Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes leaves many questions unanswered, but does an excellent job setting up future franchise installments.
Kindgom of the Planet of the Apes was released in theaters on 5/8/24
Visual Brilliance
It’s only been seven years since War for the Planet of the Apes hit the big screen, and while that trilogy had amazing visual effects, it’s a whole new ball game with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Between the mo-cap and the CGI, the apes in this film look almost too real. That’s how good the VFX are this time around. The only complaint in that department would be some of the shots of the eagles; once in a while you could tell it had some digital overlay applied to it. Earth, 300 years post-human rule, is a sight to see. The journey we undertake gives us amazing shots of buildings and roadways taken back by nature. The apes have even used some of these structures to make their own homes and they look pretty amazing.
Pacing Issues and Needs
The pacing might be off-putting for some people, as we don’t get to the main antagonist until 2/3 of the way through the film, but it makes sense with all the world-building that needed to be done. Everyone we meet is a new character and the director, Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) allows the audience to get to know our new heroes and villains. It’s important to do that early on. Otherwise, why would you care in the climax of the film of any pending danger if you didn’t care about the characters? He succeeds, and we get an excellent introduction into this new world.
The biggest drawback from the pacing is the lack of Kevin Durand (Abigail) and his King Ape, fascinated with the Roman Empire, Proximus Caesar. He excels in his role and the gravitas his character has jumps off the screen.
New Faces in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Of all the new characters introduced, I would say Raka (Peter Macan), Noah (Owen Teague), and Sylva (Eva Darville) are my favorites. Noah is the lead and his story is a coming-of-age tale that is interrupted when his village is attacked. He has a lot of characteristics similar to Caesar from the previous trilogy, while remaining an entirely new and fresh character. Raka is educated and compassionate and it is his teachings of Caesar’s original message and philosophy that help Noah on his journey. Raka is probably the most likable character in this new film and he is the character that helps fill in the audience with a few of the many gaps left by the 300-year time jump.
Sylva is a terrifying gorilla that is the right-hand ape of Proximus Caesar. No one feels safe when he is around. Of all the bad guys we have met in this franchise, he just might be my favorite. Heck, I felt intimidated by him even though I was comfortably and safely sitting in my seat.
A New, Exciting World
This film asks a lot more questions than it answers and that can only be good news for future films in this franchise. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does a tremendous job setting up this new world, while leaving the audience with a lot to ponder about what transpired over the last 300 years since Caesar’s death. Are there more ape clans out there? When do we start to approach the original 1968 Planet of the Apes type of society? And how much fight do the humans have after 300 years? What hope do they have of taking this planet back?
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does some expected things story-wise, while giving us unexpected characters and choices. A beautiful, visually stunning experience, this is a movie to see on the big screen. Grab a soda, some popcorn, lean back, and enjoy.
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