“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” Review
An ape named Noa (Owen Teague) goes on a quest to save his family in “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”, the stand-alone sequel to the trilogy of action films from the 2010s.
With Hollywood constantly trying to reboot and reimagine its past successes and a lot of them coming across as soulless clones, it’s important to acknowledge when this strategy is done well. The new “Planet of the Apes” series is a perfect example of a reboot done right because not only did these films go in a different direction than the original 1968 film starring Charlton Heston, but each film progressively got better in its characterization, storytelling and incredible motion-capture effects. In particular, the final film of the trilogy, “War for the Planet of the Apes”, was a truly fantastic summer blockbuster and was marvelous in concluding the story of Andy Serkis’s Caesar. 7 years later, a new chapter has emerged with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” which is a stunning entry that shows the promise of where this ever-changing franchise can go.
Set nearly 300 years after the death of Caesar, the Earth has drastically changed with apes being the dominant life on Earth and humans becoming feral. In this world, a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) belongs to a clan of apes that practice hunting-and-gathering while raising eagles. But when a tribe of apes, led by the tyrannical Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), abduct Noa’s clan and destroy his home, Noa goes on a long journey to find his people. Along the way, he encounter an intelligent human named Mae (Freya Allen) and the pair join forces to save Noa’s people and prevent Proximus from uncovering dangerous secrets that humanity left behind.
Right off the bat, the film’s premise is one of its strongest assets. By making the story so distant from the previous films, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” doesn’t even feel like a sequel but is instead a fresh start. In this world, humanity’s great structures are nearly unrecognizable ruins and the apes have taken on the roles that our ancestors had during the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia. We’re still a long way away from the society we saw in the original “Planet of the Apes” but you can see how that society might exist one day. Seeing how these apes live is quite interesting and I found myself drawn to their customs and traditions. I also enjoyed how they do speak English well enough but they’re still not on the same level as humans once were. There’s a slower cadence to it and still more evolution that is needed.
While having notable roles in “It: Chapter One” and the CBS remake of “The Stand”, Owen Teague is still very much a rising artist and his performance is a sure sign of his potential as a star. Going on the Hero’s Journey, it was interesting to see Noa go from an ape who just wants to be seen as a full-fledged member of his clan to a capable leader who could fill the position that Caesar once occupied. As his villainous foil, Kevin Durand has this enthusiasm that shows his desire for enhanced intelligence and leadership but it’s clear that he is a totalitarian nightmare that has to be stopped. The scenes that Teauge and Durand share together are few but memorable since one keeps his personality closely guarded and the other lets it fly. It’s a good juxtaposition that keeps the audience rooting for Noa and his struggles to free his people.
Freya Allen also handles her role well as an intelligent human that puzzles the apes since they’re used to humans behaving like, well, animals. While she does side with Noa, there is this mistrust that the both of them have to work on because, like the humans of Caesar’s time, both ape and human are inherently distrustful of one another. This interesting relationship is also enhanced by the character of Raka (Peter Macon), a wise orangutan who is a pure disciple of Caesar’s teachings in an age where he has either been forgotten or has had his name used to justify atrocities he would have condemned.
While Caesar is only shown in the opening of the film and has been dead for generations, his presence is subtly felt with some, like Raka, trying to keep the most accurate version of Caesar alive while others, like Proximus, twist his name so that the multitudes of followers will bend to the selfish interests of Proximus. Just like “Dune: Part Two”, the film does address the dangers of messianic culture in a way that feels smart and takes advantages of the worlds science-fiction offers.
Directed by Wes Ball, best known for “The Maze Runner” trilogy, he utilizes the environment to create immersive worlds and to also have exciting action sequences set within them. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” may not be as action-packed as other films in the series but it more than makes up for that in character development. Plus, the action scenes the film does have are exceptionally shot and edited with a strong sense of combat and spectacle. The film’s visual effects are truly stunning and continue to improve the already impressive technology that this series has utilized. Even though they’re generated by computers, these apes look so real and the emotions they express are a perfect blend of their animal origin and the humanity that they’ve adopted over the past 300 years.
The best way to describe “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is that it’s a good “beginning film.” It sets up an interesting new world and characters to reside in it and makes a good stand-alone story but there’s also the possibility of a sequel which is almost inevitable given the longevity of the franchise and the promising box office results. I could easily see this film starting a new trilogy and, based on this film, I’d be very happy to see this team explore that.
