A new War for the Planet of the Apes trailer has arrived. The follow-up begins two years into the all-out war between humans and apes that was teased at the end of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and finds Caesar (Andy Serkis) on something of a revenge mission against The Colonel (Woody Harrelson), who has amassed a human army at a compound deep in the snow.

I'm so incredibly excited for this movie, and it looks like director Matt Reeves has seriously upped his game from the already impressive Dawn.  Although there's certainly plenty of action spectacle on display (this is a summer blockbustrer, after all), I'm shocked at how thoroughly dark and heavy the movie looks.  While we know that the Apes will ultimately emerge victorious, this trailer strongly hints that War is the end of Caesar's journey and that while the Apes will go on without him, his death will mark the closing chapter of their rise. Moreover, Reeves looks like he's continuing to embrace the thoughtful subtext that elevated the Apes franchise to one of the best sci-fi series of all time.

Check out the War for the Planet of the Apes trailer teaser below. The film also stars Steve Zahn, Amiah Miller, Karin Konoval, Judy Greer, and Terry Notary. War for the Planet of the Apes opens in theaters on July 14th.

Here’s the official synopsis for War for the Planet of the Apes:

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.

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Image via Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox
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Image via 20th Century Fox

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