I really don’t think people appreciate the brilliant work behind the Planet of the Apes prequels. Not only is the writing absolutely phenomenal, but so is the craft. Even more impressive is that it gets exponentially better with each film.

20th Century Fox just released the first clip from War for the Planet of the Apes, and I’m gushing. I’ve already gone on a tangent about the CGI work in the film, raving about Weta Digital’s Dan Lemmon (who won an Oscar for his work on Jungle Book), but now I’m romancing over the characters that were co-written by Mark Bomback and director Matt Reeves. The following clip montage introduces us to Nova (Amiah Miller), who the apes have begrudgingly taken under their wing. The footage shows a passage of time in which Nova is discovered by the apes to when she becomes “one of them.” It’s a short block of scenes that are immensely impactful, heartbreaking even. If we can get this much color out of a short clip, how good is this movie going to be? I have high hopes.

Andy Serkis returns as Caesar, with Judy Greer as Caesar’s wife, with Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn added to the growing battle.

In the film, 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 of the Planet of the Apes ends mankind on July 14, 2017.