Another worthy entry into the series!
Seven years after War, the franchise continues with Kingdom or the Planet of the Apes. It has been 300 years since the death of Caesar, the leader who led fellow apes to freedom. Apes are now the dominant species, with humans, consistently regressing to primitive state, hiding out. One night, a rogue army of apes, led by Proximus Caesar, raids a clan of a young chimpanzee named Noa. With his father dead and his remaining family kidnapped, Noa ventures beyond the habit’s limits to rescue his clan. On his travels, a Caesar-devout orangutang named Raka and rogue human named Mae join him. As they travel toward certain peril, they question what future there will be for apes and humans.
The Planet of the Apes franchise, like James Bond, is a one with both and varying levels of quality. They both have Bonafede classics, sometimes baffling follow-ups, and “re-imaginings” that didn’t hit the mark. Also similar to Bond, Apes has successfully rebooted with a solid series of films; Rise, Dawn, and War. All three films were triumphant critical and financial successes, and brought the series to new heights. By switching the roles for both the humans and the apes, the series introduced new fresh layers of commentary. The end of War suggested a continuation of the franchise, despite the loss of Caesar. Now that enough time has passed, audiences now get to see where the story goes from here.
Already, Kingdom has a tall order to fill. Not only does it need to continue the franchise without Andy Serkis, but also without director Matt Reeves. At the helm this time is Wes Ball, who had previously directed the Maze Runner series. While it started strong, Maze Runner started to see diminishing returns and ended with a little applause. That is enough to suggest that maybe Ball wouldn’t be the right director to hire. It would make sense with the visuals and locations, but his handling of the themes could be an issue. Thankfully, he managed to carry over the spirt of the series with respect and valor.
Even non-fans of the new Ape films can agree that the animation on the apes is phenomenal. It looked great in each film, although the earlier entries are starting to show their age. The motion capture technology used in this film, however, is beyond incredible. Admittedly, there are some scenes involving crowds of apes where the CGI starts to show. When they are up close, however, the apes look like they are in a sequel to Avatar. Anyone watching the film would almost instantly forget that they are watching animation when watching these performances.
The best scenes in the new Apes films are the ones with no dialogue or action. When the apes communicate using ASL with fellow apes or humans, it strikes a hauntingly empathetic note. There is a genuine sense of connection between the characters that is not often in modern blockbusters. This is a breath of fresh air since it seems like many films rely on overlong conversations to insist emotion. Films like these manage to show that sometimes, less is more.
Of course, no actor can quite equal the power of Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Caesar. Thankfully, Owen Teague manages to hold his own in his performance of Noa. He conveys all of the proper qualities of a lead, and his character goes through an impressive emotional transformation throughout. The rest of the cast does a good job too, especially Peter Macon as Raka. His wisdom and admiration of Caesar’s beliefs brings a welcomed sense of levity to what is essentially a bleak story.
There are areas where the film could have been better. One example is regarding its references to the classic Ape films. The previous three films managed to give their references a sense of purpose while making them less overt. The ones in this film reference the original 1968 film, and they stick out like a sore thumb. These include naming a human character “Nova,” and a doll that coos when picked up. These scenes are so pointless, that if taken out, nothing would change. The same goes for William H. Macy’s character, who also feels pointless and tacked on.
In addition, the story itself, while interesting for the first third, becomes more conventional over time. By the second act, the film starts going through the motions while not establishing its own voice. While there is nothing outright bad in the latter parts, it feels too conventional compared to what could have been.
The idea of questioning idols seems to be the theme of 2024, given this was also in Dune Part 2. It is an interesting theme to explore in this new entry, especially since it set so long after War. Once virtuous real-life teachings can become lost, and even twisted around, as years pass. The concept of restoring these values is essential nowadays, as is empathy. The filmmakers could have explored these themes more, but the effort still shows.
While Kingdom is not the strongest, or most original, entry in the Apes series, it still works. It manages to retain the spirit of the previous three films while paving the way for more. Granted, it is not absolutely necessary to have seen the previous three films to follow this one. On the other hand, knowing Caesar’s journey will help appreciate what this film stands for. It is not clear where the series will head, but it is off to a good start so far.