‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ Movie Review: Wes Ball Delivers The Summer Blockbuster We Have Been Waiting For
Photo from 20th Century Studios
From Joe Peltzer
I will be the first to admit that I was a bit skeptical when Wes Ball (The Maze Runner trilogy) was announced as the director of the latest addition to the Planet of the Apes series. Equally as concerning was the feeling that the modern trilogy had concluded, so a return was anything but a lock for success. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes puts both hesitations to bed with a strong, focused continuation of the ongoing saga bolstered by flawless CGI and inspired performances, the best of the contemporary series.
Set generations beyond the time of Caesar, Kingdom introduces Noa (Owen Teague), part of a new clan of apes living secluded and peacefully with humans (referred to as “echoes”) relegated to the wild. When a forceful leader (Proximus Caesar, played by Kevin Durand) emerges and his army take most of his clan captive, Noa embarks on a journey to rescue them, realizing along the way that he has much to learn about the world around him.
Ball’s film, written by the team of Josh Friedman, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Patrick Aison, is a triumph in that it is infused with the DNA of the previous three films (Rise, Dawn, War) while establishing new characters and a new direction. Teague is a powerhouse here, his emotional portrayal of the young ape ((aided by unblemished CGI)) driving much of the film and instantly making the character one that you want to root for. As the clear central character of what I expect will be a new batch of films, Teague is an excellent anchor.
In a film that is largely the product of motion-capture technology, it’s remarkable that each and every scene looks expertly crafted and real, better than many blockbusters of recent years with much larger budgets. The interaction between the apes, the quick camera movements that take you along on their journeys, the scenery… it all combines for a transportive feature. Most impressive is the differentiation between each ape, the actors’ movements captured most notably in their facial expressions and the precision obvious right down to the hairs on their heads.
The plot of Kingdom is more contained than previous films, but aptly so. Whereas War of the Planet of the Apes was a bit of a disappointment for me, the title promising something different than was delivered, Kingdom lays the groundwork for what is to come, cleverly detailing how the world has evolved since Caesar’s time. Caesar himself is still a presence here, his philosophies and teachings carrying forward and explained largely by the orangutan Raka (Peter Macon). It’s these teachings (and they’re coopting) that fuels the central conflict between clans.
Freya Allan enters the mix quite a bit into the film as Mae, the human lead who is clearly different than others detailed as roaming around in herds. Though a presence here, this is still largely a movie focused on the titular apes. Allan plays the role with a mysterious edge, a conflicted nature clearly present that constantly leads you (and Noa) to believe that there is more there than meets the eye. While I love the backseat that the human characters have taken here, the element of Proximus Caesar does feel a little muted, his presence less imposing than perhaps intended. Still, the pieces are there to show that this is the start of a new direction, I just wonder how many times we can rinse and repeat with a new big bad ape (oh hey, Koba).
All that said, even with the light negatives/concerned noted, it all works exquisitely well here and makes Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes my clear favorite of the modern franchise entries. Ball shows his ability to manage the grandiose nature of the story with the intimate moments that connect audiences to the characters, leading to an investment that I was missing in previous entries. Add in a score with nods to the original film and references that those most knowledgeable of the 1968 film will pick up on immediately and you have a summer blockbuster that deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. The series has never been better.
Rating: 4.5/5
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on Friday, May 10th, 2024.
