“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”: The Next Era of the Apes Saga
After seven long years, the apes are back on the big screen with “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” 20th Century Fox’s reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise has led to some amazing movies and one of the finest sci-fi trilogies in recent years, thanks much in part to director Matt Reeves and the stellar performance of Andy Serkis as Caesar. So, can this new movie live up to the lofty expectations of its predecessors? Story spoilers ahead.
The movie picks up where “War for the Planet of the Apes” left off. After Caesar’s death, the tribe of monkeys he spent the first three movies freeing and protecting gives him a beautiful sendoff. As they cremate his body under the symbol of the window from the house that Caesar was raised in, you can’t help but feel like this is the director giving that chapter of the rebooted franchise its flowers and bookending. It certainly feels like that a few minutes later, once we jump ahead 300 years into the future to follow a new tribe of monkeys who have no connection to Caesar or that original tribe. This movie follows new character, Noa (played by Owen Teague) and his friends Soona (played by Lydia Peckham) and Anaya (played by Travis Jeffrey) as they must prepare for a special “bonding ceremony.” After getting the eggs they need for said ceremony, they return home and we meet Noa’s mother and father, both spiritual leaders in the community.
Disaster strikes the night before the ceremony as a group of apes from another tribe attack Noa’s village, burning it to the ground, kidnapping the villagers, and killing Noa’s father in the process. Now, it’s up to Noa and some companions he picks up along the way — Raka the orangutan (played by Peter Macon) and Nova the human (played by Freya Allen) — to free them and return his friends and family to their village safely.
One of the biggest positives of the movie is its visuals. The CGI environments, monkeys, and action are all rendered in amazing quality and clarity. While computer-generated, many scenic wide shots are still wondrous and lifelike. But the great visuals and fun action can distract from an overall slow-paced and uninteresting story. After setting out to follow the trail of his missing tribe, Noa encounters the orangutang Raka, who explains to him the life and times of Caesar before every ape forgot about him. This was one of the first elements of the story that didn’t really connect with me. Caesar is essentially to the monkeys as Jesus was to us humans, a spiritual leader and guiding force that pulled off the seemingly impossible time after time, and was an example for all the other members of his tribe to follow. You would think that his story would live on and spread to other ape tribes even through generations, but that’s just not the case here.
And that would be fine if this story and the characters were able to surpass Caesar’s, but that isn’t the case either. The new main character of the story is sadly uninteresting and lacks any defining qualities even when not compared to Caesar. In the beginning, it’s implied that he doesn’t live up to his parents’ expectations and is a bit of a screw-up, but he actually comes off as quite exceptional in comparison to the other monkeys, despite his sometimes timid nature. He’s not the funniest, the bravest, or the smartest monkey of the bunch. He’s just the monkey we happen to be following. But this critique can be levied at most of the on-screen characters besides Proximus Caesar (played by Kevin Durand), who gives a typical villain performance, and Raka, who gives us a few comedic moments here and there.
While visually impressive, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” doesn’t carry anywhere near the same tension, drama, or memorable moments as the franchise’s previous installments.
