Following up the previous Planet of the Apes trilogy, wherein The Batman director Matt Reeves helmed the last two universally acclaimed entries, was never going to be easy. For a brief moment years ago, a new Apes movie seemed unlikely not only because War for the Planet of the Apes delivered a perfect ending but also because of Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox. In the years since the Disney/Fox merger, it’s been interesting to see how the Mouse has utilized Fox’s IP on the big screen under 20th Century Studios. While there have been some hits and misses, one thing that can’t be denied is the levels of trust the studio is placing in its filmmakers. Up next to further prove this notion is director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy), who Disney has placed all bets on with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
In common legacy sequel fashion, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes place generations after Caesar’s reign and doesn’t require the audience to have seen the previous three films — even though it is highly recommended in this case (more on this later). Labelling Kingdom as a “legacy sequel” feels a bit odd to begin with since it’s been less than a decade since the last movie. However, screenwriter Josh Friedman (Apple TV’s Foundation) builds his script using popular tropes seen in many recent legacy sequels. The most striking example would be Star Wars: The Force Awakens — yes, really. But don’t take this as a total red flag! While familiar legacy sequel-isms are certainly present at first, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes uses these storytelling blocks to then propel itself into exciting uncharted territory.
Our story centers on Noa (Owen Teague), a young chimpanzee hunter who hails from an isolated “Eagle Clan” of apes led by his father Koro (Neil Sandilands). In this ape tribe, bonding with eagles and nurturing them as companions is an essential part of earning one’s maturity. Having been taught by his father/chief, known as the “master of birds,” heavy pressure sits on Noa’s shoulders when it’s time for him to find an eagle egg for the bonding day celebration. On the eve of this sacred ritual, though, ferocious apes from a mysterious war clan raid Noa’s village in search of a mysterious lurker. The survivors are taken to a faraway land as prisoners, with Noa being the only one left behind in the devastation. Fueled by vengeance, Noa adventures into the unknown world with a horse and eagle at his side in search of his clan.
Noa’s quest might seem like one of simple revenge at first, but it quickly evolves into something much more complex. The mystery lurker whom the invading apes were searching for is actually a young feral human woman, and she’s been watching Noa from a distance. The simian flu, which advanced ape evolution in the franchise, has now mentally devolved the human species into primitives without the ability to speak. However, Mae (Freya Allan) isn’t like most savage humans. She’s much smarter than meets the eye and there might be more like her, making Mae useful to some apes and a threat to others. She’s the main target of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), a ruthless bonobo who has taken the name of the original elder in his mission to unite all ape clans under one powerful kingdom — even if it’s by force.
The standout factor of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes isn’t the sweeping visuals or life-like CGI, although director Wes Ball and his go-to cinematographer Gyula Pados incorporate both with ease. The film’s many visually rich, practical locations blend seamlessly with the VFX. There’s not one scene or location that looks cheaper than the rest. This is one of Ball’s greatest strengths as a director, as many exhilarating action sequences feel planned and executed to a tee to always keep full immersion. The Planet of the Apes franchise continues to be at the forefront of revolutionizing VFX, there’s no doubting that. Still, what truly gives this sequel its edge is how much it dabbles in the morally gray. Kingdom isn’t about good apes vs. bad apes, it’s about the fight for survival and how far a species will go to stay on top of the food chain.
Noa slowly learns that the world is more expansive than what his tribe’s elders have led him to believe his whole life. He doesn’t learn about the original Caesar (Andy Serkis) until he befriends a noble orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon) on his harrowing journey. Raka is the last member of the “Order of Caesar,” a group of worshipers who have tried their best to protect Caesar’s original ape laws over time. But when there are false prophets like Proximus around, history is easily rewritten. Phrases like “Apes together strong” have lost their meaning as Proximus uses them to gain followers for his cause. Even apes who don’t blindly praise Proximus still stand by his side in ignorance. Whatever it takes to preserve the future of ape civilization.
Raka tries to teach Noa to overcome his prejudice against humans just like the original Caesar would have wanted. But Proximus presents a fair point: humans will always betray apes for their own kind. Whereas this wasn’t true in the previous trilogy, Kingdom shows that humans could be on the verge of making a crucial comeback. In a time of no collective order, who deserves to write the laws of the land? This question creates thrilling tension between Noa and Mae’s relationship. They come to empathize with each other yet only act upon personal gain given the circumstances. You can’t tell if they trust each other as they team up to take down Proximus or if one is really using the other as a means to an end. And by the grand finale, it’s hard to say which of the two has the moral high ground.
If only it didn’t take the movie so long to finally start digging into this juicy stuff! The biggest setbacks of Kingdom can be found in its first half. The pacing grows tedious as the screenplay goes back and forth between rushing through the plot and hitting the breaks to make room for the aforementioned legacy sequel-isms. Watching the previous Planet of the Apes films isn’t necessary to understand Kingdom, but it sure might make someone feel left out since Caesar’s influence and importance are heavily referred to. It’s not that different from how Luke Skywalker is constantly brought up in The Force Awakens. Additionally, it takes too long to get to Proximus Caesar. Character actor Kevin Durand (Abigail) has always made the most of his supporting roles. As the main villain here, he almost steals the whole show and clearly deserves slightly more screen time.
In a franchise well-known for delivering inventive social commentary, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes does so in a way that doesn’t give easy answers. Aside from advancing the visual effects and capturing awesome images, this was the real test that Disney needed to accomplish. It’s safe to say that the groundwork has been laid for a bold new trilogy. Despite a few hiccups, director Wes Ball successfully takes the Planet of the Apes series in a direction that’s filled with untapped potential. The comparisons to Matt Reeves’ Apes films are going to be unavoidable, yet this is so far disconnected from what the last trilogy was trying to accomplish that most of those comparisons will be futile. Regardless of the incoming debates, one thing is for sure — the future of this franchise hasn’t felt this exciting in a very long time.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 10!
Release Date: May 10, 2024.
Directed by Wes Ball.
Written by Josh Friedman.
Based on characters by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver.
Premise from Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle.
Produced by Wes Ball, Joe Hartwick Jr., Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, & Jason T. Reed.
Main Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Travis Jeffery, Lydia Peckham, Neil Sandilands, Eka Darville, Ras-Samuel Weld A’abzgi, Sara Wiseman, & Dichen Lachman.
Cinematographer: Gyula Pados.
Composer: John Paesano.
Production Companies: Oddball Entertainment & Jason T. Reed Productions.
Distributor: 20th Century Studios.
Runtime: 145 minutes.
Rated PG-13.
