Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has officially hit theaters, and this new installment in the franchise deems itself a worthy successor to the previous trilogy.
Noa, our main protagonist, is a great and rather likable character, played by Owen Teague with an eagerness that's super endearing and makes you want to root for him. Taking place hundreds of years after War of the Planet of the Apes, Kingdom follows Noa as he goes on a journey to rescue his family from the clutches of Proximus Caesar (played by scene-stealer Kevin Durand). Joining Noa on his journey are orangutan Raka (Peter Macon) and a human, or "echo" as Noa's clan calls them, dubbed Nova (Freya Allan).
"As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike," reads the synopsis.
In anticipation of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes's release, I spent the week before watching the previous trilogy—Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, and War for the Planet of the Apes. And that may have been a mistake... Let me explain.
It had been years since I last watched those films, so rewatching them gave me a new appreciation and love for the storylines and characters—particularly Dawn, which I'd argue is the strongest of the three. Because of how amazing (and truly undervalued) this trilogy is, I went into Kingdom with pretty high expectations. Unfortunately, this may have skewed my perception of the new movie as a whole. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe this film stands firm on its own, but when you're following such a rich, dark, and deep trio of films, it can be difficult to keep up or even function at the same level.
For instance, the characters don't feel as nuanced or three-dimensional as those in Rise, Dawn, and/or War—Caesar being the main one I'm comparing to. However, I remain hopeful that this will be improved upon in future movie releases! (You can only go up from here!)
I do think my overall perception of the film would have been different had I not watched the previous three movies—and luckily, they're not necessary viewing going into Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. So if you haven't seen them (a tragedy, by the way), fret not, as the opening scene sets the stage for new audiences rather well and gives some background before fast-forwarding to the current timeline.
Despite that, Kingdom is a great popcorn flick and can be a great introduction to this world for new Apes viewers. It definitely keeps you engaged on the screen as events unfold, albeit rather predictably at times, but still entertaining nonetheless. We're now 10 films into a franchise that has spanned over 50 years, and it's still going rather strong. I mean, that's impressive in and of itself.
Perhaps what impressed me the most with Kingdom was the special effects and production design. I was (and still am) in absolute awe of the cast of apes and how detailed and lifelike they all are. This feat only seems to improve with each movie release in the Apes franchise, too. Seriously, go back and watch Rise and then Kingdom; the improvements over the last 13+ years are insane! Hats off to the team at Wētā FX and the actors who took on the physical movements of the animals, because I couldn't take my eyes off the screen.
Also, if this doesn't convince you to go give Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes a watch, then maybe the following interview of the cast discussing and showing off the lessons learned in "Ape School" will. Trust me, it's worth a watch!
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