Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes (2024)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, May 10

PG-13 Running Time: 145 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

  • Gripping, compelling, and building on a powerhouse trilogy of films from 2011-2017, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the next-movie-up in the Summer 2024 cavalcade of blockbusters.

  • Stunning to watch on the big screen, with extraordinary visual effects and cinematography.

  • Sets the stage for a compelling, rumored new trilogy of films, with apes in power and a female teenager potentially emerging as a significant player in future stories.

NO

  • Drags at times and does not at all need to be 145 minutes.

  • Refashioned as a character-driven, coming-of-age story, it try some viewers’ patience as the movie takes its time in building to the highly intense action sequences.

  • Lacks any truly suspenseful or intense moments, as this veers more to a cerebral story of a young character’s growing awareness of the realities of the world around him.


OUR REVIEW

From 2011-2017, directors Rupert Wyatt and Matt Reeves revitalized and rebooted The Planet of the Apes franchise with a trilogy of films which received huge critical acclaim and strong box office returns. With Reeves turning over the franchise to a new director, new screenwriter and producers, we now have Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner), a former colleague of Reeves who is clearly ready for the challenge of making a CGI-driven, motion-capture performed blockbuster experience for the big screen.

For this new film, Ball and screenwriter Josh Friedman (Avatar: The Way of Water) takes us to a time period defined as “many generations” in the future following the death of Caesar, the leader of the apes featured in the Wyatt and Reeves films. As he is prepared for cremation, our attention focuses on teenager Noa (Owen Teague via motion-capture), who pivots from a somber ritual to a different type of rite of passage. He, along with similarly-aged chimpanzees Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffery), go to great lengths to acquire eagle eggs to capture and raise as part of the traditions of their peaceful Eagle Clan community. 

That synergy and coexistence of community forged between eagle and ape is certainly symbolic in a number of ways, and foretells themes that the film explores the deeper it dives into the worlds it creates. But Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes importantly does not become overly heavy-handed with metaphor and analogy. Ball and Friedman craft a film more subtle in its commentary; the subtext is there and in ample supply, but is presented more for discovery and contemplation than sermonizing or lecture.

As we embed with Noa and his friends and see the way the chimpanzee community navigates their lives, Ball’s production and visual effects team have created expansive, stunning landscapes for us to experience. Through tremendous cinematography by Gyula Pados, and an impressive blend of real-life locations from New South Wales, Australia and CGI-generated backdrops, every scene feels like we are witnessing a new world built for us right before our eyes. A masterclass of visual effects work, with Peter Jackson’s Wētā Workshop taking photorealism to new heights, it becomes impossible to not be blown away by the incredible presentation that Ball and his crew have created.

In addition, as much of Kingdom focuses on Noa and his friends and community, it is a teenage girl’s appearance that threatens to upend the peaceful existence that Noa’s clan have established for themselves. When the human girl, Mae (Freya Allen), accidentally breaks Noa’s eagle egg, he sets out on a mission that places him on a suspenseful adventure that shows him a more barbaric world than he could have ever anticipated. The allegory of losing one’s innocence is obvious, but so is recognition that oftentimes those in power seek to possess it no matter the cost.

Noa brushes up against the vicious Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), whose authoritarian rule has created an army of simian soldiers ready to conquer and likewise defend their territory. After a raid on his village leads to tragedy, and forces many in his community to become prisoners of Proximus and his soldiers, Noa sets out to search for his family. Mae becomes an ally and companion for Noa, with Noa discovering a mentor named Raka (Peter Macon), a wise student and teacher of Caesar’s philosophy.

By the time the film reaches a set piece built around a massive bunker of specific interest to Proximus, the action ramps up exponentially and the film pushes forward to a thrilling conclusion. Though there are action sequences sprinkled in along the way, much of Kingdom is a dialogue-rich, coming-of-age story that focuses on an impressionable Noa recognizing the realities of the world around him.

Reportedly the first entry in a new trilogy of Planet of the Apes movies, Ball’s film is impressive in how it is staged and becomes, at times, a breathtaking cinematic experience. The film drags a bit in the middle, and at 145 minutes you may be checking your watch (or stealing a quick peek at your phone). 

Planet of the Apes films essentially exist within a dystopian world borne of human failure leading to the rise of sentient apes who rule the Earth. Subservience of humans, under simian rule, has positioned surviving humans as scarce but potentially dangerous. This renders Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes really a film about discovery. Though it takes time to get to where we are ultimately headed, the potential of what may come is tantalizing and more than enough reason to be excited for more eventual returns to this Kingdom.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Travis Jeffery, Lydia Peckham, Neil Sandilands, Eka Darville, Sara Wiseman

Director: Wes Ball
Written by: Josh Friedman
Based on characters created by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver
Release Date: May 10, 2024
20th Century Studios