Planet of the Apes is one of those rare series that has managed to withstand the test of time while also continuing to innovate with subsequent entries. The prequel series which began in 2011 with Rise of the Planet of the Apes has been well received by audiences, myself included. While War for the Planet of the Apes certainly acted as a fitting conclusion for the series, I was still interested in what could be offered here. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is directed by Wes Ball, starring Owen Teague and Freya Allan.

This film picks up many generations after the last but is still set before the original 1968 release. Humans have grown weak and simple-minded due to a virus while apes have now taken our place as the dominant species. We follow a young ape called Noa (Teague) who sets out on a journey to save his clan from imprisonment after their home is destroyed. Along the way, he comes in contact with Nova (Allan), a human who seems to know more about the true past of the world.

By far the strongest aspect of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the visual effects of the series, which retain outstanding quality and are then brought to life with some great performances. I continue to be impressed at how the main cast is able to convey so much emotion through both physical and traditional acting. Not only that, but the nuances of each performance remain preserved through layers of CGI. Every ape can stand out from each other with distinct personality traits combined with subtle visual differences within the CGI.

Another great aspect of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the worldbuilding; I loved bearing witness to ape society. The various factions and clans all have distinctive and interesting cultures. Cities are built within the ruins of human society or stand as marvels of animalistic engineering. In a way, you can see how this world is superior to our own modern civilization. The apes truly live amongst the natural beauty of our planet rather than shaping it to their individual needs.

Where does humanity begin? This is the core idea of the Planet of the Apes which will run through your mind whenever you watch these movies. I’m glad to see this preserved in the new entry. Like the other films within the series, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is able to raise some poignant questions regarding core themes surrounding morality, technology, social class, and more.

Unfortunately, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes isn’t the best at addressing many of these complex ideas. It never adds anything especially new to the conversation begun by previous entries. Additionally, the prior films are superior in regard to scene composition and structure, delivering memorable set pieces and impactful action. The plotline here is also rather bland at points in my opinion. Perhaps this is due to the fact that our main cast is substantially less developed outside of the main protagonist, and thus narrative moments involving them devolve into very well-trodden story beats for the genre.

I also would have preferred if more screen time was given to the main villain, Proximus (Kevin Durand). He is one of the best aspects of the story but is only introduced in the latter half of the film. Instead, more attention is given to the human characters which are less interesting than they have ever been.

From the title, I was hoping to explore a world where humanity is brought to its knees by the apes while descending into savagery. That isn’t the case, and instead, we are treated to more of the same. Humanity clings to the last dregs of power in a world that has grown hostile, hoping they may rise again, though the film barely gives us a reason to root for them.

As a result, I was left feeling relatively ambivalent towards Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. It’s certainly not bad, but hasn’t given me anything truly unique or delivered enough compelling plot points and characters to get invested in. The biggest example of this is found within the ending, in which the world is relatively unchanged after the events of the movie.

In contrast, each of the previous films ended with a dramatic shift in social structures, or environmental conditions that impacted future generations. As a result, you could easily skip this movie entirely and still have the same frame of reference for future films as those who did sit through it. Hopefully, if the series does continue there will be something more worthwhile to see in the future.

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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

5.5

Score

5.5/10

Pros

• Good worldbuilding
• Great CGI

Cons

• New characters are weak
• Doesn't break new ground