Caesar is dead but his legacy lives on in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Wes Ball, director of The Maze Runner films, takes over the helm in this new chapter of the seemingly never-ending Apes franchise. Despite a different approach from directors Matt Reeves and Rupert Wyatt, Ball’s Kingdom seamlessly fits into the established parameters of the contemporary Planet of the Apes saga.
What does that even mean? The tone and moral themes in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes align with those in the previous films. The world now belongs to the apes, and man is the weaker link in the evolutionary chain. But within the warring species, some apes and humans are at least willing to consider living in harmony. In Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, that outlook is embodied by Raka, an orangutan who has devoted his life to following the teachings of Caesar.
Raka (Peter Macon, The Orville) is a solitary being who devotes himself to preserving books and has adopted a philosophical approach to life. He has studied humans, but his knowledge comes primarily through stories passed down from the days of Caesar. Only when Noa disrupts his peaceful life does he realize the practical applications of his teachings.
Noa (Owen Teague, The Stand) and his eagle-raising clan are savagely attacked by Proximus’ followers. The brutal mask-wearing soldiers either kill or kidnap the Eagle tribe, and only Noa escapes unharmed. He vows to save his family and, while tracking Proximus’ minions, he literally falls into Raka’s home.
The duo evolves into a trio when a young human woman (Freya Allan, The Witcher) attaches herself as their traveling companion. The woman, called “Echo” by Noa and “Nova” by Raka, is actually named Mae. While the virus has stripped away speech and intelligence from most humans, Mae is an exception. She’s incredibly smart and has retained the ability to speak. These qualities make her a precious commodity to Proximus (Kevin Durand, Abigail), who seeks to climb more rungs on the evolutionary ladder before dying of old age. This puts a target on Mae and Noa, especially after Noa’s accidental display of his above-average intelligence.
Rise, Dawn, and War followed Caesar’s journey as a leader who chose peace over war. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is an entirely new story, set several generations after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes. Everything’s changed; even the landscape is different as forests have reclaimed cities.
Many clans aren’t even aware of what Caesar endured, or that humans were once the dominant species. That lack of knowledge of the past provides an interesting setting for the events in Kingdom and makes the temporary alliance between Raka, Noa, and Mae all the more intriguing. Raka’s the optimistic mentor and Noa’s the sponge soaking up the knowledge Raka has to share. But Mae is unique in that she understands the big picture.
The performance capture technology improved with each installment of the Rise, Dawn, and War trilogy. And with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it is now at the point where the ape characters are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Every little nuanced facial movement elicits the intended emotional response from the audience.
The progress of performance capture is remarkable, as best demonstrated by Kingdom‘s seamless integration of apes struggling in water. The film’s remarkable visual effects extend to heart-pounding action sequences, including apes on horseback rounding up humans in a stream, zigzagging through a forest, and in a meadow of high grass.
Noa and Mae’s uneasy alliance allows them to see the world through the eyes of their adversary. In their case, it’s a “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” situation with tyrant Proximus the enemy of free apes and humans. Proximus twists Caesar’s legacy to fit his own agenda, taking advantage of the fact that those he subjugates are unaware of Caesar’s true beliefs.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a thought-provoking action film that successfully builds off the trilogy while striking out on its own. The apes are fully in control in Kingdom, and now the question is whether they’ll find a way to peacefully exist with humans – and with each other.
GRADE: B+
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sci-fi violence and action
Release Date: May 10, 2024
Running Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Screenwriters: Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison
Studio: 20th Century Studios
