War for the Planet of the Apes

**This page needs visual enhancement.**
You can help All The Tropes by finding a high-quality image or video to illustrate the topic of this page.

War for the Planet of the Apes is a 2017 American science fiction film directed by Matt Reeves and written by Mark Bomback and Reeves. A sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014), it is the third installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series. The film stars Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer and Terry Notary, and follows the confrontation between the apes, led by Caesar, and the humans for control of Earth.

Principal photography began on October 14, 2015, in Vancouver. War for the Planet of the Apes premiered in New York City on July 10, 2017 and was released in the United States on July 14, 2017, by 20th Century Fox. The film received universal praise, with many critics highlighting the acting, story, musical score, action sequences and direction, and some calling it one of the strongest-ever conclusions to a film trilogy.

Plans for a fourth entry in the rebooted series were announced in October 2016.

Tropes used in War for the Planet of the Apes include:

After the End: The film takes place 15 years after the Simian Flu outbreak.
Bald of Evil: Colonel McCullough, who makes a point to regularly shave his head.
Colonel Kilgore: The Colonel is brutal, merciless and more than a tad Ax Crazy. Even further highlighted by how it's revealed that he and his men went rogue.
Enemy Civil War: Caesar and his apes eventually realize that they're in a middle of one. One between the Colonel's "Alpha and Omega" renegades and his U.S. military superiors, and both sides hate Caesar even more.
Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Colonel McCullough is generally referred to simply as "The Colonel" for much of the movie. Even the credits refer to him as such.
Foreshadowing: Nova being mute and the Simian Flu mutation she's infected hint as to why mankind in the future depicted in other movies seems incapable of speech.
He Who Fights Monsters: In the few years since Dawn, Caesar's efforts to defend his fellow apes against the humans have made him more harsh and vengeful. And he knows it painfully well.
Heel Realization: Caesar eventually realizes how much he's acting like Koba in his Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the Colonel.
Mythology Gag: The Colonel's "Alpha and Omega" faction are a nod to the subterranean mutant humans seen in Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
No Name Given: Nova is the name given by Maurice to the mute orphaned girl.
Ragnarok Proofing: Played with. The remains of human civilization across the countryside are crumbling and weathered. In contrast, whatever's still maintained by human hands is still very much in good working order. Even tanks and helicopters.
The Remnant: The U.S. Army forces led by the Colonel seem to be the last organized human military forces left. Subverted in that he and his men are revealed to be renegades who went rogue against the actual U.S. military remnants.
Ruins of the Modern Age: At one point, Caesar and his companions arrive at the remains of a ski resort that, while trashed has held up fairly well to the elements.
The Speechless: Strangely, the human army attacking Colonel McCullough's forces isn't shown speaking, outside of yells and screams. This implies that they may by and large already be infected with the mutant strain of the Simian Flu. Though unlike the Colonel's theory, they're also shown to retain their reasoning and higher brain functions given they launch coordinated attacks with helicopters and tanks.
Stupidity-Inducing Attack: Colonel McCullough believes that the same Simian Flu mutation that can render humans incapable of speech as with Nova also robs them of higher thought processes. Meaning that mankind as he knew it might be rendered extinct by becoming mentally regressed to animal savagery. He even killed his own son upon him being infected with the mutation. On the other hand, it's shown that Nova doesn't show any particular mental degradation outside of being mute, suggesting that the Colonel's word may not be entirely reliable.
The Unfettered: In his quest to save humanity as he sees fit, the Colonel's gone down a very dark path.
Vocal Evolution: In contrast to the previous movies, Caesar is shown to avert this, with the other apes also growing out of the Hulk Speak seen in previous films. Most tellingly, Caesar's dialogue is far more natural and fluid, to the point that though still deep it's almost indistinguishable from a human voice.
Villain Protagonist: Caesar veers close to becoming this due to the war. Though he remains haunted by his confrontation with Koba in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and realizes this.
The War Sequence: Despite the title, the actual major war scenes happen at the beginning and towards the end.