavy known only as The Colonel (the always great Woody Harrelson) looks to eradicate the earth of all apes, beginning with their leader Caesar. Inflicting a huge loss on Caesar after he infiltrates the apes’ stronghold, The Colonel successfully draws his target out into the open; leading to the deadly confrontation that Caesar has so long fought to avoid.

“War for the Planet of the Apes” no doubt has its share of battle scenes as the title promises, but at the heart of the film there’s so much more, including parallels to the darkest part of America’s past. With a proper balance of action and a meaningful story, Reeves has easily constructed one of the best films of the year, complete with stellar performances by Serkis, Harrelson, Karin Konoval (reprising her role as the wise orangutan Maurice) and Steve Zahn — who plays a former zoo chimpanzee named Bad Ape (the words used to admonish him) who learned his traits from humans.

With any luck, the Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will stop ignoring sci-fi films and motion capture performances (particularly Serkis’) and award “War for the Planet of the Apes” with all the attention it so richly deserves come Oscar time.

Lammometer 9 (out of 10)

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AUDIO: Listen to Tim’s review of “War for the Planet of the Apes” on “The KQ Morning Show” with Tom Barnard.

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Film, Movie Reviews

Movie review: ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

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“Spider-Man: Homecoming” (PG-13) 

Tom Holland puts in an amazing performance in “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” the third time an actor has assumed Spidey’s costume in the past 15 years following turns by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Following his introduction to the world of the Avengers in “Captain America: Civil War,” Peter Parker (Holland) returns to high-school life as a 15-year-old in New York City. Waiting for his next call from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to join the Avengers for his next mission, Peter struggles with how he can best serve his friendly neighborhood as he awkwardly stumbles through adolescence and newfound responsibility as a superhero.

The film offers a completely fresh take on Spider-Man from a film standpoint, introducing new characters and a fresh villain with the Vulture (the always great Michael Keaton). Despite his large presence in the film’s trailers and clips, Downey is only in the film about 5 minutes, but he makes the most out of every second.

Lammomter: 8.5 (out of 10)

Listen to Tim’s review of “Spider-Man: Homecoming” with Mike Compton on KQRS-FM.

Film, Movie Reviews

Movie review: ‘Despicable Me 3’

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“Despicable Me 3” (PG)

The evil genius-turned-anti-villain agent Gru is back with “Despicable Me 3,” an amusing sequel that despite its efforts, doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors.

This time around, Gru (voice of Steve Carell) and his super-spy wife, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), are tasked to catch a former ’80s child star-turned-super villain Balthazar Bratt (Trey Parker) — but when their efforts fall short, they’re fired from the Anti-Villain League.

Gru’s fortunes’ change, however, when a mysterious figure shows up at his house to tell him that he has a long lost brother named Dru (Carell again), a rich pig farmer who reveals to Gru that their father was also a super villain, and he wants his brother to get back into the business of evil villainy.


Hear Tim’s review of “Despicable Me 3” with Tom Barnard on KQRS.

While “Despicable Me 3” is loaded with laughs, the film feels like it doesn’t quite have the heart of the original. The element of the first “Despicable Me” that made it so grand was it’s unexpected emotional quality, where Gru took in three orphaned sisters wanting a new home. The whole family is back for “Despicable Me 3” and while they’re dealing with new, relatable issues, the narrative simply feels like it’s missing something.

If you’re hoping for more Minion madness with “Despicable Me 3” you’ll definitely get it, even though they don’t get nearly as much screen time as they did in their own prequel movie last year. The characters make the most out of every second they’re on screen, though, especially in the film’s laugh-out-loud hilarious scenes where the whole gaggle of Gru’s yellow, pill-shaped henchmen are rounded up and sent to prison, striped outfits and all.

Lammometer: 7 (out of 10)

Watch Tim’s review of “Despicable Me 3” with Adrienne Broadus on KARE 11.

Film, Movie Reviews

Movie review: ‘Cars 3’

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“Cars 3” (PG) 

Pixar gets back to basics with mixed results with “Cars 3,” a semi-entertaining sequel that’s better than “Cars 2,” but far inferior to the brilliant 2006 original.

Owen Wilson is back as the Lightning McQueen, the once champion hotrod-turned-aging machine that can’t quite keep up to the high-tech cars that are taking over the racing circuit. Pushing himself to the limit, Lightning gets into a catastrophic crash, and once repaired he must determine whether he’s going to get back on track or come to grips that maybe his best days are far behind him.

The film in many ways repeats what we’ve seen in the original, save a few new characters to help set up the film’s core narrative. Larry the Cable Guy is back and funny as ever as Lightning’s dimwitted best friend Tow Mater, but is woefully underused.

Hear Tim’s review of “Cars 3” with Tom Barnard on KQRS.

On the plus side, the late Paul Newman’s voice (from previously unused material) is also utilized in flashback scenes, which gives weight to the film’s wonderful sub-narrative about the importance of mentorship. Ultimately, “Cars 3” isn’t a bad film, just a barely above average one from a studio that we’ve come to expect a lot more from.

Lammometer: 6 (out of 10)

Watch Tim’s review of “Cars 3” with Zachery Lashway on KARE 11.