ANYONE who has been following Caesar’s journey – the central character in the Planet of the Apes reboot – over the last six years will have grown quite attached to the ape leader.

We were first introduced to Caesar, played by Andy Serkis, as a baby in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which was a new take on the classic sci-fi franchise.

War for the Planet of the Apes, the third movie in the trilogy, picks up several years after Dawn.

Here we see an ageing Caesar leading his people in secret, away from the threat of humans.

That is until they are discovered by a military faction led by the Colonel, played by Woody Harrelson.

This sets off a chain of events that sees Caesar and his closest allies seek out the ruthless Colonel while their people seek out pastures new.

Harrelson puts in a solid, if unspectacular performance in War, though to his credit he isn’t featured in as much as the film as you might expect.

This is very much Caesar’s story, and like the previous two films the man behind the mask puts in a truly spectacular performance.

So spectacular that there are even some calling for the Academy to hand an Oscar to the motion-capture specialist.

Caesar’s is well supported by a range of other, mostly none-talking characters.

Bad ape, a new character to the series, played by Steve Zahn, is a welcome addition to the cast and brings some light moments to an otherwise heavy film.

It must be noted that the apes in War have never looked so realistic, it really is a wonder to behold.

Where War falls down compared to the previous two entries is its lack of any strong performances from human characters.

Rise had James Franco and John Lithgow, Dawn had Gary Oldman and a host of strong supporting actors but there aren’t any stand-out human characters in War.

It also has to be noted that the final film in the trilogy barely features any actual war, as the film's title would lead you to believe.

If you were expecting some all-out action, you may be disappointed.

That said, part of what made this reboot so great was how it connected the audience to its lead character, and in that respect War may well Caesars’ most personal film to date.

Despite its shortcomings, War for the Planet of the Apes is a terrific conclusion to what has been one of the finest reboots ever made.

8/10