In Theaters: July 14, 2017

This week we have TWO new wide releases.

War for the Planet of the Apes

Who knew back in 2011 that the Planet of the Apes franchise would be the most respected franchise of the decade?

And that's the best way I can put it.  This franchise is well-respected.  They wait a proper three years between movies, and as a result we get proper movies.

*SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE PREVIOUS TWO APE FILMS*

For those of you just joining us, back in 2011, Rise of the Planet of the Apes hit theaters.  Nobody went crazy over it, but everyone liked it a lot.  It was about a doctor trying to cure alzheimer's disease.  He tests the drugs he develops on chimpanzees.  Through a complicated series of events, the final version of the drug significantly raises the IQ of other primates, but is fatal to humans.  Not only fatal, but highly contagious.

Fast forward now to 2014.  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters.  Again, not a particularly anticipated film, but everyone who saw it really liked it.  Dawn takes place eight years after the events of the first film.  The apes have formed their own community, living separately from all the humans.  Oh, and the disease caused by the drug is known as the simian flu.  It completely ravaged human civilization.  Early in this film a community of humans comes into contact with the apes.  A tense coexistence forms, that is, of course, obliterated by the end of the film, when a full-scale conflict breaks out between the apes and humans.  This is all caused by malcontents on both sides.

And that brings us to War for the Planet of the Apes.  The common thread through all of these films is Caesar.  He's the chimpanzee in the poster.  In the first film, an early version of the drug was tested on Caesar's mother.  It didn't work on her, but the desired effect was passed to Caesar.  He became the scientist's pet as he developed the drug further through the film.  Thus, the intelligence in the apes is hereditary, and Caesar is special because he's the first intelligent ape.  He becomes the leader of the apes.

So with this trilogy finally coming to a close, we will see how our world became the Planet of the Apes seen in the 1968 classic.

War for the Planet of the Apes is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, thematic elements, and some disturbing images.

Wish Upon

Do I have to watch the trailer for another horror movie?  Do I have to?

I watched it.  And I need a raise.

Honestly, it's the same thing.  Nothing new.  High school kids, something scary, some blood, creepy music.  This time it's some weird artifact that a girl gets a hold of and the instructions are to make seven wishes.  And her wishes come true.  In horrible ways, I guess.  It wasn't clear on that, it just showed her wishes coming true, and then some creepy stuff.  Whatever.  No one cares.

Wish Upon is rated PG-13 for violent and disturbing images, thematic elements and language.

Even if you don't like monkeys, just skip this one.

      Big Shot Critic