'War For The Planet Of The Apes' Promo: Watch Andy Serkis Turn Into Caesar

By Hoai-Tran BuiJune 30, 2017 2:30 pm EST

War for the Planet of the Apes has already received rave reviews for its deep emotional impact, its astonishing motion-capture technology, and its profound meditation on the meaning of humanity. But enough cannot be said about the technology that lies at the crux of the film, marrying the skills of the actors behind the apes with the digital studio that captures those emotions for the big screen.

The War for the Planet of the Apes marketing team released another featurette showcasing the cutting-edge technology by Weta Digital, and it only feels more stunning the longer you watch it.

The minute-long featurette is simple enough — we see Andy Serkis in his motion-capture suit delivering a monologue that didn't appear in the film, the camera slowly panning in on his face as he transforms into Caesar.

Here's what Serkis says for those curious:

"It is my hope that out of this solemn occasion, a better world will emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past. A world found upon faith and understanding, a world dedicated to the wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice."

It's not only a brilliant showcase for the skills of Weta Digital, the New Zealand company co-founded by Peter Jackson that has been attached to the franchise since 2011's Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it's a showcase for Serkis' performance as Caesar, which is downright Oscar-worthy. His performance and Weta Digital's skills in "the art of translating human actors to apes," as the company says in their press release, have improved with each film, and you can see both at the apex of their abilities in this promotional video. Our review of War for the Planet of the Apes gushes about Weta Digital's landmark work, saying "there's emotion in every scene as the you forget these apes are digital creations brought to life with computers and motion-capture performance technology."

Serkis has not yet been recognized by the Academy for his motion-capture performances — his iconic work as Gollum also remains unrecognized — but I hope that War for the Planet of the Apes will change that. Serkis gives his best performance yet from behind the motion-capture screen, and it's thanks to the groundbreaking technical skills of Weta Digital that he has been able to achieve that.

Read the synopsis for War for the Planet of the Apes below:

In War for the Planet of the Apes, the third chapter of the critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.

War for the Planet of the Apes is directed by Matt Reeves and also stars hits theaters July 14.