Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) 20th Century/Sci-Fi-Action-Adventure RT: 145 minutes Rated PG-13 (intense sequences of sci-fi violence/action) Director: Wes Ball Screenplay: Josh Friedman Music: John Paesano Cinematography: Gyula Pados Release date: May 10, 2024 (US) Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Lydia Peckham, Travis Jeffrey, Sara Wiseman, Neil Sandilands, Eka Darville.
Rating: ***
Whereas the original Planet of the Apes films (1968-73) got cheesier as the series progressed, the most recent ones (no, I’m NOT counting the 2001 Tim Burton misfire) are still on solid ground thirteen years and four movies later. The latest Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes follows suit in terms of quality and entertainment value. This comes as good news to this jaded moviegoer who’s had his fill of loud, bloated, soulless noisefests that favor CGI over plot, character and intelligent ideas. It’s nice to visit a world where thoughtfulness and entertainment can coexist.
Directed by Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy), fans of the franchise are sure to pleased with Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Set about 300 years after the previous installment (2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes), it takes us back to a world where primates became the dominant species after a man-made virus turned them into intelligent beings while robbing humans of theirs. The time of ape leader Caesar is over. The apes have separated into clans while humans have become feral beings commonly referred to as “Echoes”.
Noa (Teague, It) is the member of a clan that takes care of eagles. The son of the leader, he’s about to take part in a coming-of-age ceremony when an encounter with a human girl results in the eagle egg he collected earlier being destroyed. When he sneaks out at night to find another, he inadvertently alerts another clan to their existence. As a result, his village is burned down, his father is killed and all of the others are taken away to an encampment run by Proximus (Durand, Abigail), a brutal tyrant who misinterprets the teachings of Caesar.
Now on his own, Noa sets out to find his fellow clansman and bring them home. Along the way, he meets Raka (Macon, The Orville), a wise older ape who knows the true history of their world including what Caesar was really about. It’s he who tells Noa not all humans are bad. Some can be trusted. The girl he encountered earlier (Allan, The Witcher) has been following him. The two apes name her Nova (a nod to the 1968 OG and War) and bring her along. Not long after, they’re shocked to learn she can speak. Her name is actually Mae and she’s looking for her people. She knows where Noa’s family and friends are. It isn’t long before Proximus’ apes capture them and bring them to the place where he reigns supreme over his “subjects”.
It runs almost two and a half hours, but Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes never feels long or bloated. I had an easier time sitting through it than Not Another Church Movie which runs about an hour shorter. It tells a simple story yet it’s never simplistic. It explores weighty themes like humanity and the propensity for war, yet it never feels weighed down. It has awesome and exciting action sequences that don’t get overshadowed by CGI effects. The motion-capture effects in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes are some of the best I’ve ever seen. We’ve come a long way since the days of actors wearing semi-convincing ape makeup although it sure looked good to me and my 7YO peers back in the day. In relation to that, the performances are great. It’s amazing how much emotion can be conveyed through MCE. Allan does a fine job as one of two major human characters. I don’t want to give away too much about her so I’ll leave it at that. William H. Macy (Boogie Nights) turns in yet another spot-on performance, this time as the human tasked with reading books ans teaching history to Proximus. He’s something of a bastard here.
I thoroughly enjoyed Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It’s entertainment on a grand scale. It’s more serious than the average summer movie, but it doesn’t make a show out of taking itself seriously. I also like that they leave the door open for future installments. If they’re as good as the others, I’m all for it. Honestly, I’m anxious to see where they go with it.
