"Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes" is the fourth installment in the "Planet of The Apes" reboot series and the tenth film overall. Directed by Wes Ball ("The Maze Runner" trilogy) and starring Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, and Freya Allan, it lays the foundation for an exciting new trilogy by successfully building upon the previous three films.
Over 300 years since the events of "War for the Planet Of the Apes", the Earth is now completely ruled by various ape tribes borne out of the ideologies taught to them by Caesar (Andy Serkis). On the other hand, the humans have regressed into a primitive state and are now forced to live within the shadows of their ape superiors. Among this new world order, the tyrannical ape Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) has grown obsessed with finding ancient human technology and perverts Caesar's wise teachings into influencing other apes to help seek them out for his own selfish reasons. One day, a young chimpanzee hunter named Noa (Owen Teague) decides to reluctantly team up with a young human woman named Mae (Freya Allan) to stop Proximus from causing further damage for the future of both apes and humans after Noa's village is destroyed by Proximus's fanatical followers.
One of the most underrated film trilogies released this century would have to be the rebooted "Planet Of the Apes" series. This trio of films, which exceeded the expectations of many people like myself, featured some impressive visual effects, engaging social commentary on the ethics of certain leadership roles, and an excellent performance from Andy Serkis in the lead role as the protagonist Caesar. Yet to my surprise, not many people seem to be talking about this trilogy as much as they should, at least not on the same level of your typical superhero film series or other similar blockbuster franchises. Although I think things wrapped up nicely enough with the third entry in 2017, "Kingdom of the Planet Of the Apes" kickstarts a new trilogy of films by continuing the basic story laid out by its predecessors while also offering some new and intriguing elements that are bound to win over newcomers to the series.
Taking place several generations after the conclusion of Caesar's story, the film shows us how his influence has spread throughout the entire world and how he is now universally viewed as a messianic figure among all apes. While the previous films examined leadership statuses like democracies and dictatorships, this film distinguishes itself from that trilogy by exploring the way a posthumous cult of personality can cause others to hold conflicting views on how to follow that particular figure's teachings. As anybody who has seen how major political and religious leaders with ignorant followers have fared throughout history, this can lead to deadly results. It is here we see the way in which Proximus has taken the lessons Caesar left behind and twisted them into his own corrupt method of placing himself on top of the food chain under the guise that he is helping others to survive.
Of course, this later leads to the destruction of the village occupied by Noa and his family, whose tribe disagrees with Proximus's extremist views. In the wake of this, Noa sets out on a journey to learn more about Caesar's beliefs and whether or not his dogmatic mantra of "Apes together strong" still holds ground many centuries later. On his travels, we see Noa discover various things about the world that once was, with strong evidence that humans were the dominant species on Earth well before the apes took over. He finds himself doubting the world view imposed upon him from birth, yet still acknowledges Caesar's role in reclaiming ape dominance from the oppressive human rule of the past. The interesting part about all of this is that in spite of there being a number of contradictory views that the apes may have towards each other, it is shown that they all nonetheless hold Caesar's core principles in high esteem.
In addition to analysing the power of dogma, the film also reminds the audience of how much human civilisation has collapsed since the ape uprising centuries earlier. Director Wes Ball immerses the viewer in this post-apocalyptic world now reclaimed by nature, save for some prominent steel structures that serve as a reminder of a world that once was. We see skyscrapers completely covered in vegetation and their once bright interiors reduced to nothing more than a dark cavern filled with objects that humans used for their material benefit. Yet despite the apes' advanced intelligence, it is made clear that they are unable to figure out how to make this archaic human technology work in their favour.
For instance, it is established that even after 300 years, the apes have no written language and are unable to decipher the writings of books found inside the abandoned buildings. Also, some of the apes are able to ascertain that humans once flew due to the abundance of crashed commercial planes that litter the landscape. The apes' curiosity of how humans once lived functions as the key driving force for this story, which is why it makes perfect sense for someone like Proximus to use this to his advantage. Like any fundamentalist leader, Proximus believes he is doing the right thing for his people, but as previously mentioned, this kind of extreme authoritarianism never ends well.
In the lead role as Noa, Owen Teague has some big shoes to fill taking over from Andy Serkis, but for the most part he plays the character quite well. I enjoyed the way the film showed the parallels between the way Noa and Caesar were raised in the respective worlds they each grew up in. Anyone who saw the previous films will remember that Caesar had a major uphill battle to survive the cruelty he faced from not only the humans but also some of the apes he presided over. In contrast, Noa is shown to have had a relatively comfortable upbringing in his village, remaining ignorant to the human settlements that came generations before him. Teague does a fine job playing into Noa's curiosity, wishing to figure out what kind of future may be left for him if fanatical leaders like Proximus are left in charge for too long.
Freya Allen also played an interesting role in the film as Mae, a human woman who harbours far more intelligence than what the apes may have assumed at first. Without giving away spoilers, it would seem that Mae could be the key to bridging the rift between humans and apes in a future entry, given her significance in assisting Noa on his journey. I cannot discuss her major contributions to the story without revealing important plot points but I was pleased with the way she was fleshed out as a real person and not reduced to being some obligatory sidekick character. Allen and Teague had a solid chemistry with one another, effectively showing us that it is possible for humans and apes to find common ground in this new world despite their differences.
As the film's main antagonist, Kevin Durand treats Proximus Caesar more like a deranged cult leader as opposed to a brutish dominant male. He is a master manipulator, preying on the apes' desire to learn about human technology and how they can possibly use it to make their lives better. Naturally, when Proximus's authority is challenged by Noa, he tries to use the original Caesar's teachings to make his followers assist him in dealing with this outsider threat. This leads to some interesting moments between Noa and Proximus regarding their specific interpretations of Caesar's wise words, much like how people from different backgrounds might impose their views on religion or politics towards others who disagree.
For the beginning of a new trilogy, "Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes" does more than enough to justify its existence beyond being simply another cash-grab sequel to a recognisable IP. It remains respectful to the source material that preceded it while also adding in some fun surprises that might even catch veteran viewers off guard. Though I am now optimistic for the inevitable sequels, a part of me also worries that the series may go down the same wrong path as "Star Wars" with a lack of direction for the overall story to take. At this point, given Disney's recent track record of running beloved franchises into the ground, it looks like things could go either way. Until then, we'll just have to expect the worst but hope for the best.
I rate it 8.5/10.
Over 300 years since the events of "War for the Planet Of the Apes", the Earth is now completely ruled by various ape tribes borne out of the ideologies taught to them by Caesar (Andy Serkis). On the other hand, the humans have regressed into a primitive state and are now forced to live within the shadows of their ape superiors. Among this new world order, the tyrannical ape Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand) has grown obsessed with finding ancient human technology and perverts Caesar's wise teachings into influencing other apes to help seek them out for his own selfish reasons. One day, a young chimpanzee hunter named Noa (Owen Teague) decides to reluctantly team up with a young human woman named Mae (Freya Allan) to stop Proximus from causing further damage for the future of both apes and humans after Noa's village is destroyed by Proximus's fanatical followers.
One of the most underrated film trilogies released this century would have to be the rebooted "Planet Of the Apes" series. This trio of films, which exceeded the expectations of many people like myself, featured some impressive visual effects, engaging social commentary on the ethics of certain leadership roles, and an excellent performance from Andy Serkis in the lead role as the protagonist Caesar. Yet to my surprise, not many people seem to be talking about this trilogy as much as they should, at least not on the same level of your typical superhero film series or other similar blockbuster franchises. Although I think things wrapped up nicely enough with the third entry in 2017, "Kingdom of the Planet Of the Apes" kickstarts a new trilogy of films by continuing the basic story laid out by its predecessors while also offering some new and intriguing elements that are bound to win over newcomers to the series.
Taking place several generations after the conclusion of Caesar's story, the film shows us how his influence has spread throughout the entire world and how he is now universally viewed as a messianic figure among all apes. While the previous films examined leadership statuses like democracies and dictatorships, this film distinguishes itself from that trilogy by exploring the way a posthumous cult of personality can cause others to hold conflicting views on how to follow that particular figure's teachings. As anybody who has seen how major political and religious leaders with ignorant followers have fared throughout history, this can lead to deadly results. It is here we see the way in which Proximus has taken the lessons Caesar left behind and twisted them into his own corrupt method of placing himself on top of the food chain under the guise that he is helping others to survive.
Of course, this later leads to the destruction of the village occupied by Noa and his family, whose tribe disagrees with Proximus's extremist views. In the wake of this, Noa sets out on a journey to learn more about Caesar's beliefs and whether or not his dogmatic mantra of "Apes together strong" still holds ground many centuries later. On his travels, we see Noa discover various things about the world that once was, with strong evidence that humans were the dominant species on Earth well before the apes took over. He finds himself doubting the world view imposed upon him from birth, yet still acknowledges Caesar's role in reclaiming ape dominance from the oppressive human rule of the past. The interesting part about all of this is that in spite of there being a number of contradictory views that the apes may have towards each other, it is shown that they all nonetheless hold Caesar's core principles in high esteem.
In addition to analysing the power of dogma, the film also reminds the audience of how much human civilisation has collapsed since the ape uprising centuries earlier. Director Wes Ball immerses the viewer in this post-apocalyptic world now reclaimed by nature, save for some prominent steel structures that serve as a reminder of a world that once was. We see skyscrapers completely covered in vegetation and their once bright interiors reduced to nothing more than a dark cavern filled with objects that humans used for their material benefit. Yet despite the apes' advanced intelligence, it is made clear that they are unable to figure out how to make this archaic human technology work in their favour.
For instance, it is established that even after 300 years, the apes have no written language and are unable to decipher the writings of books found inside the abandoned buildings. Also, some of the apes are able to ascertain that humans once flew due to the abundance of crashed commercial planes that litter the landscape. The apes' curiosity of how humans once lived functions as the key driving force for this story, which is why it makes perfect sense for someone like Proximus to use this to his advantage. Like any fundamentalist leader, Proximus believes he is doing the right thing for his people, but as previously mentioned, this kind of extreme authoritarianism never ends well.
In the lead role as Noa, Owen Teague has some big shoes to fill taking over from Andy Serkis, but for the most part he plays the character quite well. I enjoyed the way the film showed the parallels between the way Noa and Caesar were raised in the respective worlds they each grew up in. Anyone who saw the previous films will remember that Caesar had a major uphill battle to survive the cruelty he faced from not only the humans but also some of the apes he presided over. In contrast, Noa is shown to have had a relatively comfortable upbringing in his village, remaining ignorant to the human settlements that came generations before him. Teague does a fine job playing into Noa's curiosity, wishing to figure out what kind of future may be left for him if fanatical leaders like Proximus are left in charge for too long.
Freya Allen also played an interesting role in the film as Mae, a human woman who harbours far more intelligence than what the apes may have assumed at first. Without giving away spoilers, it would seem that Mae could be the key to bridging the rift between humans and apes in a future entry, given her significance in assisting Noa on his journey. I cannot discuss her major contributions to the story without revealing important plot points but I was pleased with the way she was fleshed out as a real person and not reduced to being some obligatory sidekick character. Allen and Teague had a solid chemistry with one another, effectively showing us that it is possible for humans and apes to find common ground in this new world despite their differences.
As the film's main antagonist, Kevin Durand treats Proximus Caesar more like a deranged cult leader as opposed to a brutish dominant male. He is a master manipulator, preying on the apes' desire to learn about human technology and how they can possibly use it to make their lives better. Naturally, when Proximus's authority is challenged by Noa, he tries to use the original Caesar's teachings to make his followers assist him in dealing with this outsider threat. This leads to some interesting moments between Noa and Proximus regarding their specific interpretations of Caesar's wise words, much like how people from different backgrounds might impose their views on religion or politics towards others who disagree.
For the beginning of a new trilogy, "Kingdom of the Planet of The Apes" does more than enough to justify its existence beyond being simply another cash-grab sequel to a recognisable IP. It remains respectful to the source material that preceded it while also adding in some fun surprises that might even catch veteran viewers off guard. Though I am now optimistic for the inevitable sequels, a part of me also worries that the series may go down the same wrong path as "Star Wars" with a lack of direction for the overall story to take. At this point, given Disney's recent track record of running beloved franchises into the ground, it looks like things could go either way. Until then, we'll just have to expect the worst but hope for the best.
I rate it 8.5/10.