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Many generations after Caesar's death, apes are the planet's dominant species and have established several independent clans, while humans have regressed to feral, mute primitives. Noa (Owen Teague) is a member of the Eagle Clan, a society of chimpanzees who live peacefully and practice falconry with golden eagles. Preparing for his coming-of-age ceremony with help from friends Soona (Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (Travis Jeffery), Noa soon encounters a squad of hostile soldier apes led by a bonobo named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). Considering himself a king, Proximus perverts Caesar's teachings for his own purposes and hopes to become the era's new all-powerful founding father by enslaving other apes. After attacking Noa's village, Proximus and his minions kill several apes and capture the rest, with an unconscious Noa left for dead after a scuffle with Proximus's chief commander, Sylva (Eka Darville). Seeking to save what remains of his family, Noa heads out in search of Proximus's settlement and soon meets a wise orangutan, Raka (Peter Macon), who tries to keep Caesar's legacy alive by verbally spreading his true teachings. To their amazement, they also encounter a human named Mae (Freya Allen), who is still capable of speech and intelligent thought. The trio work together as they cross through dangerous terrain, with Mae explaining that Proximus set up his settlement at an old human bunker where the bonobo hopes to discover ancient secrets able to unlock a more robust future for his apes.
Like its predecessors, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes borrows and repurposes ideas from the original Planet of the Apes films. For example, the notion of different ape factions battling each other and disputing human allegiances is reminiscent of Battle for the Planet of the Apes, and Kingdom also offers our first glimpse at primitive humans who drink water in streams alongside wild animals. Friedman's script contains other reverential and affectionate callbacks to the original franchise, including the apes discovering a talking doll that emits the same sound as the doll from a similar scene from 1968's Planet of the Apes. With Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes introducing a whole new slate of characters, it takes some time to fully engage with the movie and become invested in the story. It is initially difficult to distinguish the new ape characters from one another, making it hard to latch onto any of them or even recognise them until Noa begins his journey. The pacing is not always ideal, as Ball admittedly struggles to maintain momentum throughout the second act in particular. Kingdom is the longest of the new Planet of the Apes pictures, clocking in at a gargantuan 145 minutes, and it could have been cut down to around the two-hour mark without losing any powerful moments. Indeed, it does not achieve enough to justify the long runtime.
With the quality of visual effects in mainstream blockbusters seemingly diminishing in recent years, it is genuinely exciting and satisfying to witness movies like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which remind us how excellent CGI can be in the right hands. Wฤtฤ FX continues to up the ante in terms of digital effects, filling the movie with astonishingly lifelike, photorealistic apes. The VFX are not cartoonish or phoney, nor do they consistently remind us that the apes are not real; instead, our brains instantly accept these characters as living, breathing, soulful creatures. From the realistic facial expressions to the incredible attention to detail on skin and fur, the chimpanzees, orangutans, bonobos, and gorillas look extraordinary, making it easy to appreciate the decision to use computer-generated imagery instead of prosthetics. Filming large portions of the movie in real locations and on real sets with the performers helps the illusion, as tangible things surround the computer-generated creatures, making the visuals more realistic. Of course, some sequences use green-screening, but the movie is not pure soundstage work.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes carries a vast $160 million pricetag, but it's a comparatively sensible budget considering the out-of-control costs for most recent blockbusters, with Disney productions now frequently exceeding the $300 million mark. Without any movie stars eating up tens of millions of dollars, more money was available for other areas of production, resulting in a rare level of technical proficiency. Kingdom's scope is vast, with Noa venturing through the overgrown ruins of cities, and the post-apocalyptic imagery is genuinely striking. Unfortunately, despite a game cast of mostly unknowns, the new characters are not as compelling as those from the previous trilogy, with Owen Teague as Noa, in particular, coming across as more generic and forgettable, especially compared to Andy Serkis's incomparable portrayal of Caesar. The underrated Kevin Durand makes a strong impression as the antagonistic Proximus Caesar, but the character is not as interesting as Toby Kebbell's memorable Koba. However, Freya Allen makes an astounding impression as one of the few human characters, delivering a nuanced performance for which she conveys more with facial expressions than words. William H. Macy is the most recognisable performer as a human who amicably allies himself with the apes and teaches human history. Macy brings a believable, world-weary demeanour to the role, making him an excellent fit for the character.
The conceptual ideas behind Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes are strong, with ape society showing religious-esque segmentation and prejudice, and looking to study human history. It's a strong foundation for a new planned trilogy, leaving ideas for further instalments to explore in greater detail. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is sometimes dull and needs stronger characterisation, but it does more right than wrong, justifying its existence. Although it is the fourth entry in this new series, there are no signs of fatigue or creative bankruptcy, making this one of the most reliable franchises in recent memory.
7.8/10
