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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a 2024 science fiction film directed by Wes Ball and starring Owen Teague and Freya Allan. It’s one of the better entries in the franchise.

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“What a wonderful day!“

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Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. I am a huge fan of this franchise. The original is a classic and the prequel Apes trilogy was even better, being some of my favorite blockbusters of all time. So, obviously I was scared about the prospects of this new movie, which was even exasperated by Disney’s acquisition of Fox.

But from the very first moment I knew I had no reason to be afraid anymore as this movie was wonderful. It’s not up to par with the above entries in terms of sheer quality and conviction, but it came awfully close, so the filmmakers deserve extra props for that. It’s the sequel to the previous trilogy and it will undoubtedly start off a new trilogy and I am all in.

Although clearly lacking the revolutionary fervor of its predecessors, this film went back to the fantastical elements and world building of the original series. They did so many new things here while honoring the past entries, proving that Wes Ball actually has the talent and skills to lead a franchise – ‘The Maze Runner’ was simply not a good use of his talents. His direction here was stupendous and it will go down as one of the biggest surprises of the year.

There is clearly a big hole left by the absence of Andy Serkis’ Caesar here. But the movie actually used that absence to its advantage. Yes, in what was its most brilliant storytelling move, Caesar became pretty much the Christ figure for these apes, separating them into followers, non-believers and false prophets. The Christian metaphors were obvious throughout, but very apt for this particular franchise that has always been quite political and anthropological.

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Peter Macon’s Raka, a wise and spiritual orangutan, was the heart of this film. His death was definitely felt, though it was a bit too untimely. He is the one who teaches the protagonist about Caesar, literally planting the seeds of religion onto his mind. All of his speeches were warm and inspirational, making for stretches that were wonderfully dialogue-driven and emotionally investing before the film became an action spectacle later down the line.

Andy Serkis may be absent here, but Owen Teague stood on his own, delivering such a powerful, emotionally charged performance in the role of Noa, the main hero. This is a very standard hero’s journey arc that they gave him, but the actor elevated the role as did the astonishing motion capture technology – his eyes sold so many different emotions all on their own.

There is a huge emphasis on the protagonist’s clan here and their way of living. These stretches were a bit too emphasized and bordering on copying James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ formula at times, but for the most part they worked. Their use of eagles led to that thrilling final confrontation with the villain that I could see coming from a mile away, but still it felt super satisfying.

The film has an obvious anti-technology bent to it, even going so far as to state that humankind was doomed by the advent of technology. This may well be the case, but it was a bit odd that they ended the story on such a positive note for humans, which felt like a whiplash to anybody who’s ever seen the original and who knows where all of this is going. But for the most part I respected that final scene as it was narratively intriguing, epic and it set the ground for the inevitable sequels so effectively.

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Proximus has shades of Koba from the last trilogy, but ended up being a stellar villain of his own. His goal was very well explained and his hatred, but also respect for humans was fascinating to witness. He is a thinking villain, one who had a great plan and who commanded the screen whenever he was on it.

Freya Allan was also excellent as Mae, the human protagonist of the movie. The complex relationship that goes from trust to distrust within seconds between her and Noa was the film’s most interesting dynamic. She was so well utilized here as the franchise continues to find ways to develop both the ape and the human characters properly.

William H. Macy’s Trevathan was a bit too pathetic as this self-hating idiot, but he served his purpose nonetheless. Others were much less memorable – I wanted to feel more for Noa’s family and friends, but the movie never quite developed them enough for me to do so. They got so much narrative ground to tackle that some of these characters were left in the dust.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes features solid dialogue, great emotional investment and when all is set and done a powerful story that stands on its own while honoring the other entries so well. The humorous touches worked for me and they deftly counteracted the movie’s darker moments. This is the longest Apes movie, clocking in at two and a half hours, but it didn’t feel like it owing to excellent pacing and a thrilling story from start to finish.

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The adventurous elements were wonderful and the world building was extraordinary. Extra praise needs to go to the VFX department as the apes looked incredibly detailed and realistic while the post-apocalyptic setting did wonders to make the movie feel like a spectacle. It even had shades of ‘The Last of Us’ in it, which I really appreciated. I also loved the action set pieces – they were brilliantly executed and grounded in reality while still having that blockbuster spectacle feel to them that we all enjoy. The score and cinematography are pretty good, but lacking the vigor and artistry of some of its predecessors.